Engineering
What is Edge Functions?
Edge functions run on servers distributed near the user (200+ cities) — much lower latency than centralized US-East servers.
Difference vs traditional serverless: edge runs in restricted runtime (V8 isolates, no native Node), with near-zero cold start (vs 200-500ms Lambda) and automatic global location.
Ideal cases: middleware (auth, A/B test, redirects), simple APIs, geo-personalization. Caveats: time limit (10-50s), restricted libraries (no Node built-ins), and DB connections that respect the edge.
Frequently asked questions
Does edge replace Node serverless?
Not for everything. Edge shines at simple low-latency; Node serverless still wins for complex logic and native libs.
Does Postgres work at the edge?
Via HTTP-based clients (Neon, PlanetScale, Supabase) yes. Traditional TCP driver no — protocol doesn't fit at the edge.