Getting Started with CDN Edge Computing: What Can Cloudflare Workers and Vercel Edge Do?

Edge computing is the evolution of CDN—not only caching static files but also running code on the node closest to the user.

Why Edge Computing Matters

Traditional architecture: User → CDN (static) → Origin server (dynamic processing)

Edge computing: User → Edge node (both dynamic and static handled here)

A user in Singapore with an origin server in the US. In the traditional model, dynamic requests must travel halfway around the globe (200ms+). With edge computing, requests are handled directly at the nearest node (10ms).

Suitable Use Cases

• A/B testing (returning different versions at the edge based on cookies)
• Image optimization (real-time resizing, format conversion)
• API gateway (authentication, rate limiting, and routing at the edge)
• Location-based logic
• Simple server-side rendering

Unsuitable Scenarios

• Operations requiring a database (latency and consistency issues)
• Compute-intensive tasks (edge nodes have limited CPU)
• Stateful logic (no shared state between edge nodes)

Major Platforms

• Cloudflare Workers: The world's largest edge network, supporting JS/TS/WASM
• Vercel Edge Functions: Deep integration with Next.js
• Deno Deploy: An edge platform built on Deno
• AWS Lambda@Edge: Tied to CloudFront

Edge computing is an important trend—not a replacement for traditional backends, but a way to make certain critical paths faster.