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> However, I guess they have become the major player now and certainly try to optimize the world towards their business model. I don't think that's it, and I t

> However, I guess they have become the major player now and certainly try to optimize the world towards their business model. I don't think that's it, and I think the explanation is much more simple and straight-forward. Cloudflare established a very successful business model around a straight-forward, very transparent, no-bullshit CDN. Now, they started offering other cloud services build around their CDN. Cloudflare Workers kind of extend their CDN pipeline to allow clients to run arbitrary code to customize caching logic, but it turns out their function-as-a-service model is exceptionally good, and higher-level services like email are a low-effort way to meet existing needs.

gpi 1y ago
Cloudflare is far from a no bullshit CDN. The vendor lock in is real with an aggressive unethcial sales model.
- vel0city 1y ago
  I'm not entirely aware of all their products, but just thinking about a CDN, isn't that in many ways kind of fungible? Is it really that hard to migrate to your big cloud co's CDN (CloudFront, Google Cloud CDN) or the several other large competitors without an immense amount of work? Please, educate me and tell me what's up.
  - gpi 1y ago
    Many of Cloudflare's products are bundled together for reasons. Trying to unravel all that is an absolute nightmare.
- tick_tock_tick 1y ago
  Like what? Give an example. I'm struggling to think of something they offer that is particularly unique and not offered by the other public clouds or several SASS companies.
everfrustrated 1y ago
Much of their model and success was by giving away a lot of service for free. I'm not discounting their innovations but had they not been VC funded and given away free service I suspect many would still never have heard of them.
- jtbaker 1y ago
  > had they not been VC funded and given away free service I suspect many would still never have heard of them. What does this purity test accomplish? that's just how things work in this industry. Can you name a company that has innovated on their scale that hasn't taken VC?

gpi 1y ago

Cloudflare is far from a no bullshit CDN. The vendor lock in is real with an aggressive unethcial sales model.

vel0city 1y ago
I'm not entirely aware of all their products, but just thinking about a CDN, isn't that in many ways kind of fungible? Is it really that hard to migrate to your big cloud co's CDN (CloudFront, Google Cloud CDN) or the several other large competitors without an immense amount of work? Please, educate me and tell me what's up.
- gpi 1y ago
  Many of Cloudflare's products are bundled together for reasons. Trying to unravel all that is an absolute nightmare.
tick_tock_tick 1y ago
Like what? Give an example. I'm struggling to think of something they offer that is particularly unique and not offered by the other public clouds or several SASS companies.

everfrustrated 1y ago

Much of their model and success was by giving away a lot of service for free. I'm not discounting their innovations but had they not been VC funded and given away free service I suspect many would still never have heard of them.

jtbaker 1y ago
> had they not been VC funded and given away free service I suspect many would still never have heard of them. What does this purity test accomplish? that's just how things work in this industry. Can you name a company that has innovated on their scale that hasn't taken VC?