Cloudflare Workers enable you to deploy serverless applications at the edge, bringing your code closer to your users for improved performance and lower latency.

What are Cloudflare Workers?

Cloudflare Workers are a serverless execution environment that allows you to create entirely new applications or augment existing ones without configuring or maintaining infrastructure.

Key Benefits

  • Global Distribution: Deploy to 200+ data centers worldwide
  • Low Latency: Run code close to your users
  • Pay per Request: Only pay for what you use
  • Standards-based: Uses Web APIs and JavaScript

Getting Started

Basic Worker Example

export default {
  async fetch(request, env, ctx) {
    return new Response("Hello World!");
  },
};

Handling Routes

export default {
  async fetch(request) {
    const url = new URL(request.url);

    if (url.pathname === "/api/data") {
      return new Response(JSON.stringify({ data: "example" }), {
        headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
      });
    }

    return new Response("Not Found", { status: 404 });
  },
};

Use Cases

  • API Endpoints: Create fast, globally distributed APIs
  • Static Sites: Serve static content with edge caching
  • A/B Testing: Route traffic based on custom logic
  • Authentication: Implement auth at the edge

Best Practices

  1. Keep workers lightweight and focused
  2. Use KV storage for persistent data
  3. Leverage edge caching when possible
  4. Monitor performance with analytics

Conclusion

Cloudflare Workers provide a powerful platform for building modern, performant web applications. Their edge-based architecture ensures your users get the fastest possible experience, no matter where they are in the world.