Edge computing platforms distribute application logic to points of presence worldwide, reducing latency for global users and enabling new architectural patterns. Each platform takes a different approach to isolation, runtime support, and pricing that suits different workload profiles.
Platform Architecture Differences
Cloudflare Workers uses V8 isolates for lightweight, sub-millisecond cold starts with a JavaScript/WebAssembly runtime. Its integration with the Cloudflare network provides access to KV storage, Durable Objects for coordination, R2 for object storage, and D1 for edge SQL, creating a complete serverless platform at the edge.
Deno Deploy runs on the Deno runtime with native TypeScript support, Web Standard APIs, and built-in support for npm packages. Its globally distributed V8 isolate architecture is similar to Workers but with a focus on developer experience and standards compliance, plus integration with Deno KV for globally consistent edge storage.
Fly.io takes a fundamentally different approach by running full Linux microVMs on bare-metal servers distributed globally. This enables any programming language, full Linux system access, and persistent volumes, making it suitable for workloads like databases, game servers, and applications that need more than a JavaScript runtime.