Cloudflare took down our website

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Alleged incident & immediate reactions

  • OP (online casino) reports Cloudflare moved them from a $250/mo “Business” plan toward a $10k/mo Enterprise plan with 24h pressure and then abruptly purged their account when they didn’t accept.
  • Many readers describe the behavior as “shakedown/extortion-like,” especially the sequence “pay 120k upfront or lose service” with little specific explanation.
  • Others say the story is one‑sided and likely omits key details; several are explicitly withholding judgment until Cloudflare responds.

Gambling, legality, and ToS

  • OP’s business is a large online casino using multiple domains per jurisdiction/feature and acknowledges this “could arguably” violate Cloudflare’s ToS (e.g., domain rotation, regulatory workarounds).
  • Some see the multi-domain setup as normal compliance and UX; others view it as regulatory evasion.
  • Debate: if the site is shady or borderline illegal, is it acceptable for Cloudflare to keep them only on a high‑priced enterprise tier? Opinions split sharply.

Cloudflare’s possible motives (contested)

  • One theory: casino traffic is damaging IP reputation and getting Cloudflare IPs blocked; CF wants them on BYOIP under Enterprise as a “quarantine,” which is costly to run.
  • Counterpoint: if IP reputation is the real issue, Cloudflare should say that plainly and offer a clear, reasonably timed migration path rather than opaque sales pressure.
  • Some argue this is simply “risk‑priced service” (more legal/reputational risk → higher tier); others insist conditioning ToS leniency on payment is tantamount to extortion.

Sales, Trust & Safety, and communication

  • Many are disturbed that Trust & Safety concerns were relayed primarily via sales reps with quota, not legal/technical staff, and that communications were vague and hurried.
  • Several report similar Cloudflare patterns: free/cheap tiers with “no limits,” then sudden, undocumented upgrade demands once traffic grows. Others say their Cloudflare enterprise experience was transparent and fair.

Broader lessons and meta‑discussion

  • Strong consensus on: don’t put all eggs in one basket; keep DNS, CDN, and hosting separable where possible; maintain a tested exit plan and external config backups.
  • Some now see Cloudflare as a serious business risk / “central point of failure,” others still see them as a technically strong but culturally sales‑driven company.
  • Meta: multiple commenters noticed the HN thread being downranked quickly; moderators later confirmed flamewar/flag-based downweighting rather than Cloudflare influence.