What is a CDN?

The modern definition of CDN: CDNs deliver content, applications, APIs, microservices, web services, software, media, and containers, securely over a global network of PoPs or existing multi-cloud infrastructure. They help developers to build, deploy, and secure applications at the edge.

CDNs are designed to improve the performance and availability of applications, content, and services by distributing them across many servers in multiple locations rather than serving them from a single location.

CDNs work by caching static content, such as images, JavaScript files, and CSS files, on servers in strategic locations worldwide. When a user requests content from a website, the CDN will redirect the request to the server that is closest to the user to reduce the amount of time it takes for the content to be delivered. CDNs also use compression, request prioritization, and traffic management techniques to optimize content delivery further.

CDNs are used by many websites and online services, including e-commerce sites, media streaming services, and social media platforms, to deliver content to users more efficiently and improve the user experience.

Multi-CDN

When a company delivers a high volume of content monthly, such as some gaming or media companies do, they employ multi-CDN. This method enables customers to load balance between CDNs for added redundancy and high availability, minimizing the risk of downtime due to single provider failure. 

Also, for websites that cannot afford downtime at any cost, like a bank, eCommerce site, or high-profile brand, the multi-CDN approach is ideal.    

Little Know Fact

CDNs don’t like to be called CDN because the content delivery business is fiercely competitive and pricing commoditized. If the CDN is a VC-backed startup, even more so because investors don’t look favorably on the CDN business. Instead, CDNs usually identify themselves as an edge or security player, or developer platform. We agree. CDNs that are in the business of pure content delivery, it’s a zero-sum game and they are on the losing end.

The public CDNs, including Akamai, Cloudflare, Fastly, and Edgio, are much more than CDNs. They operate more like cloud computing companies with a portfolio of services from cloud security to edge computing to networking to zero trust to developer platforms. Therefore, that is the reason a new modern definition is required to encompass everything they do. 

Partial List of CDNs

There are more than two dozen CDNs worldwide. Here is a list of some of them. 

• Akamai: One of the largest and most popular CDNs, Akamai has a global network of servers that deliver a wide range of content, including websites, videos, and streaming media.
• Cloudflare: A cloud-based CDN that provides security, performance, and reliability for websites and applications.
• Fastly: A CDN that offers high-performance delivery of dynamic, static, and interactive content, as well as security and analytics services.
• AWS CloudFront: A CDN service from Amazon that delivers static and dynamic web content, such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and images.
• Edgio: A CDN that delivers a wide range of digital content, including websites, videos, and live and on-demand streaming media.
• Microsoft Azure CDN: A service from Microsoft that delivers static and dynamic content, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and images, from worldwide locations.
• Lumen: A CDN that delivers static and dynamic content, including websites, videos, and streaming media, focusing on security and performance.
• StackPath: A CDN that delivers static and dynamic content, including websites, videos, and streaming media, focusing on security and performance.
• KeyCDN: A CDN that delivers static and dynamic content, including websites, videos, and streaming media, focusing on speed and reliability.
• CDN77: A CDN that delivers static and dynamic content, including websites, videos, and streaming media, focusing on security and performance.

Akamai Technologies

Akamai Technologies is a cloud services provider that operates a global network of servers that deliver content, including websites and online applications, more quickly and reliably. The company’s services are designed to improve the performance and availability of websites and applications by distributing them across a network of servers and delivering them from the location closest to the end user.

Some of the benefits that Akamai offers include:

• Improved website and application performance: By delivering content from servers closer to the end user, Akamai can improve the speed and responsiveness of websites and applications.
• Increased availability: Akamai’s network is designed to be highly redundant, meaning it can continue to deliver content even if some of its servers go offline. This can help ensure that websites and applications remain available during a failure or outage.
• Enhanced security: Akamai offers various security services to protect websites and applications from threats such as DDoS attacks and website hacks.
• Global reach: Akamai has a large network of servers located around the world, which enables it to deliver content to users in any location.
• Scalability: Akamai’s services can scale to meet the needs of websites and applications with large and rapidly growing traffic.

Cloudflare

Cloudflare is a cloud-based service provider that offers a range of security, performance, and reliability services for websites and applications. The company was founded in 2009 by Matthew Prince, Lee Holloway, and Michelle Zatlyn to make it easier for websites to protect themselves from online threats and improve their performance.

Cloudflare operates a global network of servers that deliver content, including websites and online applications, more quickly and reliably. The company’s services are designed to improve the security, performance, and availability of websites and applications by distributing them across a network of servers and delivering them from the location closest to the end user.

In addition to its core services, Cloudflare offers a range of other services, such as web application firewall (WAF) protection, content delivery network (CDN) services, and DNS management. The company serves many customers, including small and medium-sized businesses, enterprises, and governments. Some of the benefits that Cloudflare offers include:

• Improved security: Cloudflare offers various security services to protect websites and applications from threats such as DDoS attacks, website hacks, and malware.
• Enhanced performance: Cloudflare’s network of servers is designed to deliver content more quickly and efficiently, improving the performance of websites and applications.
• Increased reliability: Cloudflare’s network is highly redundant, meaning it can continue to deliver content even if some of its servers go offline. This can help ensure that websites and applications remain available during a failure or outage.
• Global reach: Cloudflare has a large network of servers located around the world, which enables it to deliver content to users in any location.
• Scalability: Cloudflare’s services can scale to meet the needs of websites and applications with large and rapidly growing traffic.

Fastly

Fastly is a cloud-based service provider that offers a range of edge computing, content delivery, and security services for websites and applications. The company was founded in 2011 by Artur Bergman and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Fastly operates a global network of servers that deliver content, including websites and online applications, more quickly and reliably. The company’s services are designed to improve the performance, availability, and security of websites and applications by distributing them across a network of servers and delivering them from the location closest to the end user.

In addition to its core services, Fastly offers a range of other services, such as load balancing, traffic management, and real-time analytics. The company serves many customers, including e-commerce, media and entertainment, and technology companies. Fastly is known for its focus on technology innovation and has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the world. Some of the benefits that Fastly offers include:

• Improved performance: Fastly’s edge computing platform is designed to deliver content more quickly and efficiently, improving the performance of websites and applications.
• Increased availability: Fastly’s network is highly redundant, meaning it can continue to deliver content even if some of its servers go offline. This can help ensure that websites and applications remain available during a failure or outage.
• Enhanced security: Fastly offers various security services designed to protect websites and applications from threats such as DDoS attacks and website hacks.
• Global reach: Fastly has a large network of servers located around the world, which enables it to deliver content to users in any location.
• Scalability: Fastly’s services can scale to meet the needs of websites and applications with large and rapidly growing traffic.

Edgio

Edgio is a cloud-based service provider that offers a range of content delivery, cloud storage, and security services for websites and applications. The company was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.

Edgio operates a global network of servers that deliver content, including websites and online applications, more quickly and reliably. The company’s services are designed to improve the performance, availability, and security of websites and applications by distributing them across a network of servers and delivering them from the location closest to the end user.

In addition to its core services, Edgio offers a range of services, such as cloud storage, video encoding, and real-time analytics. The company serves many customers, including e-commerce, media and entertainment, and technology companies. Edgio is known for its focus on technology innovation and has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the world. Some of the benefits that Edgio offers include:

• Improved performance: Edgio’s network of servers is designed to deliver content more quickly and efficiently, improving the performance of websites and applications.
• Increased availability: Edgio’s network is highly redundant, meaning it can continue to deliver content even if some of its servers go offline. This can help ensure that websites and applications remain available during a failure or outage.
• Enhanced security: Edgio offers various security services to protect websites and applications from threats such as DDoS attacks and website hacks.
• Global reach: Edgio has a large network of servers located around the world, which enables it to deliver content to users in any location.
• Scalability: Edgio services can scale to meet the needs of websites and applications with large and rapidly growing traffic.