What is the _cfuvid cookie?
_cfuvid is an HTTP cookie generated by Cloudflare's infrastructure when a website uses certain Cloudflare security products, particularly rate limiting or bot-management features. It is not set directly by the site owner, but by Cloudflare scripts or services integrated into the page.
It typically appears on the first visit, when the browser makes a request to a domain or resource protected by Cloudflare, and is needed so security rules can correctly distinguish between visitors.
What data it stores
The cookie stores a unique technical identifier tied to the browsing session, used internally by Cloudflare's systems to differentiate clients when applying rate-limiting rules. The exact value format may vary and is not publicly documented in detail.
The data is sent to Cloudflare's infrastructure, a global provider of web security and performance services, not to the website owner itself.
What it is used for
Its main purpose is functional: it helps Cloudflare recognize requests coming from the same visitor in order to apply rate-limiting rules and prevent automated abuse such as bots, aggressive scraping, or attacks.
For the site administrator, this cookie indirectly supports site stability and security, and is not used for advertising tracking or marketing profiling.
Does it require consent?
In CookieFix's classification, _cfuvid falls under necessary (strictly necessary), since it supports security and core technical functioning of the site. Under GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive (transposed in Romania via Law 506/2004), strictly necessary cookies do not require prior consent.
- The site administrator should still disclose this cookie in the cookie policy.
- It's recommended to clearly state its purpose (security/rate limiting) and provider (Cloudflare).
- If Cloudflare is used purely for security purposes, no separate consent is needed for this cookie.
How to block or delete _cfuvid
A visitor can delete or block this cookie from browser settings (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari), under per-site cookie management. Blocking it may affect Cloudflare's security features on sites that rely on it, sometimes triggering additional verification challenges.
For site administrators, although this cookie doesn't need to be blocked pending consent, a CMP platform like CookieFix can automatically classify it correctly in the cookie policy while still blocking scripts from categories that do require visitor consent.
Frequently asked questions
Not in the marketing or advertising sense; it's used technically for rate limiting and bot protection, not for commercial profiling.
No, since it's strictly necessary for site security it doesn't require prior consent under GDPR/ePrivacy, but it must be disclosed in the cookie policy.
It's set by Cloudflare, the security and performance provider used by the site, not directly by the site owner.
The site may still work, but Cloudflare's bot-protection mechanisms may become less effective or trigger extra verification steps.