How to Build a Real-Time Social App on Cloudflare (No Servers Needed)

Cloudflare

Aug 1, 2025

#ThisWeekInNET — Episode 101

In this episode, host João Tomé is joined by Inanna Malick, Systems Engineer at Cloudflare, to talk about how she built a serverless version of a real-time social app that connects to the ATProto ecosystem — the protocol powering platforms like Bluesky.

Inanna walks us through her blog post and technical journey, showing how she used Cloudflare Workers, Durable Objects, and the free tier of our Developer Platform to deploy an open, identity-owned, cryptographically verified social experience — all without running a server.

They discuss what makes ATProto different, how Statusphere works (the “Hello World” of open social apps), and what might be coming next in the world of decentralized platforms. Plus: how WebSockets and Durable Objects can be combined to create live, real-time updates — all running serverlessly.

Later in the episode, we check in with Keith Adler, Machine Learning Engineer, to hear how Cloudflare is making it easier to explore your data with Python notebooks powered by marimo.

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro & what’s coming next for the summer

01:02 – Guest intro: Inanna Malick on serverless + social

01:40 – What is ATProto and why it matters

03:00 – Building a Bluesky-style social app on Workers

05:00 – Statusphere: the simplest decentralized app

08:00 – Why owning your identity matters

09:30 – Serverless + Durable Objects = real-time feeds

12:00 – How it works: DNS, identity, and verifiable posts

14:00 – Looking ahead: WebSocket evolution and Cloudflare fit

16:00 – Cool ideas: using AI to improve accessibility

18:00 – Final thoughts & geek rec: a Superman movie rec