Netlify moves its Edge Functions from V8 isolates to Firecracker microVMs

2026-09-29 · Publisher : Netlify · Domain : Cloud & DevOps

Netlify now runs its Edge Functions in Firecracker microVMs on its own network, instead of V8 isolates hosted elsewhere. Median latency of 5 to 6 ms, versus 25 to 40 ms, according to the vendor.

### Background On 29 September 2026, **Netlify** explained that it had moved its **Edge Functions** from execution in **V8 isolates**, provided by an external service, to **Firecracker microVMs** running on its own network. It is an infrastructure change with no migration: "nothing to change in any project". Netlify targets about a billion edge function executions a day with minimal latency. ### Key facts - Median latency of **5 to 6 ms**, versus 25 to 40 ms before; p99 invocations 47.4% faster; log delivery 5 times faster; announced availability of 99.998%. - Cold starts on 1.2% of requests, at 9 ms on average; microVMs start in about 2 ms at p99 and are restored from snapshots. - Execution limits: 50 ms of CPU per request, 512 MB of memory, 20 MB of compressed code. - Isolation argument: even if the runtime is escaped, a microVM cannot "poison" other customers, which V8 isolates guarantee less strictly. ### Why it matters Edge functions started with lightweight isolates; microVMs offer stronger isolation at the price of a more complex startup, which snapshots bring down to a few milliseconds. For web teams, the message is that a provider can change its execution technology without breaking projects, and that limits (CPU, memory) matter more than the engine. Performance figures are Netlify's. ### Takeaway Netlify takes edge function execution in-house, with more isolated and faster microVMs, according to its own measurements.

Tags : Edge, Serverless, Cloud