Custom code can now process web traffic inside Cloudflare Gateway through a new Forward action. Cloudflare introduced the public beta on October 15 alongside plans for custom functions inside security-policy evaluation.
A secure web gateway applies an organization's rules to network traffic. Fixed actions such as allow or block cover common cases, but organizations sometimes need to adjust headers, consult internal data or inspect a request in a more specific way.
Forward routes a matching HTTP request to a Cloudflare Worker, code running on the company's computing platform. The Worker can inspect or change request information, send it onward and process the response.
Cloudflare says this happens on the same infrastructure that runs Gateway, avoiding a detour to a separate proxy service. The architecture description comes from the company, rather than an independent latency test.
A second feature, Custom Functions, is planned before the end of the year. These functions will return a value that a Gateway policy can use in its decision. They are not the same as the Forward beta available now.
The distinction matters when assessing readiness. A working traffic-processing extension does not mean every promised policy feature has shipped.
Cloudflare says the capabilities are intended for all Zero Trust plans. Organizations still need to design the code that handles their own traffic and consider how a failure would affect access.
The release expands what administrators can implement inside the gateway. Forward is available in public beta; Custom Functions remain forthcoming.
