THE article discusses improvements to the Smart Tiered Cache at Cloudflare, specifically for public cloud regions. Launched in 2021, Smart Tiered Cache enhances cache efficiency by selecting the best data center based on real-time latency. However, challenges arise with cloud origins behind anycast IPs, as they can make many data centers appear equally close, complicating optimal routing.
The new feature allows users to set region hints for their cloud origins (such as AWS, GCP, Azure, and Oracle), enabling better routing and reduced latency by intelligently mapping origins to the correct regions. This update aims to resolve common issues like 'hairpin traffic,' ensuring that requests do not take inefficient paths that increase latency. The article also emphasizes continuous improvements in Smart Tiered Cache, making it adaptable to various user infrastructures.