About Cloudflare Network Interconnect
Cloudflare supports a variety of options to connect your network to Cloudflare:
- Express CNI, for Magic WAN and Magic Transit.
- Classic CNI, for Magic Transit.
- Cloud CNI, for Magic WAN and Magic Transit.
- Peering via either an Internet exchange, or a private network interconnect (PNI).
Below is a brief overview of the options to help you decide which method best fits your network.
| Network interconnect mode | Use cases | Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Express CNI | Use for Magic WAN or Magic Transit, interconnecting directly with on-premise locations. | - 1, 10, 100 Gbps - Available at Express CNI-capable Cloudflare locations - No tunnel required - Set up via dashboard in less than three minutes. |
| Classic CNI | Use for Magic Transit, interconnecting directly or via a partner with on-premise locations. | - 10, 100 Gbps - Available at classic CNI capable Cloudflare data centers - Overlay GRE tunnel required for egress - BGP route reflector signaling - Setup facilitated by account team. |
| Cloud CNI | Use for Magic WAN or Magic Transit, interconnecting directly with virtual networks (VPCs) from public cloud providers. | - Speed depends on cloud provider - Available at Cloud CNI capable Cloudflare locations - Setup facilitated by account team. |
| Peering, or private network interconnect (PNI) | Use for connecting your users to any Cloudflare services, via a more direct, performant and potentially cost-effective network path. | - No requirement to be a customer - Speed depends on IX or PNI - Available at PNI capable Cloudflare locations (PNI) and any Internet Exchange (IX) where Cloudflare peers today. - Setup facilitated by peering@cloudflare.com |