Cloudflare's Browser Run Gets 4x Boost With Container Migration, 50% Faster Quick Actions
Cloudflare has dramatically upgraded its Browser Run service by rebuilding it on the company's own Containers platform, delivering a fourfold increase in concurrent browser sessions and cutting Quick Action response times by more than half. The improvements are live immediately with no action required from existing users.
Key Improvements
Developers can now spin up 60 browser instances per minute via the Workers binding and run up to 120 browsers concurrently — a 4x jump from the previous cap of 30. Quick Action response times have dropped by over 50%, according to Cloudflare data.
“This migration allows us to ship fixes and new features faster than before, and our users are already seeing the benefits,” said a Cloudflare spokesperson. “We’re committed to eating our own dogfood.”
Background
Browser Run lets developers programmatically control headless browsers on Cloudflare’s global network for tasks like end-to-end testing, URL investigation, PDF rendering, and screenshot capture. It has also become a critical tool for AI agents that need to interact with the web.
Previously, Browser Run shared infrastructure with Cloudflare’s Browser Isolation (BISO) service. That arrangement caused bottlenecks: BISO’s larger container images slowed startup times, and its long, steady user sessions clashed with Browser Run’s short, spiky usage patterns, leading to scaling delays and availability issues.
“We outgrew our bunk bed,” the spokesperson added. “BISO is a fantastic product, but its infrastructure wasn’t optimized for Browser Run’s workload.”
Migration to Cloudflare Containers
The shift to Cloudflare Containers — which entered open beta last year with Durable Object (DO) support — was gradual. A Worker was inserted into the request path to route a portion of traffic to Container-based browsers alongside BISO-based ones. This dual-support approach allowed the team to compare performance, isolate bugs, and build confidence.
“We ramped up by first moving all Quick Actions endpoints to Containers, then rolled out to free Workers binding accounts, followed by pay-as-you-go accounts,” the spokesperson explained. “Only after validating stability did we switch over contract customers.”
The migration required no code changes or redeployments from customers. The team also reports faster feature delivery and bug fixes thanks to the new architecture.
What This Means
For developers, the upgrade translates directly to higher throughput and lower latency. Automated browser testing, security investigations, and AI-driven web interactions can now happen faster and at greater scale without additional configuration.
Cloudflare’s decision to build on its own platform — known as “dogfooding” — ensures pain points are fixed before external customers encounter them. “We’re proving that Containers are production-ready for demanding, spiky workloads,” said the spokesperson. “And we’re just getting started.”
Browser Run is now positioned as a more resilient, scalable backbone for the growing number of use cases relying on automated browsers.
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