FAQ: Workers and deployments
Answers about Workers and Pages, Custom Domains, Routes, secrets, Node compatibility, background work, and limits.
Edited and verified by Orange Book Editorial Team ·
Should a new project use Workers or Pages?
Choose from the framework's current official support and runtime needs, not an old product impression. Static assets, SSR, and Functions still require a check of the Workers runtime, adapter, and limits. Start with Workers, Pages, and other platforms.
What is the difference between a Custom Domain and a Route?
A Custom Domain makes the Worker the origin for that hostname, with Cloudflare managing its DNS and certificate. A Route runs the Worker in front of an existing origin and requires a proxied DNS record for the hostname. Do not create a Route for an originless project by habit.
Wrangler says deployment succeeded. Why does the domain not invoke the Worker?
A deployed version and traffic binding are separate. Verify the account, environment, Custom Domain or Route, route pattern, proxied DNS state, and requested host/path. Test a preview or workers.dev URL first to separate code failure from routing failure.
What is the difference between a variable and a secret?
Use vars for non-sensitive configuration and Secrets for API keys, signing keys, and database passwords. A secret must not enter source control, wrangler.jsonc, client bundles, or logs. See bindings and secrets.
Can Workers run every Node.js package?
Do not assume so. nodejs_compat is an evolving compatibility layer; packages that need native binaries, a full filesystem, or an unimplemented Node API can still fail. Check current compatibility, then run a minimal import and deployment test. See Node.js runtime boundaries.
Can work continue after returning a response?
Bounded non-critical work can use ctx.waitUntil(), but it is not an unlimited durable job queue. Use Queues, Workflows, or task decomposition for retries, delays, batches, and long-running work. See asynchronous work.
Why does production return 1101 or 1102 when local development works?
1101 commonly means the Worker threw or failed to return a response. 1102 means a CPU or memory resource limit was exceeded. Correlate Workers Logs, invocation status, CPU/wall time, and version. Do not merely raise a limit to hide an infinite loop or whole-file buffering.
Can the current Free limits be hard-coded into the architecture?
No. The 2026-08-27 snapshot still includes daily request, CPU, bundle-size, and subrequest boundaries, but these change. Open Limits on release day, model real traffic, and keep a lower internal threshold. See plans, limits, and cost verification.
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