Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) are the backbone of most of the popular web services we use today. Many of the websites for household-names such as Netflix and Amazon are only able to function at the scale they do because of CDNs. If your site has a wide reach and you’re not using one, you’re likely missing out on significant benefits.
In this article, we’re going to talk about how CDNs work and how they can benefit you. Then, we’ll introduce you to several of the most popular CDNs and give you an overview of what they offer. Let’s get to it!
An Introduction to Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a system of distributed data centers that are meant to help deliver web content to users based on their location. Typically, when you visit a website, you connect to its server, which responds to your browser’s request and delivers the site’s content directly.
That approach might seem redundant, but it comes with many benefits. Before we talk about them, let’s break down how CDNs work, step by step:
- Distribution of content. When a website or web application utilizes a CDN, its static content (such as images, videos, stylesheets, and JavaScript files) is distributed across multiple servers in different geographical locations. These servers, known as edge servers or Points of Presence (PoPs), store cached copies of the content.
- User request. When a user tries to access content from a website using a CDN, their request is routed to the closest edge server based on factors like network latency and server availability.
- Content delivery. The edge server processes the user’s request and delivers the cached content to the user. If the requested content is not available in the cache, the edge server retrieves it from the origin server (the primary server hosting the website or application) and caches it for future requests.
To put it another way, if you integrate your website with a CDN, you add a middleman to that connection. The goal of this approach is to minimize the work your site’s server needs to perform and serve content faster.
The Benefits of Using a CDN
One of the main goals of any website should be to create an excellent user experience (UX). These days, this should always take site speed into account. That’s because it’s well-known that users hate waiting too long for websites to load.
In fact, bounce rates increase drastically if visitors spend more than two seconds waiting on a web page. So, no matter what type of site you run, you’ll want to make sure your pages load as fast as possible for as many users as possible.
Perhaps the main advantage of using a CDN is that it can help you decrease loading times, since you hand off the work of serving your website to data centers spread across key regions.
Typically, these data centers can deliver faster responses and loading times, particularly if you’re using shared hosting or a web host that’s not well-optimized. However, using a CDN isn’t just about achieving faster loading times.
Depending on which CDN and plan you choose, you can benefit in other ways, such as:
- Increased reliability: Distributing content across multiple servers helps to prevent downtime and ensure consistent access to content, even if one server fails or experiences heavy traffic.
- Enhanced security: CDNs can protect websites and applications from various security threats, such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, by using features like traffic filtering and rate limiting.
- Scalability: CDNs can handle traffic spikes without any issues, making it easier for websites and applications to grow without encountering any infrastructure limitations.
As you might expect, all these benefits don’t come for free. Most CDNs are premium services, with a few platforms offering limited free plans. How much you pay will depend on the level of resources you need from the CDN to handle your site’s traffic.
3 Top CDN Providers
In this section, we’ll provide a brief overview of some of the most popular CDNs. Which CDN you choose will depend on your budget and the unique features you’re looking for. Still, you can expect a fantastic level of performance from any of these choices.
1. Cloudflare
Cloudflare is one of the most popular CDNs on the market. It focuses on both security and performance, offering features such as built-in DDoS protection, Web Application Firewalls (WAFs), and SSL/TLS encryption.
With Cloudflare, you get access to a network of over 265 data centers spread across the globe. This makes it one of the best options for websites with international audiences.
Cloudflare may be good for beginners because it has a very straightforward pricing model. It offers several pricing tiers, ranging from a free plan to custom enterprise options.
The free Cloudflare option enables you to leverage the CDN’s performance enhancement features for up to three pages on your website. Meanwhile, premium plans start at $20 per month (when billed annually).
2. Amazon CloudFront
Amazon CloudFront is a CDN service offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It’s known for its scalability, flexibility, and seamless integration with other AWS services. Moreover, it has a global network of edge locations that includes more than 450 data centers.
What distinguishes Amazon CloudFront from other CDNs is its integration with the AWS ecosystem. This makes it an ideal choice for businesses already using AWS services such as S3 and EC2.
Another advantage of CloudFront is its pay-as-you-go pricing model. This approach lets you pay only for the resources you use. Plus, it offers a capped free tier (with a very generous upper limit) if you’re already an AWS free customer.
3. Akamai
Akamai is one of the pioneers in the field of CDNs. It’s been providing edge networking services for over 25 years now. These services include content delivery, media streaming, and security solutions for websites and applications.
In terms of features, Akamai enables you to choose exactly what kind of services you need for your website. Beyond traffic management, it offers tools for stress testing websites, optimizing APIs and media files, capturing user data to improve UX, and more.
Overall, Akamai is not the kind of CDN you use if you’re running a small website. It offers a suite of tools for larger businesses and enterprises that want to maximize performance (and have the budget to do it).
Akamai doesn’t list any pricing on its website. So, you’ll need to contact the sales team directly if you want to get a quote for its services.
Conclusion
Even if your website isn’t on the same scale as global businesses like Amazon or HBO, you can still benefit from using a CDN. This will enable you to grow your website without worrying about being affected by traffic spikes, DDoS attacks, or long loading times. It’s just a matter of choosing the right CDN for your needs.
Do you have any questions about how CDNs work? Let us know in the comments section below!
Image credit: Pixabay
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