Cloudflare, Inc., headquartered in San Francisco, California, was founded in 2009 by Matthew Prince, Lee Holloway, and Michelle Zatlyn. The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in September 2019.
Cloudflare provides a suite of security, performance, and reliability solutions that are designed to protect and accelerate web traffic. Their services are widely applicable, spanning multiple industries and benefiting a diverse range of businesses, from small companies to large enterprises, including government agencies and non-profit organizations. They serve more than 12% of the Fortune 1,000 companies (as of 2021).
Cloudflare’s products can be broadly grouped into the following categories:
- Performance and Reliability: Cloudflare’s content delivery network (CDN) stores a website’s static files closer to visitors, which reduces latency and increases site speed. Its Smart Routing technology optimizes the delivery of internet assets (like web pages and API calls) using real-time network intelligence.
- Security: Cloudflare’s security offerings protect customers’ applications from DDoS attacks, botnets, SQL injection, and other types of cyber threats. Its Web Application Firewall (WAF) and Rate Limiting service help protect against a wide range of threats. It also provides secure DNS services, ensuring secure and reliable web traffic routing.
- Edge Networking: Cloudflare’s edge computing solutions enable developers to build and deploy applications closer to users. Its Workers platform, for instance, allows JavaScript and WebAssembly applications to be deployed at the edge of Cloudflare’s network, enhancing performance and reducing server costs.
- Consumer DNS Resolver: Cloudflare operates a DNS resolver service called 1.1.1.1, which aims to provide faster internet navigation experiences while respecting user privacy.
Cloudflare operates a highly distributed network, which as of 2021 spans over 200 cities in more than 100 countries. This expansive network helps improve the speed and reliability of customer websites, while also enhancing security by allowing for DDoS attacks to be absorbed and mitigated across a broad geographic area.
Cloudflare has always prioritized data security and user privacy. They’ve committed to never selling customer data or using it for targeted advertising. Furthermore, they have a strong stance on transparency and publish regular transparency reports outlining government requests for user data.
The company is recognized as an innovative leader in its field, having won numerous awards and accolades. They have a mission to help build a better internet and their ongoing technological advancements and growth reflect this objective.
Please note that you may want to look at the company’s website or its latest annual report for the most up-to-date and detailed information about Cloudflare.
