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Networking Beginner

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

CIDR Notation
A compact method for specifying IP addresses and their associated routing prefix using a slash followed by the prefix length.
TCP/IP
The fundamental communication protocol suite of the internet that defines how data is packaged, addressed, transmitted, and received.
IP Address
A unique numerical label assigned to each device on a computer network for identification and communication.
BGP (Border Gateway Protocol)
The routing protocol that makes the internet work by exchanging routing information between autonomous systems.
Network Segmentation
The practice of dividing a network into isolated segments to improve security, performance, and management.
DHCP
A protocol that automatically assigns IP addresses and network configuration to devices on a network.
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