Improve global upload performance with R2 Local Uploads

Today, Cloudflare announces Local Uploads for R2 in open beta, which writes object data to a storage location close to the client first and then asynchronously replicates it to the bucket’s region while keeping the data immediately accessible. Local Uploads aim to improve global upload performance by reducing the distance data travels, with tests showing up to a 75% reduction in Time to Last Byte when uploads cross regional boundaries.

The feature uses an asynchronous replication model and a replication task system that coordinates metadata publishing, pending replica keys, and queue-driven replication across storage regions. It relies on Cloudflare Queues to manage replication work, with at-least-once delivery and built‑in retry and dead-letter capabilities. There is no additional cost to enable Local Uploads, though standard Class A operation costs apply to upload requests.

To get started, users can enable Local Uploads in the Cloudflare Dashboard or via a Wrangler command, with existing uploads completing normally and no disruption to traffic.