Architecture

Comprehensive guide to the CatCMS system architecture, covering the Cloudflare Workers platform, request lifecycle, plugin system, and data flow patterns. [object Object]

Overview

CatCMS is a modern, TypeScript-first headless CMS built specifically for Cloudflare’s edge platform. It leverages Cloudflare Workers, D1 database, R2 storage, and KV cache to deliver exceptional performance at the edge.

Key Architectural Principles

  • Edge-First - Runs entirely on Cloudflare’s global edge network
  • Zero Cold Starts - V8 isolates provide instant startup
  • TypeScript-Native - Fully typed for developer experience
  • Plugin-Driven - Extensible through a robust plugin system
  • Performance-Optimized - Three-tier caching for sub-millisecond response times

Technology Stack

⚑

Cloudflare Workers

Serverless execution at the edge with V8 isolates

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D1 Database

SQLite with global replication and Drizzle ORM

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R2 Storage

S3-compatible object storage for media files

⚑

KV Cache

Global key-value store for distributed caching

🎯

Hono Framework

Ultra-fast web framework for routing and middleware

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Drizzle ORM

Type-safe database queries with automatic migrations


Cloudflare Workers

V8 Isolates Model

CatCMS runs in V8 isolates, providing:

  • Instant startup (no cold starts)
  • Memory isolation between requests
  • Automatic scaling to handle traffic spikes
  • Global distribution across 300+ locations

Worker Entry Point

Resource Access Pattern

Accessing Cloudflare Resources


System Architecture

High-Level Overview

β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”
β”‚                    Cloudflare Edge Network                   β”‚
β”‚  β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”  β”‚
β”‚  β”‚              Middleware Pipeline                       β”‚  β”‚
β”‚  β”‚  Bootstrap β†’ Logging β†’ Auth β†’ Permissions β†’ Plugin    β”‚  β”‚
β”‚  β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜  β”‚
β”‚                             ↓                                β”‚
β”‚  β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”  β”‚
β”‚  β”‚              Route Handler                             β”‚  β”‚
β”‚  β”‚  API Routes | Admin Routes | Auth Routes | Plugins    β”‚  β”‚
β”‚  β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜  β”‚
β”‚                             ↓                                β”‚
β”‚  β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”  β”‚
β”‚  β”‚              Service Layer                             β”‚  β”‚
β”‚  β”‚  Cache | Content | Auth | Plugin Services             β”‚  β”‚
β”‚  β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜  β”‚
β”‚                             ↓                                β”‚
β”‚  β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”  β”‚
β”‚  β”‚              Data Layer                                β”‚  β”‚
β”‚  β”‚  Memory Cache | KV Cache | D1 Database                β”‚  β”‚
β”‚  β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜  β”‚
β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜

Layer Responsibilities

1. Middleware Pipeline

  • Request preprocessing
  • Authentication and authorization
  • Security headers
  • Performance monitoring
  • Logging

2. Route Handler

  • Request routing
  • Parameter validation
  • Response formatting
  • Error handling

3. Service Layer

  • Business logic
  • Data transformation
  • Cache management
  • External integrations

4. Data Layer

  • Data persistence
  • Cache storage
  • Query execution

Request Lifecycle

Complete Request Flow

  1. Request arrives at Cloudflare edge
  2. Bootstrap Middleware - Run migrations, sync collections, bootstrap plugins
  3. Logging Middleware - Generate request ID, record start time
  4. Security Middleware - Check suspicious patterns, add security headers
  5. Authentication Middleware - Extract JWT, verify token, set user context
  6. Permission Middleware - Check user permissions and roles
  7. Plugin Middleware - Execute plugin hooks
  8. Route Handler - Execute route logic, check cache, process business logic
  9. Response Processing - Add cache headers, timing metadata, log metrics
  10. Return to client

Middleware Configuration


Middleware Pipeline

Execution Order

  1. Bootstrap (Priority: 0) - System initialization
  2. Logging (Priority: 1) - Request tracking
  3. Security (Priority: 2) - Headers, validation
  4. CORS (Priority: 3) - Cross-origin
  5. Authentication (Priority: 10) - JWT verification
  6. Authorization (Priority: 11) - Permission checks
  7. Plugin Middleware (Priority: 50+) - Custom logic
  8. Route Handler (Priority: 100)

Bootstrap Middleware

Ensures system initialization on first request:

Bootstrap Process

Authentication Middleware

JWT-based authentication with KV caching:

Auth Middleware


Plugin System

Architecture

CatCMS features a powerful plugin architecture:

Core Components:

  • Plugin Registry - Registers and manages plugins
  • Hook System - Event-driven architecture with priority-based execution
  • Plugin Manager - Orchestrates plugin lifecycle

Plugin Types:

  • Core Plugins (auto-installed): auth, media, cache, database-tools, seed-data
  • Demo Plugins (optional): workflow, FAQ, demo-login
  • Custom Plugins - Your own extensions

Plugin Lifecycle


Caching Strategy

Three-Tiered System

CatCMS implements intelligent caching across three tiers:

Tier 1: In-Memory Cache

  • Fastest access (< 1ms)
  • 50MB size limit per worker
  • LRU eviction policy

Tier 2: Cloudflare KV

  • Global distribution
  • Eventually consistent
  • 5-60 minute TTLs

Tier 3: D1 Database

  • Source of truth
  • Strong consistency
  • Full query capabilities

Cache Flow

Request
   ↓
Memory Cache? ──Yes──→ Return (< 1ms)
   ↓ No
KV Cache? ──Yes──→ Populate Memory β†’ Return (10-50ms)
   ↓ No
Database ──→ Populate KV β†’ Populate Memory β†’ Return (100-200ms)

Cache Service


Performance

Edge Performance Metrics

  • First request (cold): 50-100ms
  • Cached request (memory): 1-5ms
  • Cached request (KV): 10-50ms
  • Database query: 100-200ms

Optimization Strategies

  1. Cache Aggressively - Use three-tier caching for all frequently accessed data
  2. Minimize Database Queries - Batch operations when possible
  3. Use KV for Authentication - Cache JWT verification results
  4. Optimize Middleware Order - Fast checks first (auth cache before DB)
  5. Lazy Load Plugins - Only load plugins when needed

Performance Best Practices

  • Enable all three cache tiers for maximum performance - Set appropriate TTLs based on data volatility - Use pagination for large datasets - Implement proper cache invalidation strategies

Next Steps

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