Cloudflare is one of the most widely used web infrastructure platforms in the world. It provides everything from DNS to CDN, edge compute, security, and more—all for free or cheap. For a long time, it seemed like the obvious choice.

But I’m moving away from Cloudflare. Not because it’s unreliable—but because it’s too centralized, too powerful, and too invasive.

🧠 Why I’m Leaving

Cloudflare is more than a tool—it’s a chokepoint. When you use their proxy, you’re handing over:

  • Complete visibility into all your incoming/outgoing traffic
  • Control over TLS termination and HTTPS decryption
  • DNS resolution and authoritative hosting
  • Edge compute execution with Worker functions

Even if they don’t actively exploit this, the fact that all this data flows through one commercial entity is deeply problematic from a privacy and autonomy standpoint.

❌ Centralized Power, Centralized Risk

Cloudflare has deplatformed sites before, acted as a gatekeeper, and holds incredible leverage over what content makes it onto the internet. Whether you agree with their decisions or not, no single company should have that level of control.

The more sites rely on Cloudflare, the more fragile and surveillable the internet becomes.

âś… What I’m Using Instead

Instead of building on top of one opaque megaservice, I’m using a leaner, open, and privacy-conscious stack:

🟢 deSEC for DNS

  • Non-profit, DNSSEC-native
  • Fully encrypted API management
  • No logging, no monetization
  • Based in Germany, privacy law compliant

🔵 Codeberg Pages for Static Hosting

  • Community-run, open-source Git hosting (a GitHub alternative)
  • No tracking, no telemetry
  • Respects user freedom and digital rights
  • Static site deployments from Git via CI/CD

🟣 Deno Deploy instead of Cloudflare Workers

  • Built by the creator of Node.js
  • First-class support for JavaScript/TypeScript
  • Lightweight, no vendor lock-in
  • Transparent, open-source ethos

🧠 This Is Bigger Than Me

This isn’t just a technical switch—it’s a philosophical one. I want to support infrastructure that:

  • Respects user privacy by default
  • Doesn’t monetize surveillance
  • Can’t arbitrarily revoke service
  • Is run by communities, not corporations

I’m not claiming perfection—but this is a step away from centralization and toward digital independence.

đź’ˇ Want to Make the Switch Too?

Here’s what I recommend:

  1. Audit your current setup. Do you actually need a CDN/proxy?
  2. Try deSEC or self-hosted DNS if you want security without lock-in.
  3. Look into Codeberg Pages for fast, tracker-free static hosting.
  4. Switch to Deno Deploy or Bun Edge Runtime if you’re using Workers.
  5. Host your analytics, comments, and assets locally where possible.

🔚 Final Thoughts

Cloudflare is powerful—but power is the problem.

If we want a web that’s open, free, and private, we need to stop giving so much control to a handful of gatekeepers. That’s why I’m opting out—and I hope this post gives you something to think about too.

đź’¬ Get in Touch

🧵 Thoughts or questions? Feel free to reach out via email or comment below. Let’s build a better, privacy-first web together.