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Cloud & DevOps
What is Content Delivery Network?
Quick answer
A geographically distributed network of servers that delivers web content from locations close to each user to improve speed.
Content Delivery Network, explained
Without a content delivery network (CDN), a visitor in Kathmandu loading a site hosted in Virginia would wait while every image and script crossed the world. A CDN stores cached copies of that content on edge servers in many cities, so requests are answered from a nearby location.
CDNs reduce latency, lower the load on the origin server, and help absorb traffic spikes. Many also provide security features such as DDoS mitigation, web application firewalls, and TLS certificates. They are widely used for images, video streaming, software downloads, and entire static websites. For a blog, putting a CDN in front of the site is one of the simplest ways to make pages load faster for a global audience.
Related terms
Cache
A small, fast storage layer that keeps copies of frequently used data so future requests can be served more quickly.
Core Web VitalsA set of Google metrics that measure real-world page experience: loading speed, responsiveness to input, and visual stability.
DDoS AttackDistributed Denial of Service: an attack that floods a website or network with traffic from many sources to make it unavailable.
LatencyThe time delay between a request being sent and a response beginning to arrive, usually measured in milliseconds.
Object StorageA cloud storage method that keeps data as individual objects with metadata in a flat structure, suited to large amounts of unstructured files.
Reverse ProxyA server that sits in front of web servers and forwards client requests to them, adding security, caching, and load balancing.
Web HostingA service that stores a website's files and runs it on servers connected to the internet so people can visit it.
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Software Development
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