Require a specific cookie

To secure a sensitive area such as a development area, you can share a cookie with trusted individuals and then filter requests so that only users with that cookie can access your site.

Use the http.cookie field to target requests based on the presence of a specific cookie.

This example comprises two custom rules:

• Rule #1 targets requests to dev.www.example.com that have a specific cookie key, devaccess. As long as the value of the cookie key contains one of three authorized users — james, matt, or michael — the expression matches and the request is allowed, skipping all other custom rules.
• Rule #2 blocks all access to dev.www.example.com.

Since custom rules are evaluated in order, Cloudflare grants access to requests that satisfy rule 1 and blocks all other requests to dev.www.example.com:

Rule #1:

• When incoming requests match:

  Use the expression editor:
  (http.cookie contains "devaccess=james" or http.cookie contains "devaccess=matt" or http.cookie contains "devaccess=michael") and http.host eq "dev.www.example.com"

• Then take action: Skip:

  • All remaining custom rules

Rule #2:

• When incoming requests match:

  Field	Operator	Value
  Hostname	equals	dev.www.example.com

  If using the expression editor:
  (http.host eq "dev.www.example.com")

• Then take action: Block