# Cloudflare's Automatic Return Routing Is Described as Inter-VRF NAT at Scale

DevFeed: [Cloudflare's Automatic Return Routing Is Described as Inter-VRF NAT at Scale](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/hmmm-cloudflare-s-automatic-return-routing-11389.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.ipspace.net/2026/05/worth-reading-cloudflare-automatic-return-routing/>)

Published: 2026-05-06T06:12:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [ipSpace.net blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/ipspace-net-blog.md>)

Topics: [Cloudflare](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/cloudflare.md>), [Routing (disambiguation)](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/routing.md>), [networking](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/networking.md>), [Virtual Private Network](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/vpn.md>)

Tags: [article](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/article.md>), [blog](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/blog.md>), [cloudflare](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/cloudflare.md>), [nat](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/nat.md>), [routing](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/routing.md>), [technology](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/technology.md>), [vpn](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/vpn.md>), [worth-reading](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/worth-reading.md>)

## AI overview

The article critiques Cloudflare's marketing of Automatic Return Routing, arguing that its session-based forwarding and address remapping are effectively VRFs and NAT in another form. It also notes that the solution appears to demonstrate session-based forwarding at scale, while leaving its speed and CPU requirements as open questions.

## Source excerpt

A while ago, I found the How Automatic Return Routing solves IP overlap article on Cloudflare's blog. They evidently have a technology that addresses a pain point well worth solving (access to shared resources from clients using overlapping address ranges). I just hate how they're selling it. Go read the article first; I'll wait. OK, here's what bothers me: the "VRFs and NAT are bad" claims, while they use the same technology in disguise. Read more ...