What is CDN?
CDN is a geographically distributed network of proxy servers and data centers that work together to provide fast delivery of internet content by serving resources from locations closest to end users.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Content Delivery Network |
|---|---|
| Created | 2026-02-01 |
| Specification | Official Specification |
How CDN Works
A Content Delivery Network consists of strategically placed servers around the world that cache and deliver web content to users based on their geographic location. When a user requests content, the CDN routes the request to the nearest edge server, reducing latency and improving load times. CDNs handle various content types including static assets (images, CSS, JavaScript), video streaming, software downloads, and dynamic content. They also provide additional benefits such as DDoS protection, load balancing, SSL/TLS termination, and analytics. Major CDN providers include Cloudflare, Akamai, Amazon CloudFront, and Fastly.
Key Characteristics
- Edge servers distributed globally
- Caches content at points of presence (PoPs)
- Reduces latency through geographic proximity
- Provides redundancy and high availability
- Offloads traffic from origin servers
- Supports HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 protocols
- Offers DDoS mitigation and security features
Common Use Cases
- Static asset delivery (images, CSS, JS)
- Video and media streaming
- Software and game distribution
- E-commerce website acceleration
- API response caching
Example
https://cdn.example.com/assets/logo.png