The entire internet stops for some time. It seems as if someone has turned off the ‘master switch’ of the digital world. And all this happens because of a company named Cloudflare. This is a company that works to make the Internet fast and secure, but when there is a small glitch in it, there is panic in the whole world. Is this Cloudflare? And how does a small disruption shake the entire Internet? Let us know in details.
In 2004, two friends Matthew Prince and Lee Holloway in America were looking for the answer to a very simple question. The question was “Where does this email spam come from?” At that time, spam emails were a big problem, due to which people were very fed up. Matthew and Lee together started a project named ‘Project Honey Pot’. His idea was very simple. They wanted to provide website owners with a system through which they could track people who steal email addresses from their website and send spam. In a way, he had laid a trap to catch ‘bad people’ in the online world.
People embraced Project Honey Pot. People liked it very much that they were able to know who were coming online and causing harm to their websites. But soon the same request started coming again and again from users: Not just track these ‘bad guys’, but also stop them!” Users not only wanted the thieves to be detected, but they also wanted the door of their house to be locked.
How was the foundation of Cloudflare laid and how did this name come up?
Meanwhile, in 2009, Matthew Prince was pursuing an MBA from Harvard Business School. There he met Michelle Zatlyn. Michelle was a person who had the ability to turn any idea into a big, successful business. Matthew told her about Project Honey Pot, and Michelle quickly realized that this was not just a small tool to stop spam, but a huge opportunity to make the entire Internet safer. He thought why not create a service that not only protects any website from cyber attacks but also helps it load faster.
It was from here that the foundation of Cloudflare was laid. He named the initial business plan Project Web Wall, but that name was not that appealing. Then a friend jokingly said that you are building a firewall in the cloud, why not call it ‘Cloudflare’? As soon as they heard the name, the three founders (Matthew, Lee and Michelle) felt that this name was perfect, and that’s it, the name was confirmed.
The initial journey was not easy. Lee Holloway was in California and was building the first working prototype of this new system in his spare time. At the same time, Matthew and Michelle were sitting with their professors at Harvard and finalizing the business plan. His business plan was so powerful that in 2009 he won the Harvard Business School Business Plan Competition. This victory not only gave him confidence but also attracted the attention of the first investors.
In October 2009, they received their first round of funding. Now it was the turn to turn this idea into reality. The three founders worked day and night in a small office in California to create a successful product.
How does Cloudflare work?
Cloudflare is actually a ‘security wall’ or ‘middle layer’ that stands between your computer and the original server of that website.
Usually, when you access a website, your request goes directly to that website’s server. If too many people visit that server at once (or a hacker sends a lot of fake traffic by conducting a DDoS attack), the server crashes, and the website comes to a standstill. It is like thousands and lakhs of people trying to enter through a small door simultaneously.
Cloudflare changes this entire process. Before the website’s servers, it sets up its huge servers (which it calls Edge Network) spread in many countries around the world.
When you open a website, your request goes to Cloudflare’s closest server, instead of that website’s actual server. The website data is already saved (cached) in this server. This prevents data from having to travel long distances, and websites open much faster.
Cloudflare can differentiate between good and bad traffic. If a hacker tries to conduct a DDoS attack, Cloudflare blocks that fake traffic on its ‘security wall’, and does not allow it to reach the real server. With this the website remains online at all times.
In some ways, Cloudflare handles about 20% of the world’s internet traffic. This is the reason why whenever there is any glitch in it, it affects millions of websites like X, ChatGPT, Spotify, Amazon and Canva.
Cloudflare’s tools that are useful for people
In 2010, Cloudflare launched at TechCrunch Disrupt, a major tech event in San Francisco. They started a free tier service for everyone, so that even small websites and bloggers can get the same security and speed as big companies. This was a huge game-changer. Users immediately noticed that not only was their data safer, but their websites loaded up to 30% faster. This free model gave the company millions of users overnight.
- The growth happened very fast. From a small startup, Cloudflare became a company with a multi-crore valuation. They started adding many more great security related tools. Such as-
- 1.1.1.1 (DNS Service): A system that makes your internet private and fast.
- Cloudflare Workers: This is a new system that lets developers run their code directly on Cloudflare’s edge network, making apps run even faster.
- The company started expanding its network across the world. Today, Cloudflare’s networks span more than 100 countries and 300 cities.
The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange
Today, Cloudflare is not just a security company, but a force shaping the future of the Internet. In 2019, the company got listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), which was a testament to its huge success. Today its valuation is in billions of dollars, and it is continuously bringing new products, so that the Internet is not only secure but also fast, private and open.
