Cloudflare Workers execute JavaScript at edge locations globally. Sub-millisecond cold starts enable responsive applications. Workers handle requests before reaching origin servers.
Use Cases
API proxies add authentication and rate limiting. Edge caching customizes cache behavior. Request routing implements A/B testing. Content transformation modifies responses on the fly.
- Handle authentication and authorization at the edge
- Implement API rate limiting and quotas
- Transform content based on request attributes
- Route requests for A/B testing and canary releases
- Cache and serve static content from edge locations
Development Patterns
Wrangler CLI provides local development and deployment. KV storage persists data at the edge. Durable Objects maintain state for coordination. Workers integrate with other Cloudflare services.