Cutting Through the Peering Process

Direct network interconnection remains one of the most effective ways to improve traffic flow and reduce latency. Cloudflare has updated its Peering Portal to streamline the process of setting up these connections by removing the need for a separate account and introducing direct session requests within the interface.

Why Direct Connections Matter

Peering is the practice of directly linking two networks. When networks connect directly, routing becomes more efficient, congestion decreases, and performance improves. For a network operator, there are three primary ways to establish this connectivity:

  • Private Network Interconnects (PNIs): A dedicated cable connecting two networks, typically inside a shared datacenter facility. This offers reliable, dedicated bandwidth.
  • Internet Exchanges (IXs): A facility where many networks connect to a shared switch, creating a hub for exchanging traffic. This is generally settlement-free and a cost-effective way to interconnect with many networks at once.
  • Transit networks: These are carriers that provide connectivity to the broader Internet on your behalf. While useful, transit adds an intermediary hop and incurs bandwidth costs.

Cloudflare's open peering policy encourages networks to connect directly. The benefits are clear: reducing reliance on any single transit provider distributes traffic and improves overall network resilience, while peering at an IX consolidates costs across many connections. Most importantly, direct peering removes network hops, which directly translates to lower latency for end users. When an Internet service provider and a content provider are physically and logically close to each other, traffic can stay local rather than taking a longer, cross-country path. Cloudflare currently peers with over 10,000 networks in more than 275 locations, but each new connection contributes to better overall Internet performance.

Streamlining Login with PeeringDB

Cloudflare, like many networks, uses PeeringDB as a community-managed reference point for network data. Until now, getting a peering session set up required operators to create a dedicated account just for the portal. That step has been removed. You can now sign in to the Cloudflare Peering Portal directly using your existing PeeringDB credentials. Once authenticated, the portal automatically identifies the networks you manage and loads their relevant data, showing existing direct peering connections and highlighting locations where new sessions can be established.

Requesting Sessions in the Portal

The most significant functional change is the ability to request new peering sessions directly from the portal interface, rather than initiating an out-of-band process. When you log in and view potential connection points, you will now see an option to verify your peering information. Once confirmed, you can submit a request that is automatically sent as a ticket to Cloudflare's network team.

Cloudflare's engineers will review the request, checking for existing connections at the specified location and assessing the potential impact on your traffic. After this evaluation, they will configure a BGP session with your network at the chosen Internet Exchange. You will receive a notification at the email address associated with your PeeringDB account when the session is ready to be activated by accepting it.

The combination of PeeringDB-based authentication and in-portal session requests makes the path to establishing a direct connection materially simpler. You can start the process by logging in at the Cloudflare Peering Portal.