If you don’t want to use TXT records for SSL certificate verification :

1. Configure the _acme-challenge NS Record

1. Go to Cloudflare → DNS tab.
2. Add an NS record:
3. Name: _acme-challenge.yourdomain.com
4. Type: NS
5. Value: The subdomain NS server provided by CloudDNS (e.g., ns1.clouddns.net).
6. Save the record and wait for propagation (usually a few minutes to 24 hours).

2. Configure Let’s Encrypt Verification in CloudDNS

1. Log in to CloudDNS, go to the DNS management for _acme-challenge.
2. Add a TXT record (for Let’s Encrypt verification):
3. Name: _acme-challenge.yourdomain.com
4. Type: TXT
5. Value: The ACME verification token provided by Let’s Encrypt.
6. Save and wait for DNS propagation.

3. Request or Renew the SSL Certificate

If using Certbot or another ACME client, specify DNS verification:
bash
certbot certonly --manual --preferred-challenges=dns --domain yourdomain.com
– This command will provide a TXT record value, which you must manually add to CloudDNS under _acme-challenge.
– After verification, Let’s Encrypt will issue a new SSL certificate.

4. Install the SSL Certificate

• For self-hosted servers (Nginx/Apache):
• Download the certificate and configure it on your web server.
• For Cloudflare users:
• Go to SSL/TLS tab, select “Full Strict” mode to ensure secure HTTPS access.