<p>This paper investigates the edge-based dynamic event-triggered inverse optimal formation control problem for multiple quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles (QUAVs) with attitude constraints. To improve communication efficiency, an edge-based dynamic event-triggered mechanism is developed for the communication channels between neighboring QUAVs. However, this edge-based dynamic event-triggered communication (DETC) may cause discontinuities in the reference signals. To solve this problem, a distributed estimator is designed for each QUAV to obtain the leader’s output signals. Considering the safety of QUAV formation flying, this paper designs a function transformation method that constrains the attitudes of the QUAVs to a strictly safe region. Furthermore, an inverse optimal control strategy is proposed based on the backstepping methodology. This scheme not only minimizes the cost function but also avoids the necessity of solving the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation. Finally, the stability of the QUAV systems is proven using Lyapunov theory, and the effectiveness of the proposed control method is verified through simulation.</p>