G1Joshi Cloudflare
Cloudflare is more than a CDN; it is a global super-cloud. In 2025, Workers AI (Edge GPU inference) and R2 (Egress-free storage) are compelling reasons to build here.
When to Use
- Edge Compute: Cloudflare Workers start in <5ms globally. Perfect for APIs and Middleware.
- Storage: R2 is S3-compatible but has zero egress fees. Massive cost savings for data-heavy apps.
- Security: Zero Trust (Access) replaces corporate VPNs.
Core Concepts
Workers
V8 Isolate-based serverless functions. No cold starts. Write code in TS/JS/Rust/Python.
Durable Objects
Stateful storage at the edge. Allows coordination (e.g., waiting lists, chat rooms) globally without a central DB.
Workers AI
Run open-source models (Llama 3, Whisper) on Cloudflare's network of GPUs with a simple API call.
Best Practices (2025)
Do:
- Use Wrangler: The CLI is fantastic for local dev and deploy (
npx wrangler dev). - Use R2: Move high-bandwidth assets from AWS S3 to R2 to kill egress bills.
- Use Pages: For hosting static sites + functions (full stack JAMstack).
Don't:
- Don't block good bots: Configure WAF carefully. Use "Managed Rulesets" rather than writing brittle regex rules securely.