Fastly was founded with a clear vision in mind: to create the platform that enables developers to move data and applications to the edge. When we launched our edge cloud platform eight years ago, we gave customers unprecedented control, with the ability to cache event-driven content, make instant updates, and offload logic as close to end users as possible. And since then, customers have built their own impressive solutions — while also sharing their valuable feedback with us. We went into this knowing that speed, safety, and functionality were the three big things that everyone cares about. What we learned along the way is how important developer ergonomics are. We all want to write code in languages we’re familiar with and in an environment that feels natural to us. What we’re building needs to take the flexibility of programming on the server and the convenience of programming the browser, and put them together at the edge.  

That’s why today, we’re introducing the next generation of our edge computing capabilities: Compute@Edge is now available in private beta powerful, flexible, and scalable way to build serverless applications at the network edge — with unprecedented performance and security. 

And we mean unprecedented: with a 100x faster startup time than other offerings on the market, you can tap into phenomenal speed at scale, while providing a uniquely secure environment for you and your end users. 

Deploy custom logic for complex problems 

Powered by our open-source WebAssembly runtime and compiler Lucet, Compute@Edge allows you to reimagine what’s possible. To start, we’ve rolled out features like Rust language support (the most-loved language in StackOverflow’s 2019 survey), concurrent fetch, and body processing — which means you can build complex applications that enable personalized user experiences and interactions. And those applications execute in microseconds, running across our globally distributed platform with 64 POPs and 52 Tbps of network capacity (as of 08/01/19).

With Compute@Edge, you can now build applications for some of the key use cases you surfaced to us. Take advantage of things like:

GraphQL. GraphQL offers significant efficiencies, allowing you to specify exactly which data you want to request. While that flexibility is great, it’s also the reason it’s been difficult to cache responses. Now, with Compute@Edge, you can serve GraphQL from our network edge — and deliver way more personalized experiences.

API gateways. API Gateways sit in front of critical web APIs and provide security, acceleration and availability. With Compute@Edge, you can develop your own customized API protection logic. Think: authentication, encryption, caching, and beyond.

Manifest manipulation. With manifest manipulation, you can deliver content with a “best-performance-wins” approach— like multi-CDN live streams that run smoothly for your users around the world.

Bring your ideas, use cases, and code

To access Compute@Edge, you’ll need to apply for the private beta. We’re actively seeking candidates who are ready to migrate logic to Fastly’s edge, and start safely experimenting with serverless applications. But even if you’re not quite ready to test live code, applying for the beta will give you access to news, demos, surveys, and discussions with our engineering team — so go on and sign up now, and stay up to date on all that’s in store.

And if you’ll be in the NYC area next week, you can also catch a live demo of Compute@Edge at Altitude NYC, our flagship customer conference. We’d love to see you there and chat all things edge compute. 

This is just the beginning for our serverless compute environment — and we can’t wait to share all the big things ahead as we keep evolving this product and keep our eyes on the future. Apply for the beta now, and join us for the journey.