What's the story behind the names of Cloudflare's name servers? (2013)

a day ago

CloudFlare provides two custom name server domains (e.g., bob.ns.cloudflare.com and lola.ns.cloudflare.com) to new users for DNS setup.
The naming system (using 101 common names like Bob and Lola) was created to prevent users from guessing sequential server names, ensuring accurate verification of authoritative DNS records during sign-up.
Initially, 100 names (50 male, 50 female) were used, allowing 2,500 combinations; later, a 101st name ("Woz") was added after inspiration from a ninja drawing resembling Steve Wozniak.
The name server domains serve for initial verification; afterward, requests are handled by a global, load-balanced infrastructure across 23 data centers, supporting fast and robust DNS services.
Artistic ninja drawings were commissioned for each name server, adding personality, and early team members and investors were allowed to choose their namesake ninjas.

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