Overview
The Ads Platform delivers contextual advertising without personal data collection. All ad selection happens at the edge using contextual signals rather than user tracking. This approach provides relevant advertising while respecting user privacy.
Architecture
A fully edge-deployed system where ad selection, rendering, and analytics all happen at Cloudflare edge locations. No user data leaves the edge. Campaign data is replicated globally for low-latency access.
Key Design Decisions
- No user tracking - Ad selection based on page context, not user profiles
- Edge-only processing - All logic runs at edge; no origin requests for ad serving
- Static campaign data - Campaigns are pre-computed and cached at edge
- Privacy-safe analytics - Aggregated metrics only; no individual tracking
Key Components
- Ad Selection Engine - Contextual matching at edge with sub-10ms latency
- Creative Delivery - Optimized asset delivery with format negotiation
- Campaign Management - API for campaign CRUD with global propagation
- Analytics Pipeline - Privacy-preserving impression and click aggregation
Privacy Guarantees
- No cookies or local storage for tracking
- No fingerprinting or device identification
- No cross-site tracking or data sharing
- Aggregated reporting only (minimum threshold: 100 events)
Technology Stack
Cloudflare WorkersKV StorageR2Analytics Engine