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What is Content Delivery Network (CDN)?

A geographically distributed network of servers that caches and delivers web content from locations closest to users for faster load times.

CDNs reduce latency by serving content from edge servers near users instead of a distant origin server. They cache static assets (images, CSS, JavaScript, fonts) and can also cache dynamic content with proper configuration. Major CDN providers include Cloudflare, Fastly, Akamai, and AWS CloudFront. CDNs also provide DDoS protection (absorbing attack traffic across their network), SSL/TLS termination, image optimization, and web application firewall (WAF) capabilities. Configuration involves pointing DNS to the CDN, setting cache rules (TTL, cache keys), and defining origin pull behavior. Modern CDNs support edge computing (running code at edge locations) for personalization and A/B testing.

Related Terms

ARP (Address Resolution Protocol)
A protocol that maps IP addresses to physical MAC addresses on a local network segment.
Bandwidth
The maximum rate of data transfer across a network connection, measured in bits per second.
Token Bucket Algorithm
A rate limiting algorithm that allows burst traffic by accumulating tokens at a fixed rate and consuming them per request.
Multicast
A network communication method that sends data to multiple recipients simultaneously without duplicating packets for each recipient.
QoS (Quality of Service)
A set of techniques for managing network traffic to prioritize certain types of data and ensure performance for critical applications.
NAT (Network Address Translation)
A method of mapping private IP addresses to public IP addresses, allowing multiple devices to share a single public IP.
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