Content Delivery Networks: Speeding Up Global Websites
Content Delivery Networks: Speeding Up Global Websites Content Delivery Networks, or CDNs, place copies of your site’s files on a global mesh of servers. The goal is simple: when someone visits from another country or a slow network, the browser fetches data from a nearby server rather than traveling all the way to your origin. This reduces latency, improves readability, and helps pages feel fast even during traffic spikes. How it works: When a user requests a file, the CDN routes the request to the closest edge server. If the file is cached there, it is returned immediately. If not, the edge server fetches it from your origin, stores a fresh copy, and serves it to the user. Over time, popular assets stay near visitors, while less-used ones travel less often. Caching is guided by headers like Cache-Control and ETag, and many CDNs offer additional tools such as automatic image optimization and minification. Edge networks also support advanced routing and security features. TLS termination can happen at the edge, HTTPS is kept end-to-end, and origin shielding acts as a single gate to your server to reduce load. For dynamic content, modern CDNs can fetch fresh data on demand while keeping a sensible cache strategy. ...