Build a Cloudflare Worker API Gateway in 30 Minutes

The short answer: If you want one public API entrypoint on Cloudflare Workers fast, use a config-driven gateway instead of hand-writing routing, CORS, and auth checks for every route.

When to read this

• You need a first production-grade proxy quickly.
• You want routing, CORS, and auth decisions in config instead of scattered Worker code.
• You want a deployable starting point that matches the current repo capabilities.

What matters in practice

• Start with a single upstream and a single health route.
• Keep the first config minimal and add auth only after traffic flows.
• Use the repo-backed config examples as the contract for future changes.

Concrete example

        {
        "servers": [
          { "alias": "app", "url": "https://api.example.com" }
        ],
        "paths": [
          { "method": "GET", "path": "/health", "response": { "status": "ok" } },
          { "method": "GET", "path": "/api/{.+}", "integration": { "type": "http_proxy", "server": "app" } }
        ]
      }

The example above is intentionally small because the best gateway configs stay readable. Add only the route, auth, and mapping behavior you actually need.

How this maps to the current gateway

The current codebase already supports the behavior discussed here through its config schema, route matcher, and integration handlers. That is why this project is a good fit for reader-first examples: the docs and blog can point to real, implemented behavior instead of hypothetical gateway features.

What this product does not do

• The current project does not provide an admin UI for editing gateway rules.
• This starter does not add rate limiting or caching because those features are not implemented in the gateway itself.

FAQ

Is this faster than writing my own Worker?

It is faster to ship and easier to audit because the core routing, CORS, auth, and request-shaping behavior already exists in the codebase and tests.

Should I start with KV config immediately?

Only if you need runtime-managed config early. The repo supports local file config and inline JSON, which is simpler for a first rollout.

Related docs

• quickstart first proxy
• config schema overview
• wrangler deploy guide

Last reviewed: March 6, 2026