Content Delivery Network (CDN)

A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a distributed network of servers (edge servers or points of presence) located in multiple geographic locations. CDNs cache and serve content from the server closest to each user, dramatically reducing load times and improving reliability.

How a CDN works:

1. Website content is uploaded to an origin server
2. CDN copies content to edge servers globally
3. When a user requests content, the CDN routes to the nearest edge server
4. Content is served from that nearby server instead of the distant origin
5. This reduces latency, improves speed, and reduces origin server load

CDN benefits:

• Faster load times: Content served from geographically closer servers
• Reduced bandwidth costs: Offloading traffic from origin server
• Improved availability: Redundancy across multiple servers
• DDoS protection: Absorbing attack traffic across the network
• SSL/TLS: Free or included SSL certificates at the edge
• Global reach: Consistent performance for users worldwide

Popular CDN providers:

• Cloudflare: Free tier available, security-focused, global network
• AWS CloudFront: Integrated with AWS services, pay-as-you-go
• Azure CDN: Integrated with Azure, multiple tier options
• Fastly: Developer-focused, real-time configuration
• Akamai: Largest CDN network, enterprise-focused
• Vercel Edge Network: Optimised for Next.js and modern web frameworks

CDN for Australian businesses:

• Major CDNs have edge locations in Sydney and Melbourne
• Cloudflare and AWS CloudFront have Australian points of presence
• CDN is especially important for serving content to Australian users from Australian servers rather than overseas origins
• Consider CDNs with edge locations in both Sydney and Melbourne for national coverage

Content types CDNs serve:

• Static assets: Images, CSS, JavaScript, fonts
• Video and audio streaming
• Software downloads
• API responses (at the edge)
• Full website pages (with edge computing)