Because Cloudflare operates as a reverse proxy for a large portion of the web, a request is read, classified, checked, and acted on at the edge before it reaches the origin, and this position is more general-purpose than caching.

Cloudflare's reverse proxy position lets it read and act on requests before they reach the origin server, a capability that is more general-purpose than mere caching. ✦ AI generated

Author · ByteByteGo Newsletter · 2026-08-11 · original ↗

A reverse proxy is a server that stands in front of other servers and receives requests on their behalf. Since Cloudflare operates as a reverse proxy for a large portion of the web, a request headed for one of those sites reaches Cloudflare's network first and passes through it on the way to the origin. ... the position of a proxy is more general-purpose than caching. Caching stores a copy of a response so it can be served quickly the next time, and it is just one of the many useful things a proxy can do. From the same middle position, a request can also be read, classified, checked, and acted on before it continues to the origin.

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