Architecture
A serverless edge computing architecture diagram with CloudFront or Cloudflare edge locations, Lambda@Edge functions for A/B testing and geo-personalization, origin shield request collapsing, and cache-first response strategies. This template visualizes how computation moves to the network edge for ultra-low latency responses, with edge functions modifying requests and responses before they reach the origin. Essential for performance-critical applications serving global audiences.
Full FlowZap Code
User { # End User
n1: circle label:"Browser Request"
n2: rectangle label:"DNS Resolution (Route 53)"
n3: rectangle label:"Receive Optimized Response"
n4: circle label:"Page Rendered"
n1.handle(right) -> n2.handle(left)
n2.handle(bottom) -> Edge.n5.handle(top) [label="Nearest PoP"]
n3.handle(right) -> n4.handle(left)
}
Edge { # Edge Network (CloudFront/Cloudflare)
n5: rectangle label:"Edge Location PoP"
n6: diamond label:"Cache Hit?"
n7: rectangle label:"Return Cached Response"
n8: rectangle label:"Edge Function (Lambda@Edge)"
n9: rectangle label:"A/B Test Routing"
n10: rectangle label:"Geo-Based Personalization"
n5.handle(right) -> n6.handle(left)
n6.handle(right) -> n7.handle(left) [label="HIT"]
n6.handle(bottom) -> n8.handle(top) [label="MISS"]
n7.handle(top) -> User.n3.handle(bottom) [label="Fast Response"]
n8.handle(right) -> n9.handle(left) [label="Modify Request"]
n9.handle(right) -> n10.handle(left) [label="Personalize"]
n10.handle(bottom) -> Origin.n11.handle(top) [label="Forward"]
}
Origin { # Origin Services
n11: rectangle label:"Origin Shield"
n12: rectangle label:"Application Load Balancer"
n13: rectangle label:"Serverless API"
n14: rectangle label:"Static Asset Store (S3)"
n15: rectangle label:"Generate Response"
n11.handle(right) -> n12.handle(left) [label="Collapse Requests"]
n12.handle(right) -> n13.handle(left) [label="Dynamic"]
n12.handle(bottom) -> n14.handle(top) [label="Static"]
n13.handle(right) -> n15.handle(left) [label="Compute"]
n14.handle(right) -> n15.handle(left) [label="Assets"]
n15.handle(top) -> Edge.n8.handle(bottom) [label="Cache + Return"]
n15.handle(top) -> User.n3.handle(bottom) [label="Response"]
}
Why This Workflow?
Serving all requests from a single origin region adds 100-300ms of latency for global users. Edge computing moves computation to CDN points of presence worldwide, enabling sub-50ms responses for personalization, A/B testing, and authentication—without the complexity of multi-region deployments.
How It Works
- Step 1: DNS resolves the user to the nearest edge location (point of presence).
- Step 2: The edge checks its cache for a valid response.
- Step 3: On cache miss, Lambda@Edge functions execute request modifications like A/B test routing and geo-personalization.
- Step 4: Origin Shield collapses duplicate requests to reduce origin load.
- Step 5: The origin processes the request and returns a cacheable response.
- Step 6: The edge caches the response and returns it to the user with minimal latency.
Alternatives
Multi-region deployments provide full compute at the edge but are expensive and complex. Cloudflare Workers offer a simpler edge compute model. This template shows the CDN-based edge computing architecture with Lambda@Edge.
Key Facts
| Template Name | Serverless Edge Computing Architecture |
| Category | Architecture |
| Steps | 6 workflow steps |
| Format | FlowZap Code (.fz file) |
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