Cloudflare Workers Integration Guide

Overview

This guide covers everything you need to protect your Cloudflare Workers with Unkey’s globally distributed verification. Perfect for edge APIs, serverless functions, and globally distributed applications. What you’ll learn:

Quick setup with @unkey/api
Using Hono for better routing
Reusable middleware patterns
Permission-based access control
Durable Objects integration
Deployment best practices

Prerequisites

Unkey account (free)
API created in your Unkey dashboard
Cloudflare account
Node.js 18+

Quick Start

Create a Cloudflare Worker

npm create cloudflare@latest my-api
cd my-api

Install Unkey SDK

npm install @unkey/api

Configure secrets

Add your root key as a secret:

npx wrangler secret put UNKEY_ROOT_KEY

Enter your root key when prompted.

Create a basic worker

src/index.ts

import { Unkey } from "@unkey/api";

export interface Env {
  UNKEY_ROOT_KEY: string;
}

export default {
  async fetch(request: Request, env: Env): Promise<Response> {
    // 1. Extract API key
    const authHeader = request.headers.get("Authorization");

    if (!authHeader?.startsWith("Bearer ")) {
      return Response.json(
        { error: "Missing API key" },
        { status: 401 }
      );
    }

    const unkey = new Unkey({ rootKey: env.UNKEY_ROOT_KEY });
    const apiKey = authHeader.slice(7);

    try {
      // 2. Verify with Unkey
      const { meta, data, error } = await unkey.keys.verifyKey({
        key: apiKey,
      });

      // 3. Handle errors
      if (error) {
        console.error("Unkey error:", error);
        return Response.json(
          { error: "Authentication service unavailable" },
          { status: 503 }
        );
      }

      // 4. Check validity
      if (!data.valid) {
        return Response.json(
          { error: data.code },
          { status: data.code === "RATE_LIMITED" ? 429 : 401 }
        );
      }

      // 5. Request is authenticated
      return Response.json({
        message: "Access granted",
        user: data.identity?.externalId,
        remaining: data.credits,
      });
    } catch (error) {
      console.error("Unkey error:", error);
      return Response.json(
        { error: "Authentication service unavailable" },
        { status: 503 }
      );
    }
  },
};

Deploy

npx wrangler deploy

Test it

Create a test key in your Unkey dashboard, then:

curl https://my-api.your-subdomain.workers.dev \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Using Hono for Better Routing

For a cleaner routing experience, use Hono:

npm install hono @unkey/hono

src/index.ts

import { Hono } from "hono";
import { unkey } from "@unkey/hono";

type Bindings = {
  UNKEY_ROOT_KEY: string;
};

const app = new Hono<{ Bindings: Bindings }>();

// Public routes
app.get("/health", (c) => c.json({ status: "ok" }));

// Protected routes with Unkey middleware
app.use("/api/*", async (c, next) => {
  const handler = unkey({
    rootKey: c.env.UNKEY_ROOT_KEY,
    getKey: (c) => c.req.header("Authorization")?.replace("Bearer ", ""),
    onError: (c, error) => {
      console.error("Unkey error:", error);
      return c.json({ error: "Service unavailable" }, 503);
    },
    handleInvalidKey: (c, result) => {
      return c.json({ error: result.code }, 401);
    },
  });
  
  return handler(c, next);
});

app.get("/api/data", (c) => {
  const auth = c.get("unkey");
  
  return c.json({
    message: "Access granted",
    user: auth.identity?.externalId,
    remaining: auth.credits,
  });
});

app.get("/api/users", (c) => {
  return c.json({ users: [] });
});

export default app;

Reusable Middleware

Create a clean middleware pattern:

src/middleware/auth.ts

import { Unkey } from "@unkey/api";
import { UnkeyError } from "@unkey/api/models/errors";
import { V2KeysVerifyKeyResponseData } from "@unkey/api/models/components";
import { Context, Next } from "hono";

declare module "hono" {
  interface ContextVariableMap {
    auth: V2KeysVerifyKeyResponseData;
  }
}

interface AuthOptions {
  getKey?: (c: Context) => string | null;
  permissions?: string;
}

type Bindings = {
  UNKEY_ROOT_KEY: string;
};

export function authMiddleware(options: AuthOptions = {}) {
  return async (c: Context, next: Next) => {
    const getKey = options.getKey ?? ((c) =>
      c.req.header("Authorization")?.replace("Bearer ", "") ?? null
    );

    const apiKey = getKey(c);

    if (!apiKey) {
      return c.json({ error: "Missing API key" }, 401);
    }

    try {
      const unkey = new Unkey({ rootKey: c.env.UNKEY_ROOT_KEY });
      const { data, error } = await unkey.keys.verifyKey({
        key: apiKey,
        permissions: options.permissions,
      });

      if (error) {
        console.error("Unkey error:", error);
        return c.json({ error: "Service unavailable" }, 503);
      }

      if (!data.valid) {
        if (data.code === "INSUFFICIENT_PERMISSIONS") {
          return c.json({ error: "Forbidden" }, 403);
        }
        return c.json({ error: data.code }, 401);
      }

      c.set("auth", data);
      await next();
    } catch (err) {
      return c.json({ error: "Service unavailable" }, 503);
    }
  };
}

Use it:

src/index.ts

import { Hono } from "hono";
import { authMiddleware } from "./middleware/auth";

const app = new Hono();

// Basic auth
app.use("/api/*", (c, next) => 
  authMiddleware()(c, next)
);

// Permission-based auth for admin routes
app.use("/admin/*", (c, next) => 
  authMiddleware({ 
    permissions: "admin",
  })(c, next)
);

app.get("/api/data", (c) => {
  const auth = c.get("auth");
  return c.json({ user: auth.identity?.externalId });
});

app.delete("/admin/users/:id", (c) => {
  // Only accessible with admin permission
  return c.json({ deleted: c.req.param("id") });
});

export default app;

Rate Limit Headers

Add standard rate limit headers to responses:

src/middleware/auth.ts

import { Unkey } from "@unkey/api";

export function authMiddleware(options: AuthOptions = {}) {
  return async (c: Context, next: Next) => {
    const apiKey = c.req.header("Authorization")?.replace("Bearer ", "");
    
    if (!apiKey) {
      return c.json({ error: "Missing API key" }, 401);
    }

    try {
      const unkey = new Unkey({ rootKey: c.env.UNKEY_ROOT_KEY });
      const { meta, data, error } = await unkey.keys.verifyKey({
        key: apiKey,
      });

      // Set rate limit headers
      if (data.ratelimits?.[0]) {
        const rl = data.ratelimits[0];
        c.header("X-RateLimit-Limit", rl.limit.toString());
        c.header("X-RateLimit-Remaining", rl.remaining.toString());
        c.header("X-RateLimit-Reset", rl.reset.toString());
      }

      if (data.credits !== undefined) {
        c.header("X-Credits-Remaining", data.credits.toString());
      }

      if (!data.valid) {
        const status = data.code === "RATE_LIMITED" ? 429 : 401;
        return c.json({ error: data.code }, status);
      }

      c.set("auth", data);
      await next();
    } catch (err) {
      return c.json({ error: "Service unavailable" }, 503);
    }
  };
}

Durable Objects Integration

For stateful applications with Durable Objects:

src/index.ts

import { Unkey } from "@unkey/api";
import { DurableObject } from "cloudflare:workers";

export interface Env {
  UNKEY_ROOT_KEY: string;
  COUNTER: DurableObjectNamespace;
}

export class Counter extends DurableObject {
  async fetch(request: Request) {
    let count = (await this.ctx.storage.get("count")) as number || 0;
    count++;
    await this.ctx.storage.put("count", count);
    return Response.json({ count });
  }
}

export default {
  async fetch(request: Request, env: Env): Promise<Response> {
    const unkey = new Unkey({ rootKey: env.UNKEY_ROOT_KEY });

    // Verify API key first
    const apiKey = request.headers.get("Authorization")?.slice(7);

    if (!apiKey) {
      return Response.json({ error: "Missing API key" }, { status: 401 });
    }

    try {
      const { meta, data, error } = await unkey.keys.verifyKey({
        key: apiKey,
      });

      if (error || !data.valid) {
        return Response.json({ error: "Unauthorized" }, { status: 401 });
      }

      // Use external ID as Durable Object ID for per-user state
      const id = env.COUNTER.idFromName(data.identity?.externalId ?? "anonymous");
      const counter = env.COUNTER.get(id);

      return counter.fetch(request);
    } catch (error) {
      return Response.json({ error: "Service unavailable" }, { status: 503 });
    }
  },
};

Update wrangler.toml:

wrangler.toml

name = "my-api"
main = "src/index.ts"
compatibility_date = "2024-01-01"

[[durable_objects.bindings]]
name = "COUNTER"
class_name = "Counter"

[[migrations]]
tag = "v1"
new_classes = ["Counter"]

Environment Configuration

wrangler.toml

name = "my-api"
main = "src/index.ts"
compatibility_date = "2024-01-01"

# Store UNKEY_ROOT_KEY as a secret, not in config
# Run: npx wrangler secret put UNKEY_ROOT_KEY

Local Development

For local testing:

# Start local dev server
npx wrangler dev

# Test locally
curl http://localhost:8787/api/data \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Next Steps

Add rate limiting

Limit requests per key

Set usage limits

Cap total requests per key

Add permissions

Fine-grained access control

TypeScript SDK

Full SDK documentation

Troubleshooting

Getting 401 even with a valid key?

Ensure the key hasn’t expired or been revoked
Verify the Authorization header format: Bearer YOUR_KEY
Check that your root key is set correctly: wrangler secret list

Secrets not working locally?

Create a .dev.vars file in your project root
Add: UNKEY_ROOT_KEY=unkey_...
Never commit .dev.vars to version control

Rate limiting not working?

Ensure rate limits are configured on your API keys in the dashboard
Check that data.ratelimits is not empty in the verification response

Get Started

Core Features

Integration Guides

Advanced Topics

Security

Platform

Cloudflare Workers Integration Guide

Overview

Prerequisites

Quick Start

Using Hono for Better Routing

Reusable Middleware

Rate Limit Headers

Durable Objects Integration

Environment Configuration

Local Development

Next Steps

Add rate limiting

Set usage limits

Add permissions

TypeScript SDK

Troubleshooting

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Features

Integration Guides

Advanced Topics

Security

Platform

​Overview

​Prerequisites

​Quick Start

​Using Hono for Better Routing

​Reusable Middleware

​Rate Limit Headers

​Durable Objects Integration

​Environment Configuration

​Local Development

​Next Steps

Add rate limiting

Set usage limits

Add permissions

TypeScript SDK

​Troubleshooting

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Prerequisites

Quick Start

Using Hono for Better Routing

Reusable Middleware

Rate Limit Headers

Durable Objects Integration

Environment Configuration

Local Development

Next Steps

Troubleshooting