Overview

Cloudflare has become the foundation of my personal digital infrastructure, replacing the traditional approach of relying on shared hosting or rented virtual private servers (VPS).

Rather than paying for a conventional server and managing its operating system, updates, availability and security, I chose to build an infrastructure model around Cloudflare's globally distributed platform.

The decision was driven by a desire for greater control, reduced operational overhead, improved security and a more cost-effective way to host and operate personal applications, websites and services.

What began as a hosting decision has evolved into the foundation of the broader Daly digital ecosystem.

The Problem

Traditional web hosting generally follows one of two models.

Shared hosting provides an inexpensive entry point but introduces limitations around flexibility, configuration, performance and control.

Virtual private servers offer greater flexibility but require ongoing responsibility for server administration, operating system maintenance, security patching, resource management and availability.

For a collection of personal websites, applications and services, maintaining traditional server infrastructure can introduce unnecessary complexity and recurring costs.

I wanted an alternative that provided the flexibility to build and operate custom applications without needing to maintain a conventional web server.

The Solution

I adopted Cloudflare as the primary hosting and infrastructure provider, using its edge platform to serve websites, applications and APIs.

Cloudflare Workers provide the application execution environment, while other platform services support storage, routing, access control, security and deployment.

This allows applications to run across Cloudflare's distributed infrastructure without requiring me to maintain a traditional always-on VPS.

The architecture is designed around individual services and applications rather than a single centralised web server.

Infrastructure Components

The broader implementation uses Cloudflare services including:

  • Workers: Application hosting and server-side execution.
  • D1: Managed SQL database services.
  • R2: Object storage where required.
  • Cloudflare Access: Identity-aware access controls for private applications and administration.
  • DNS: Domain and traffic management.
  • Cloudflare Tunnels: Secure connectivity to services where required.
  • Workers Routes and Custom Domains: Application routing and domain management.
  • Caching and Security: Edge delivery and protection.

Individual applications use only the services appropriate to their requirements.

Applications and Services

Cloudflare provides the underlying infrastructure for several projects within the Daly digital ecosystem, including:

  • daly.id.au – Personal website and publishing platform.
  • wedding.daly.id.au – Custom wedding website and planning portal.
  • Daly Portal / DalyHub – Personal digital infrastructure and integrations.
  • Other custom Workers, APIs and supporting services.

The objective is to share infrastructure where practical while maintaining appropriate separation between individual applications and their data.

Why Cloudflare Instead of a VPS?

The decision was not simply about finding cheaper hosting.

It was about changing the operating model.

  • Rent and maintain a server → Use managed edge infrastructure
  • Manage operating system updates → Platform-managed runtime
  • Server capacity and scaling to manage → Distributed execution
  • Server-level security administration → Integrated security and access services
  • Often pay for idle server capacity → Usage-based services and allowances
  • Centralised hosting environment → Globally distributed platform

Cloudflare is not a universal replacement for VPS infrastructure. Some workloads still require conventional servers or specialised hosting. However, for my particular collection of websites, APIs and lightweight applications, it offers a more appropriate operating model.

What It Demonstrates

This project demonstrates an alternative approach to personal infrastructure.

Rather than building around a rented server, I have built around a collection of managed services that can be combined to deliver custom applications.

It also provides a foundation for experimentation and development without the overhead of maintaining conventional hosting infrastructure.

Outcome

Cloudflare has become the backbone of the Daly digital ecosystem.

It provides the infrastructure to host and operate multiple websites, applications and services while reducing the need for traditional server administration.

The approach provides flexibility to develop new applications, integrate services and expand the ecosystem without automatically introducing another VPS or hosting subscription.

The principle: Own the applications and the architecture. Let managed infrastructure handle the parts that don't need to be managed yourself.