The request starts on a browser, phone, or app client.
What Is a Network Interconnect? How Traffic Gets Into Cloudflare
Once PoP and edge make sense, the next question is how Cloudflare receives traffic so early and so locally. That requires a separate explanation of interconnects, peering, exchanges, and transit.
The user first enters their access network, such as Telstra, Airtel, Jio, or Optus.
Networks meet through peering, transit, or exchange points.
Traffic enters Cloudflare close to the user instead of crossing the public Internet for longer than necessary.
A Cloudflare colo can now inspect, serve, secure, or forward the request.
What An Interconnect Is
A network interconnect is the point where different networks connect to each other and exchange traffic.
Examples of networks: - local ISPs - cloud providers - Cloudflare - enterprises - CDNs - transit providers Ways they connect: - Internet Exchange Points - private peering links - transit providers - dedicated interconnects
Why Cloudflare Cares So Much
Cloudflare is not a normal user-facing ISP, but it does operate a very large global network. It peers with many other networks so traffic can enter Cloudflare near the user.
Telstra / Airtel / Jio = access ISPs Cloudflare = global network / edge platform
That is why Cloudflare can receive and process traffic before it travels deep into one distant cloud region.
Why This Topic Surfaces More Than In AWS
AWS also has major global networking, but many AWS architectures can be discussed for a long time without touching peering or traffic entry points directly.
- AWS emphasizes region, VPC, ALB, and service placement.
- Cloudflare emphasizes DNS, Anycast, CDN, WAF, and edge execution.
- In Cloudflare, the network is part of the product model rather than background plumbing.
Why Interconnects Matter
This topic explains why Cloudflare feels different from a region-first cloud platform.
Cloudflare tries to: - get traffic onto its network early - inspect or serve requests near the user - use its backbone where useful - keep network distance under control
Once that makes sense, the next design question is where code, data, and decrypted traffic should actually live.
Memory Line
Interconnects explain how Cloudflare gets close to users as a network. Placement explains what Cloudflare should do after the traffic is already on that network.
Part 3 of 4