Introduction to Website Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)
A content delivery network (CDN) expedites website performance by distributing cached content globally.
How CDNs Work
- CDNs have servers located worldwide to cache website resources closer to users.
- When a visitor requests a file, it's served from the nearest CDN edge server for fast delivery.
CDN Benefits
Faster Content Delivery and Website Speed
Storing static resources closer to website visitors reduces latency and improves page load times.
Reduced Origin Server Load
Serving cached content from CDN reduces the workload on main web servers by handling cached content delivery.
Enhanced Availability and Reliability
Distributing requests across CDN servers helps websites handle traffic spikes and prevents downtime.
Types of Content Delivered
- Static files: Images, CSS, JS, fonts, videos
- APIs, e-commerce assets, streaming media
- Dynamic content like HTML pages can also be cached
Top CDN Providers
Popular options include Cloudflare, Akamai, Amazon CloudFront and Fastly. Many web hosts also offer CDN add-ons.
CDNs enhance website performance and availability by distributing cached static resources closer to visitors for accelerated delivery.
