Content Delivery Networks Basics
Content Delivery Networks Basics A content delivery network (CDN) is a group of servers placed in many cities around the world. The goal is simple: bring content closer to visitors to cut wait times and ease the load on your main server. This helps pages load faster, especially for people far from your hosting location. How it works When a user requests a file, the DNS system directs them to a nearby edge server. The edge server checks its cache. If the file is stored there, it sends it directly to the user. If the file is not cached yet, the edge fetches it from the origin server, serves the user, and stores a copy for future requests. Over time, content is updated and old items are replaced based on rules called TTL (time to live). Caching and TTL ...