Cloudflare Introduces Cache Response Rules for Post-Origin Cache Control
Cloudflare recently introduced Cache Response Rules, a rules engine that operates after an origin server responds but before content is written to Cloudflare's cache. Previously, Cache Rules operated only on request attributes. Cache Response Rules add a response phase that evaluates origin responses before they are cached. By Renato Losio
Cloudflare has unveiled Cache Response Rules, a new rules engine that operates after an origin server has responded, but before the content is written to Cloudflare's cache. Previously, Cache Rules only governed request attributes. These new Cache Response Rules introduce a response phase that evaluates origin responses before they are cached, allowing users to fine-tune cache behavior without altering the origin application.
According to the documentation, Cache Response Rules empower users to manipulate Cache-Control directives, manage cache tags, and eliminate headers such as Set-Cookie, ETag, and Last-Modified. This enables improved cache hit rates and simplified CDN migrations. Senior product manager Alex Krivit and former systems engineer Anthony Turcios explain that these rules are particularly useful when websites inadvertently send headers that interfere with caching, such as Set-Cookie or incorrect Cache-Control headers.
The team acknowledges that some users may be wary of forcing caching of dynamic content, but they argue that fixing origin mistakes at the edge, without requiring application changes, can significantly improve performance and reduce infrastructure costs.
Cache Response Rules currently support three actions: removing interfering headers, managing cache tags, and modifying Cache-Control directives. The process begins with request-time rules, which determine whether and how to retrieve content from the cache before contacting the origin. Once the origin responds, Cache Response Rules take effect, allowing users to modify response headers, manage cache tags, and remove headers before the content is stored in the cache.
This new feature complements existing Cache Rules, which control caching behavior during the request phase. While some in the community have expressed skepticism about forcing caching of dynamic content, Yuvdeep Singh, founder of Mission FinOps, believes that fixing origin mistakes at the edge, without waiting for application changes, can be a substantial advantage. Cache Response Rules are now available across all Cloudflare plans.
Written by urgent.news from InfoQ's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
