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How Workers and the data services fit together
A Worker handles application logic: for example, receiving a request, routing it to the right handler, returning a page, or calling another service. Bindings give Worker code access to Cloudflare products such as D1, R2, KV, Durable Objects, Queues, and Hyperdrive. Cloudflare describes Workers as running frontend and backend logic across its global network; that is a product description, not a guarantee that every application will be faster or cheaper.
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It is useful to picture Workers as the application layer and the data products as distinct capabilities the application can call. Cloudflare’s Workers overview describes the platform and its integrations. Its runtime documentation describes a V8-based runtime and execution across Cloudflare’s network.
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Which Cloudflare data service fits which job?
Choose by data model, access pattern, consistency requirement, and whether the application needs coordinated state or an existing database connection. Cloudflare’s storage and data product selection guide, last updated October 1, 2026, distinguishes these services rather than positioning them as interchangeable databases.
#1 Best Overall
| Workload | Service | Fit and important boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Relational application records queried with SQL | D1 | Managed serverless SQL, positioned for read-heavy application data. |
| Uploads, files, and other large or unstructured objects | R2 | Object storage with an S3-compatible interface. |
| Frequently read, relatively stable key-value data | Workers KV | Globally cached key-value storage; it is eventually consistent. |
| Unique, coordinated state, including collaboration or WebSocket applications | Durable Objects | Globally unique stateful instances with transactional storage. The design is organized around per-instance coordination. |
| Deferred work, batching, or messages between services | Queues | Background messaging integrated with Workers. |
| An existing Postgres or MySQL database | Hyperdrive | Connects Workers to the database you already use, with connection pooling and caching. |
| Custom metrics and usage analytics | Analytics Engine | Lets Workers write and query metrics. |
| Embeddings and vector search | Vectorize | Vector database for semantic search and related AI patterns. |
| Streaming ingestion into object storage | Basin Pipelines | The guide describes streaming ingestion and batching to object storage; current maturity and availability should be checked before relying on it. |
These distinctions matter. KV’s eventual consistency makes it different from the transactional storage offered by Durable Objects. Hyperdrive is for connecting to an existing Postgres or MySQL system, not a replacement for deciding what database your application should use.
What a typical application architecture looks like
A web application might use a Worker to serve frontend assets and API routes, D1 for structured application records, and R2 for uploaded files. Each component handles the part of the workload it is suited to, while Worker code coordinates requests between them. Cloudflare’s web application use cases, last updated April 24, 2026, describes this kind of pattern.
For real-time collaboration, an application can add Durable Objects to own shared state and coordinate WebSocket connections. Queues can move slower or deferred tasks out of the request path. This separates live coordination from background processing instead of forcing both jobs into a single storage choice.
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How to choose without treating the platform as one database
- Start with the data shape: relational records point toward D1; files and blobs toward R2; key-value lookups toward KV; embeddings toward Vectorize.
- Check consistency and coordination: KV is eventually consistent, while Durable Objects provide transactional storage for state organized around unique instances.
- Account for what already exists: if the application already depends on Postgres or MySQL, Hyperdrive provides a way for Workers to connect rather than requiring a move to a Cloudflare database.
- Separate request work from deferred work: use Queues when jobs can be processed asynchronously, rather than holding up the response path.
- Evaluate the actual workload: performance and cost depend on access patterns and requirements. The product descriptions do not establish a universal benchmark or cost winner.
Cloudflare describes R2 as S3-compatible object storage with no egress fees in its R2 architecture documentation, last updated April 21, 2026. Treat fee terms as subject to the service’s current terms rather than generalizing them to other products or providers.
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