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Glossary · Network

Edge server

Also callededge nodeedge location
Definition

An edge server is a server placed close to users, at the 'edge' of a network, so requests are answered nearby instead of travelling to a distant central data centre.

Explanation

In depth

'Edge' is relative: it means the part of a provider's network nearest the people using it. CDNs such as Cloudflare run edge servers in hundreds of cities. When you open a Cloudflare-protected site, a nearby data centre ends your HTTPS connection, serves cached files and forwards the rest to the origin. Edge servers often identify themselves. Cloudflare's cf-ray header and its /cdn-cgi/trace page include a 'colo' code, a three-letter airport code for the data centre that answered. With a web proxy there are two edges. AnyProxy's own regions are the first: Singapore, Frankfurt and Virginia on the free tier, with Tokyo and Los Angeles on Pro and São Paulo listed as coming soon. Your browser connects to the region you pick. The second is the destination's CDN edge, which answers the proxy server, not you. On 15 October 2026 Cloudflare's trace page reported colo=SIN through the Singapore region and colo=FRA through Frankfurt. Through the Virginia region it reported colo=ATL, Atlanta. The edge a CDN picks follows network routing, which does not always match the map. For speed, the edge that matters most is the one between you and the proxy, so pick the closest region that the site accepts.

In practice

Edge server in the real world

Cloudflare's trace page names the edge data centre that answered. Through AnyProxy on 15 Oct 2026 it gave colo=SIN with loc=SG from the Singapore region, colo=FRA with loc=DE from Frankfurt, and colo=ATL with loc=US from the region AnyProxy labels Virginia. So the destination's edge is chosen by where the proxy server sits, not where you are, which is why a proxied site behaves as if you were in that country.

Sources: Cloudflare — global network · Cloudflare trace page used in the tests

We checked

What one.one.one.one/cdn-cgi/trace reported through each AnyProxy region

Cloudflare trace page opened through AnyProxy Singapore, listing colo=SIN, loc=SG, http=http/2, tls=TLSv1.3 and sni=plaintext, with the IP line hidden

Open Cloudflare's diagnostic page one.one.one.one/cdn-cgi/trace through the Singapore region

Worked · SG exit · 2026-10-15

Page loaded as plain text: colo=SIN, loc=SG, tls=TLSv1.3, http=http/2, sni=plaintext, kex=X25519MLKEM768. The ip= line (the proxy's exit address) was hidden before the screenshot.

Cloudflare trace page opened through AnyProxy Frankfurt, listing colo=FRA, loc=DE, http=http/2, tls=TLSv1.3 and sni=plaintext, with the IP line hidden

Open Cloudflare's diagnostic page one.one.one.one/cdn-cgi/trace through the Frankfurt region

Worked · FR exit · 2026-10-15

Page loaded as plain text: colo=FRA, loc=DE, tls=TLSv1.3, http=http/2, sni=plaintext, kex=X25519MLKEM768. The ip= line (the proxy's exit address) was hidden before the screenshot.

Cloudflare trace page opened through AnyProxy Virginia, listing colo=ATL, loc=US, http=http/2, tls=TLSv1.3 and sni=plaintext, with the IP line hidden

Open Cloudflare's diagnostic page one.one.one.one/cdn-cgi/trace through the Virginia region

Worked · US exit · 2026-10-15

Page loaded as plain text: colo=ATL, loc=US, tls=TLSv1.3, http=http/2, sni=plaintext, kex=X25519MLKEM768. The ip= line (the proxy's exit address) was hidden before the screenshot. Cloudflare answered from its Atlanta data centre for the Virginia region.

Questions about Edge server

How can I see which edge server answered me?
On a Cloudflare site, open /cdn-cgi/trace or check the cf-ray response header. The three-letter code, such as FRA or SIN, is the data centre.
Why did the Virginia region show Atlanta?
Cloudflare sends each connection to a data centre chosen by internet routing, not straight-line distance. On 15 Oct 2026 that was its Atlanta site for AnyProxy's US region.
Is an edge server the same as the website?
No. It is a nearby relay or cache. Dynamic requests such as logins and searches may still travel on to the site's origin servers.

Related terms

CDN (Content Delivery Network)A CDN (content delivery network) is a company that runs servers in many cities and answers requests for a website from a location near the visitor instead of from the site's own server.PoP (Point of Presence)A point of presence (PoP) is a physical site, usually a rack in a data centre, where a network has equipment and connects to other networks and to its users.LatencyLatency is the delay for data to travel from your device to a server and back, measured in milliseconds; it is why a page can feel slow on a fast connection.ThroughputThroughput is how much data actually reaches you per second, the real rate of a connection as opposed to the maximum (bandwidth) your plan advertises.

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