Cloudflare launches instant serverless database for dev teams

Cloudflare has announced Cloudflare D1, an instant serverless database. The new offering is designed to enable developers to start building database-backed applications using Cloudflare Workers with just a few clicks, the company states.

Data will be stored close to where their users are, providing fast performance without the complexities of installing or managing a traditional database.

Everything from the apps in the user's phone to SaaS applications for the enterprise to frameworks such as Ruby on Rails use databases for storage. SQL is the dominant language used to query and update those databases, large and small.

According to the company, Cloudflare's D1 will offer instant access to a widely deployed database technology, SQLite, directly from Cloudflare Workers.

By combining Cloudflare's serverless development platform with instant databases, developers can build rich, database-backed applications without worrying about deploying or managing a database, according to the company.

Cloudflare co-founder and CEO, Matthew Prince, says, "The hardest part about serverless isn't actually the code, it's the storage. Today we're announcing our first serverless database which we expect will quickly become one of the largest databases in the world.

"Cloudflare D1 is built on Cloudflare's global network, which we believe will allow us to offer one of the largest and most performant serverless databases on the market so no business needs to be bogged down by the cost and complexity of managing their storage."

Unlike other databases on the market, Cloudflare D1 will use Cloudflare's global network to optimise a businesses' database by locating it as close as possible to their customers, providing the fastest possible experience to users.

Additionally, by pairing storage solutions with Cloudflare's serverless compute platform, Cloudflare is streamlining the developer experience for building full stack applications, the company states. Cloudflare D1 will be compatible with the SQLite API, a popular and broadly used API.

With Cloudflare D1 developers will be able to:

• Intelligently locate data wherever users are: With Cloudflare D1 there is no need to pick a region. Instead, Cloudflare will automatically store databases wherever users are, resulting in faster performance.
• Easily spin up a database with Cloudflare Workers: Users can create a Cloudflare Worker and spin up a database in a few clicks, without having to figure out complex databases.
• Import data from other providers to Cloudflare: With Cloudflare D1, developers will be able to move data from other database providers.
• Unlock the power and scale of Cloudflare Workers within applications: Cloudflare D1 is fully integrated with Cloudflare Workers, making building full stack applications more easy.
• Reduce data transfer fees: Cloudflare's goal is to make Cloudflare D1 the least expensive option for a simple and secure database for developers, according to the company. That's why Cloudflare will not charge data transfer fees, allowing developers to move data between services.