
Description
Guide for writing Netlify Edge Functions. Use when building middleware, geolocation-based logic, request/response manipulation, authentication checks, A/B testing, or any low-latency edge compute. Covers Deno runtime, context.next() middleware pattern, geolocation, and when to choose edge vs serverless.
SKILL.md
Netlify Edge Functions
Edge functions run on Netlify's globally distributed edge network (Deno runtime), providing low-latency responses close to users.
Syntax
import type { Config, Context } from "@netlify/edge-functions";
export default async (req: Request, context: Context) => {
return new Response("Hello from the edge!");
};
export const config: Config = {
path: "/hello",
};
Place files in netlify/edge-functions/. Uses .ts, .js, .tsx, or .jsx extensions.
Config Object
export const config: Config = {
path: "/api/*", // URLPattern path(s)
excludedPath: "/api/public/*", // Exclusions
method: ["GET", "POST"], // HTTP methods
onError: "bypass", // "fail" (default), "bypass", or "/error-page"
cache: "manual", // Enable response caching
};
Middleware Pattern
Use context.next() to invoke the next handler in the chain and optionally modify the response:
export default async (req: Request, context: Context) => {
// Before: modify request or short-circuit
if (!isAuthenticated(req)) {
return new Response("Unauthorized", { status: 401 });
}
// Continue to origin/next function
const response = await context.next();
// After: modify response
response.headers.set("x-custom-header", "value");
return response;
};
Return undefined to pass through without modification:
export default async (req: Request, context: Context) => {
if (!shouldHandle(req)) return; // continues to next handler
return new Response("Handled");
};
Geolocation and IP
export default async (req: Request, context: Context) => {
const { city, country, subdivision, timezone } = context.geo;
const ip = context.ip;
if (country?.code === "DE") {
return Response.redirect(new URL("/de", req.url));
}
};
Local dev with mocked geo: netlify dev --geo=mock --country=US
Environment Variables
Use Netlify.env (not process.env or Deno.env):
const secret = Netlify.env.get("API_SECRET");
Module Support
- Node.js builtins:
import { randomBytes } from "node:crypto"; - npm packages: Install via npm and import by name
- Deno modules: URL imports (e.g.,
import X from "https://esm.sh/package")
For URL imports, use an import map:
// import_map.json
{ "imports": { "html-rewriter": "https://ghuc.cc/worker-tools/html-rewriter/index.ts" } }
# netlify.toml
[functions]
deno_import_map = "./import_map.json"
When to Use Edge vs Serverless
| Use Edge Functions for | Use Serverless Functions for |
|---|---|
| Low-latency responses | Long-running operations (up to 15 min) |
| Request/response manipulation | Complex Node.js dependencies |
| Geolocation-based logic | Database-heavy operations |
| Auth checks and redirects | Background/scheduled tasks |
| A/B testing, personalization | Tasks needing > 512 MB memory |
Limits
| Resource | Limit |
|---|---|
| CPU time | 50 ms per request |
| Memory | 512 MB per deployed set |
| Response header timeout | 40 seconds |
| Code size | 20 MB compressed |
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