Cloudflare boosts AI tools with Outerbase acquisition

Cloudflare has announced the acquisition of Outerbase, a developer database company, in a move aimed at enhancing its developer platform and simplifying the creation of AI-driven, database-backed applications.

The acquisition, disclosed on 11 April 2025, is intended to streamline the way developers build and manage databases on Cloudflare Workers, a product that supports the company's push to enable scalable full-stack development on its global network. Outerbase's integration into Cloudflare is expected to broaden access for teams looking to develop AI-powered tools and services.

"Businesses are racing to build AI-powered applications to be as productive, innovative, and competitive as possible," said Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare. "Our goal is to make it easy and accessible for any developer, regardless of expertise, to build database-backed applications that can scale. Outerbase's technology and design expertise are an important factor in accelerating this improved developer experience."

The acquisition builds on Cloudflare's strategy to support developers amid the rising demand for AI applications, which rely on databases to store and manage data such as conversations, context and instructions for AI agents. As more developers look to deploy intelligent tools, ease of use and accessibility have become central concerns.

Outerbase, which is itself built on Cloudflare Workers, is already closely aligned with Cloudflare's infrastructure. According to Cloudflare, this alignment will allow for a smoother integration of Outerbase's technology with existing products such as Durable Objects, D1, and the Cloudflare Agents SDK.

"At Outerbase, our mission has always been to make working with data easier for developers," said Brandon Strittmatter, co-founder and CEO of Outerbase. "Joining Cloudflare allows us to keep doing that, but faster and at a much larger scale. We've built Outerbase on top of Cloudflare, so this next step feels natural. Now, we get to take what we've built and make it part of the platform itself."

Strittmatter also highlighted the opportunity to influence future trends in developer tooling and AI. "I'm beyond excited about this opportunity — not just because of what it means for the team, but how as part of Cloudflare, we will shape the way people are building developer tools and AI applications."

Cloudflare said the integration of Outerbase's user-friendly database interface and framework tools will help lower the technical barriers for developers who may lack advanced SQL knowledge. By simplifying database access and management, the company hopes to empower a broader range of developers to contribute to the rapidly expanding field of AI application development.

While specific terms of the deal have not been disclosed, the announcement signals Cloudflare's broader intention to enhance its Developer Platform and respond to the changing needs of its user base.

This move comes as the demand for tools supporting AI agent development continues to grow. Cloudflare believes that enabling simpler and more reliable access to databases will be critical in supporting the next generation of software development.

The company said it remains committed to incorporating Outerbase's technology into its platform and anticipates a seamless transition that will provide benefits for current and future users.

With this acquisition, Cloudflare aims to support what it sees as a transformative period for software development — one where AI becomes increasingly central and accessible to developers worldwide.