Cloudflare

Cloudflare is a cloud-based platform that enhances the security, performance, and reliability of websites, APIs, and Internet applications. It operates as a global reverse proxy, sitting between end users and origin servers to filter traffic, accelerate delivery, and protect infrastructure from attacks. Its primary purpose is to make Internet properties faster, more secure, and more resilient without requiring major changes to existing architectures.

Key capabilities include a globally distributed content delivery network (CDN) that caches static content close to users, significantly reducing latency and bandwidth usage. Cloudflare’s Web Application Firewall (WAF) and DDoS protection detect and block malicious traffic at the network edge, helping defend against common exploits and large-scale attacks. It also provides DNS services with fast resolution times and built-in security features, along with SSL/TLS termination to simplify encryption and certificate management. Additional capabilities include load balancing, rate limiting, bot management, and Zero Trust access controls for internal applications.