In our hyperconnected world, understanding internet traffic patterns, security threats, and technology adoption trends has become crucial for businesses, researchers, and technology enthusiasts alike. Enter Cloudflare Radar – a powerful, free platform that transforms the vast data flowing through Cloudflare’s global network into actionable insights about the internet’s pulse.
What is Cloudflare Radar?
Cloudflare Radar is a hub that showcases global Internet traffic, attacks, and technology trends and insights. It is powered by data from Cloudflare’s global network, as well as aggregated and anonymized data from Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 public DNS resolver.
Launched in 2020 and recently upgraded to Radar 2.0, this platform provides unprecedented visibility into internet usage patterns worldwide. With 18 million HTTP requests and 6 million DNS requests processed every second, plus 1 billion unique IP addresses connecting to Cloudflare’s network, the platform offers one of the most comprehensive views of global internet activity.
Key Features and Capabilities
Real-Time Traffic Analytics
Cloudflare Radar provides detailed insights into global internet traffic patterns, including:
- HTTP Request Distribution: Request-based metrics provide an even better perspective into user activity, especially important when examining connectivity restoration after Internet disruptions
- Device Breakdown: Track the split between mobile and desktop traffic across different regions
- Bot vs. Human Traffic: Identify automated versus genuine human activity patterns
- Protocol Adoption: Monitor HTTPS adoption, IPv6 usage, and HTTP version distribution
Security Intelligence
The platform excels at tracking cybersecurity trends:
- DDoS Attack Monitoring: DDoS attacks are surging. In 2025 Q1, Cloudflare blocked +20M attacks (a 358% YoY spike) along with 5.6 Tbps and 4.8 Bpps record-breaking attacks
- Threat Classifications: Monitor various types of cyber threats and their geographic distribution
- Email Security: Track spam, malicious emails, and TLS encryption trends
Internet Quality Metrics
Global bandwidth and latency trends and insights, broken out by continent help users understand connection quality worldwide, powered by aggregated Cloudflare Speed Test results.
BGP Routing Intelligence
Real-time BGP route visualization is now available on Cloudflare Radar, providing immediate insights into global Internet routing, including:
- Route leak detection
- BGP hijack monitoring
- Routing security statistics
- Network interconnection insights
Internet Outage Tracking
The platform’s Outage Center monitors global internet disruptions. Some of the outages seen through the year were short-lived, lasting just a few hours, while others stretched on for days or weeks, providing crucial visibility into connectivity issues worldwide.
How You Can Use Cloudflare Radar
For Businesses and IT Professionals
Market Research and Planning: Use traffic patterns and technology adoption rates to inform business decisions. Understanding regional preferences for mobile vs. desktop usage, protocol adoption, or browser preferences can guide product development and market entry strategies.
Security Intelligence: Monitor attack trends in your industry or region to anticipate threats and adjust security measures accordingly. The platform’s ability to track AI crawlers, which are increasingly under scrutiny as they scan the web and gobble up voluminous amounts of data to train large language models is particularly relevant for organizations concerned about data scraping.
Infrastructure Planning: Use internet quality metrics and outage data to make informed decisions about CDN placement, backup connectivity, and disaster recovery planning.
For Researchers and Academics
Radar’s API is free, allowing academics, technology professionals, and other web enthusiasts to investigate Internet usage across the globe. The platform offers rich datasets for:
- Academic Research: Study internet usage patterns, digital divide issues, or the impact of global events on connectivity
- Technology Adoption Studies: Track how new protocols, browsers, or technologies spread across different regions
- Digital Sociology: Analyze how internet usage varies by geography, time, and device type
For Developers and Data Scientists
The platform provides multiple ways to access data:
API Integration: Cloudflare’s Radar API is free and provides access to global Internet traffic data with endpoints covering traffic, security, DNS, and routing data.
Data Explorer: The Cloudflare Radar Data Explorer provides a simple Web-based interface to build more complex API queries, including comparisons and filters, and visualize the results.
AI Assistant: The accompanying AI Assistant translates a user’s natural language statements or questions into the appropriate Radar API calls, making data exploration more accessible.
Practical Use Cases
Competitive Intelligence
Monitor technology adoption trends to understand how competitors might be adapting their strategies. For example, tracking IPv6 adoption rates can inform infrastructure investment decisions.
Content Strategy
Understanding device preferences and traffic patterns in target markets can guide responsive design decisions and content delivery optimization.
Incident Response
Use real-time outage data and attack intelligence to quickly assess whether connectivity issues are localized or part of broader internet disruptions.
Research Projects
Leverage the comprehensive API to build custom applications, create visualizations, or conduct longitudinal studies of internet trends.
Getting Started
The best part about Cloudflare Radar is its accessibility. Simply visit radar.cloudflare.com to start exploring the wealth of available data. The interface is intuitive, allowing you to:
- Browse Global Overviews: Start with worldwide statistics and drill down by country or region
- Explore Specific Topics: Navigate to dedicated sections for traffic, security, quality, or routing data
- Use the Data Explorer: Build custom queries and visualizations using the web interface
- Access the API: Create a Custom Token, with Account > Radar in the Permissions group, and select Read as the access level to start programmatic access
The Bottom Line
Cloudflare Radar democratizes access to internet intelligence that was previously available only to large technology companies. Whether you’re a business professional seeking market insights, a researcher studying digital trends, or a developer building the next generation of internet applications, Radar provides the data foundation you need.
In an era where understanding digital patterns can drive business success and research breakthroughs, Cloudflare Radar stands out as an essential tool in any data-driven professional’s toolkit. Best of all, it’s completely free, making world-class internet intelligence accessible to organizations of any size.
The platform continues to evolve, with new datasets and features being added regularly. As our digital world becomes increasingly complex, having clear visibility into its patterns and trends isn’t just helpful – it’s essential.
Ready to explore global internet trends? Visit Cloudflare Radar and discover what insights await in the world’s internet traffic patterns.