What Is Edge Computing and Why Should Web Developers Care?

Traditionally, a website runs on one server in one location. If your visitor is far away, every request travels a long way. Edge computing runs code and stores data on servers spread around the world, closer to the people using your site.

What can run at the edge?

• Caching: static files and even whole pages served from a nearby location.
• Redirects and rewrites: handled before the request reaches your main server.
• Personalisation and A/B tests: decisions made quickly without slowing the page.
• Security: filtering bots and attacks before they reach your origin.
• Small functions: lightweight code triggered by requests.

Benefits

Lower latency, faster pages, less load on your main server and better resilience during traffic spikes. Global audiences notice the difference most.

Limitations

Edge environments have restrictions on execution time, memory and available libraries. Data that changes often is harder to keep consistent across locations, and debugging distributed code can be more complex.

Where to start

Most sites can get 80 percent of the benefit by placing a CDN in front of their server and caching static assets and pages sensibly. Move to edge functions only when you have a clear need, such as personalised content at global scale.