Edge Computing

Edge computing is a distributed computing paradigm that moves computation and data processing closer to the source of data - to servers at the network edge rather than centralized cloud data centers. By processing data near where it is generated or consumed, edge computing reduces latency and bandwidth usage.

In the context of APIs and data delivery, edge computing manifests as CDN edge networks that cache and serve API responses from points of presence (PoPs) geographically close to end users. A property search API request from London is served from a London edge node rather than a data center in Virginia, reducing latency.

Cloudflare Pages (which hosts HappyEndpoint) uses edge computing to serve the static site from nodes worldwide. For latency-sensitive API use cases, selecting providers with edge-deployed infrastructure - or building your own caching layer at the edge - can meaningfully improve response times for international users.