Cloudflare Workers let you run backend code at the edge, close to your users, without managing servers. For APIs, that combination of near-zero cold starts, global distribution, and tightly integrated storage makes Workers a compelling platform in 2026. This guide explains how a Cloudflare Workers API is structured and what makes it different from a traditional backend.
TL;DR
Cloudflare Workers run your code on Cloudflare's global network at the edge, so requests are served close to users with near-zero cold starts
A Worker handles incoming requests via a fetch handler; you route on method and path and return standard Response objects
Workers bind directly to storage: D1 (SQLite), KV (key-value), R2 (object storage), Queues, and Durable Objects
