Compute Regions

After a request passes through the Global CDN & Edge Network, it's processed by your Dart application in a Compute Region. These are the global data centers where your code runs.

This page focuses on the compute regions and how you can configure their behavior for optimal performance.

Default Behavior

Globe optimizes request handling through intelligent loadbalancers that distribute traffic efficiently across compute regions. These loadbalancers:

• Automatically route requests to maintain optimal performance
• Balance workloads based on regional capacity and response times
• Prevent overloading of any single compute region
• Ensure consistent application performance regardless of user location

When to Use Preferred Regions

For most applications, the default behavior is ideal. However, you should consider specifying preferred regions when your application has specific geographic needs, such as:

• Connecting to a region-specific database or external service.
• Ensuring data residency to comply with local regulations.
• Consolidating processing in specific regions to manage resources.

A common use case is co-locating your compute with your database. If your app in Europe needs to make multiple queries to a database in North America, it's often faster to run the code in a North American compute region to minimize high-latency, transatlantic round-trip.

How to Configure Preferred Regions

You can configure preferred regions in two ways:

• Via Globe Dashboard: In your project settings, you can select one or more preferred regions. This configuration applies to all new deployments.
• Via HTTP Header: For per-request control, use the X-Globe-Preferred-Region header (e.g., X-Globe-Preferred-Region: DFW, PDX) to override the dashboard settings.

Available Compute Regions

Globe uses three-letter IATA airport codes to identify regions.