Cloudflare Apps Program

35 posts · May 2011 – Jun 2026

What this trail covers

Cloudflare's Apps program has evolved from offering simple integrations to a robust platform for third-party tools and services. Initially focused on enhancing websites, it expanded to include a more organized dashboard and acquired Eager. The program has now integrated with Cloudflare Workers, enabling developers to build and package serverless applications, creating the world's first serverless Apps platform. This evolution includes enabling codeless integrations for complex security solutions.

All Cloudflare trails

Jun 2026Unlocking the Cloudflare app ecosystem with OAuth for allThis post details the technical implementation and challenges of upgrading Cloudflare's internal OAuth engine from Hydra 1.X to 2.X. It covers the strategies used to minimize user impact during the upgrade, including custom SQL migrations, a blue-green deployment strategy, and the implementation of a queue system for replaying revocation events. It also discusses performance improvements observed post-upgrade in both the database and the Hydra service.
Jul 2024Cloudflare Zaraz adds support for server-side rendering of X and Instagram embedsIntroduces server-side rendering capabilities for X and Instagram embeds within Cloudflare Zaraz, utilizing Managed Components and Cloudflare Workers. This enhances performance and privacy by eliminating client-side JavaScript and cookies, and demonstrates caching strategies for fetched content and images.
Aug 2022Building and using Managed Components with WebCMIntroduces Managed Components, a new framework for third-party tool integration that emphasizes security, performance, and privacy by executing code server-side and implementing a permission system. Also introduces WebCM as an open-source reference implementation of a Component Manager, demonstrating how to use Managed Components for website integration and development.
Jun 2022Cloudflare Zaraz launches new privacy features in response to French CNIL standardsThis post introduces new privacy features within Cloudflare Zaraz, specifically designed to help customers comply with GDPR and CNIL standards regarding Google Analytics and similar marketing tools. The new features include removing URL query parameters, hiding originating IP addresses, clearing user agent strings, and removing external referrers. It also provides a step-by-step guide on how to configure Google Analytics with these new privacy settings, emphasizing server-side execution via Cloudflare Workers to minimize direct data transfer from end-user browsers to third-party servers.
May 2022Our growing Developer Platform partner ecosystemThis post announces a growing ecosystem of developer platform partners for Cloudflare's developer platform, including integrations with DevOps platforms (GitLab, GitHub) for source control and deployment, CMSs (Contentful, Sanity, Strapi) for triggering deployments via content updates, database partners (Macrometa, Fauna, MongoDB Atlas, Prisma) for bringing data capabilities to Workers, and observability partners (Splunk, Datadog, Sumo Logic, New Relic, Sentry, Honeycomb) for debugging and troubleshooting. These partnerships aim to improve developer productivity and streamline the end-to-end development lifecycle.
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May 2022Open source Managed Components for Cloudflare ZarazIntroduced 'Managed Components' as a new format for third-party tools within Cloudflare Zaraz, enabling server-side execution via a Components Manager. This shifts execution from the browser to the server, improving performance, security, and privacy. Also announced WebCM, an open-source reference implementation of the Managed Components API, allowing third-party tools to run server-side even without being a Cloudflare customer. This enables new capabilities like same-domain serving, server-side rendered widgets, and pre-response actions.
Dec 2021Cloudflare acquires Zaraz to enable cloud loading of third-party toolsThis post announces the acquisition of Zaraz by Cloudflare and the launch of Cloudflare Zaraz (beta). It introduces the capability to manage and load third-party tools from the cloud, leveraging Cloudflare Workers, to significantly improve website speed, privacy, and security. It highlights the problems of third-party bloat, the performance and security risks associated with traditional tag managers, and showcases Instacart's success in achieving zero blocking time and increased security with Zaraz.
Sep 2019How Castle is Building Codeless Customer Account ProtectionThis post details how Castle integrated its customer account protection service with Cloudflare using Cloudflare Workers, Workers KV, and the Cloudflare Apps platform. It highlights the architecture for codeless integration, including script injection, contextual information collection, and an advanced routing engine, all running at the edge with minimal latency.
Dec 2018Managing DNS Records For The People With Cloudflare AppsThis post introduces the capability for Cloudflare Apps to automatically set up and manage configurable DNS records. It details how developers can define DNS records within the `install.json` file of their Cloudflare App, including record type, name, content, and TTL. A demo app, 'Pointless DNS', is showcased to demonstrate this functionality, allowing users to install a TXT record managed by the app. The post also highlights the potential for apps like Mailchannels to leverage this feature for email security.
Dec 2018How my team wrote 12 Cloudflare apps with fewer than 20 lines of codeThis post details a method for rapidly deploying multiple Cloudflare Apps by creating a single integration template and using code to automate the generation and customization of each app. It describes defining a 'replacements' object with app-specific attributes and then using shell commands and Ruby code to find, rename, and replace placeholders within files to generate 12 distinct POWr apps. The core technical contribution is the demonstration of a highly efficient, code-driven approach to application templating and generation on the Cloudflare Apps platform.
Dec 2018A new look on your Cloudflare dashboardThis post introduces a significant redesign of the Cloudflare customer dashboard, specifically the zone overview page. The redesign focuses on providing better visibility of key analytics and a new toolkit area for easier access to common settings changes, directly addressing customer feedback. It also highlights the use of a new prototyping framework, indicating a foundational shift in how product features are developed and setting the stage for future customer experience improvements.
Nov 2018Introducing Apps with WorkersThis post announces the public beta of Cloudflare Apps with Workers, allowing developers to package and deliver serverless Workers code as Cloudflare Apps. This enables new app experiences like personalization, A/B testing, custom security, content validation, and localization. Developers can package existing Workers by referencing their script in `install.json` and can deliver custom variables as install options. The approval process now includes a security review of the Worker code.
Aug 2018Growing the Cloudflare Apps EcosystemThis post announces the upcoming availability of Cloudflare Apps powered by embeddable Workers, effectively creating the world's first serverless Apps platform. It also introduces the "Cloudflare Workers Service Providers" program to connect customers with developers and consultants. The post details pilot programs for select developers to build and package Workers for distribution via the Cloudflare Apps platform, and for customers to find expertise for their Worker development needs.
May 2018Custom Page Selection for Cloudflare AppsThis post details improvements to the Cloudflare Apps platform's custom page selection feature. Previously, app installations were limited to pages crawled by the Always Online feature, which had limitations in coverage and user consent. The new implementation combines the advantages of crawler data with the ability for site owners to manually enter any URL, select an entire directory, or specify a single page for app installation. This provides greater user control and flexibility for app deployment.
Jan 2018Lessons learned from adapting Site Search 360 for Cloudflare AppsSite Search 360 adapted its search solution for the Cloudflare Apps platform by simplifying its configuration from over 60 parameters to 7 key settings, focusing on the most impactful ones for visual customization. The integration required moving away from jQuery to avoid conflicts with other apps and implemented a preview account using Wikipedia data to demonstrate functionality without requiring user registration. The development process highlighted the benefits of Cloudflare's declaration-driven approach and detailed feedback during the approval process.
Nov 2017Cloudflare Apps Platform Update: November EditionThis post details several enhancements to the Cloudflare Apps Platform: 1. Product-specific options for paid apps, allowing upsells and live previews based on selected plans using `_product` keyword and `INSTALL_PRODUCT`. 2. Public comments and ratings for apps to provide customer feedback and influence visibility. 3. DNS record management directly within the `install.json` file, enabling apps to create CNAME and A records with customer confirmation. 4. Other platform improvements including onboarding new customers with apps, updated webhook documentation for 'item add' events, optional linking to GitHub repositories, and a new 'number with unit' input type.
Nov 2017Releasing AddThis on Cloudflare Apps: Making Disciplined Product Design DecisionsThis post details the process of building and deploying the AddThis Share Buttons app on the Cloudflare Apps platform. It highlights the product design decision to pare down the full AddThis feature set to a simpler 'Share Buttons Lite' version for faster market entry and user feedback. The technical implementation involved using Cloudflare's suggested INSTALL_SCOPE JS technique to save unique configuration settings on a JS global variable and leveraging the AddThis Smart Layers API to render tools from this variable. This approach allowed for saving tool configuration data (layout, color, theme) without requiring users to create or log in to an AddThis account, demonstrating a practical solution for managing per-user settings within the Cloudflare Apps environment.
Sep 2017Cloudflare Apps Platform Update: September EditionThis post details several enhancements to the Cloudflare Apps Platform: 1. Developer Analytics: Introduced charts for monthly app usage, revenue, and churn. 2. User Feedback: Enabled users to leave comments with sentiment tags when installing/removing apps. 3. Page Selectors: Introduced a mechanism to limit app activation to specific pages or routes. 4. Improved Updates: Developers can now add release notes to their app submissions, which are displayed in the user's dashboard.
Jul 2017Getting started with Cloudflare AppsThis post announces the launch of the Cloudflare Apps platform, enabling third-party developers to build and deploy JavaScript and CSS modifications to websites served through Cloudflare's edge network. It details the architecture of how apps interact with the origin and edge, provides examples of existing apps, and outlines the process for creating and testing new apps using a GitHub repository and a dashboard-based app creator. The platform aims to empower users to enhance their web services with new functionalities.
Jun 2017Announcing the Cloudflare Apps Platform and Developer FundThis post announces the launch of the Cloudflare Apps Platform, enabling third-party developers to build applications that run on Cloudflare's edge network and reach Cloudflare's customer base. It also introduces the Cloudflare Developer Fund, a $100 million fund from early investors to provide venture capital to developers building applications on the platform.
Jun 2017Announcing the New Cloudflare AppsThis post announces the launch of Cloudflare Apps, an open platform for tools to improve websites. It introduces features like live preview, OAuth for logins/registrations, bidirectional webhooks for modifying installations, and a marketplace for selling apps. It also highlights the developer tools available, including documentation and an App Creator. The core technical contribution is the platform's architecture enabling third-party code execution and modification on the edge, with a focus on distribution and monetization for developers.
May 2015Redesigning CloudFlareThis post details a significant redesign of the Cloudflare dashboard, introducing a new organizational metaphor based on 'apps' and 'modules'. This redesign aimed to improve versatility for different user types and devices, provide a scalable platform for future features, and establish a more mature brand identity. The 'apps' concept was explicitly linked to the future integration of third-party applications, and the modular design of 'modules' within apps was designed for consistency and ease of development. The redesign also emphasized responsive design and a cleaner visual aesthetic.
Apr 2015CloudFlare's New DashboardThis post introduces a significant redesign of the Cloudflare dashboard, shifting from a basic interface to an 'operating system for the edge' metaphor. It reframes Cloudflare's own features (Caching, Firewall, Analytics) as 'apps' alongside third-party apps, creating a unified and organized experience. The redesign addresses scalability issues for users with many domains and introduces a fully responsive interface for mobile and tablet management.
Aug 2014Tinfoil Security vulnerability scanning now easy in CloudFlare AppsThis post announces the integration of Tinfoil Security's vulnerability scanning service as a Cloudflare App. It highlights how this integration allows users to scan for web application vulnerabilities at the application layer, complementing Cloudflare's network-level security. The post mentions API hooks for continuous integration and a free plan for XSS scanning.
Feb 2013Facebook Bug Redirects the Web Through Javascript Widget ErrorThis post highlights how Cloudflare's Apps program and Rocket Loader can mitigate the risks associated with third-party Javascript widgets, using the Facebook Connect bug as a prime example. It emphasizes that Cloudflare apps are vetted for performance and asynchronous loading, reducing the chance of them becoming a single point of failure. It also points out Cloudflare's ability to centrally manage and remove problematic apps, preventing widespread issues.
May 2011Introducing CloudFlare Apps: Fast, Safe, and One-Click SimpleThis post announces the launch of Cloudflare Apps, a new service that allows web applications to be activated through Cloudflare without requiring code changes. It addresses concerns about performance impact and security risks from installed web applications by working with application providers to ensure optimal performance and prevent conflicts. All Apps are automatically updated. The post also mentions the upcoming 'App A Day' initiative and lists initial partner providers.