Cloudflare Workers

Deploy serverless code instantly across the globe

Freemium

About Cloudflare Workers

Cloudflare Workers is the edge computing platform that runs your code in 300+ data centers worldwide, delivering sub-millisecond cold starts and responses from the server nearest to each user. Unlike AWS Lambda or Vercel Functions (which run in specific regions), Workers execute everywhere simultaneously. The platform uses V8 isolates (same engine as Chrome) rather than containers, enabling instant startup but with some Node.js API limitations. Key primitives: Workers KV for global key-value storage, Durable Objects for stateful coordination, R2 for S3-compatible object storage, D1 for SQLite databases, and Queues for async processing. Free tier is generous: 100,000 requests/day with 10ms CPU time. Paid tier ($5/mo) adds 10 million requests, 30ms CPU time, and Durable Objects. Workers excel at API routes, authentication, A/B testing, image optimization, and full-stack apps with frameworks like Hono or Remix. The learning curve involves understanding edge constraints (no filesystem, limited CPU time), but the performance benefits are substantial for latency-sensitive applications.

Key Features

Zero cold starts with V8 isolate architecture

Deploy to 300+ edge locations instantly

Workers KV for global key-value storage

Durable Objects for stateful applications

D1 serverless SQLite database

R2 S3-compatible object storage

Queues for async message processing

Cron Triggers for scheduled tasks

Native WebSocket support

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Fastest cold starts in serverless (sub-millisecond)
• Global deployment means lowest latency for all users
• Generous free tier for small projects
• Excellent developer experience with Wrangler CLI
• Full Cloudflare ecosystem (CDN, DNS, security)
• Growing framework support (Hono, Remix, Astro)

Cons

• Not full Node.js—some APIs unavailable
• CPU time limits require efficient code
• Learning curve for edge computing concepts
• Debugging can be challenging
• Vendor lock-in with Cloudflare-specific APIs
• Some npm packages don't work in Workers

Best For

APIs and microservices needing global low latency Edge authentication and authorization Full-stack apps with Hono, Remix, or Astro Image and content transformation at the edge Developers already using Cloudflare ecosystem