Do you know about the journey that website content takes to get to your computer? First, you type in a website address. That’s considered a “request” for content. Then, the request is sent to a server that stores the website content. That computer “serves” the content to you, fulfilling your request. It’s interesting how the internet works! In this article, we’ll discuss something called a CDN. That stands for Content Distribution Network.
As the name indicates, a CDN is a network of servers created for the strategic and efficient distribution of content. CDNs are part of the internet’s plumbing that you usually don’t have to think about. However, they can have a big impact on how well your site performs, so there are a few CDN-related topics that bear discussion. We’ll go over what a CDN is in more detail, and then answer the following questions:
Why are CDNs needed? How do they work? How can you use a CDN? Are CDNs secure? Let’s get into it!
CDN: What Is It?
CDNs are networks of servers that help distribute content to users near the servers located in different locations around the world.
The main server would be based somewhere else and the London server would serve content to London users, while the New York server would serve content to New York users.
The main content is stored on a primary host server, even though a CDN includes many servers. Another server caches the content. To ensure a smooth flow of content around the world, servers should serve content as quickly as possible to the users who request it.
CDNs: Why Do We Need Them?
Data that moves faster on the internet is valuable! People around the world increasingly use CDNs for smoother, faster, and more user-centered experiences.
A website that loads quickly becomes increasingly important as attention spans get shorter and shorter. It has been shown that even a one-second delay leads to a 7% drop in conversions, an 11% drop in page views, and a 16% drop in customer satisfaction.
This would put a lot of strain on one server if millions of requests were made from all over the world for the same website. Many servers spread out in different locations are better suited to handle those requests. That's why CDNs are so great! They prevent websites from crashing and load too slowly. It results in faster loading times and better site performance when CDNs reduce physical distance between users and content.
It is also possible for CDNs to have a significant impact on the user experience. This allows users to see a website in a way that's customized for their location. A CDN, for instance, can serve the content in German if a user accesses a website from Germany, allowing them to enjoy a cached version that’s unique to their location. To ensure a German-specific website experience, all of the content on the website would be german-specific.
CDNs: How Do They Work?
A CDN is a worldwide network of servers. The original content is on the main host server, and a cached version of the site is on all the distributed servers.
An Apple website, for example, would have its content hosted on a US server while a cached version would be located on distributed servers worldwide. Depending on the location of the server, each cached version would have its content tailored to the local language.
A simplified CDN is shown in the image above. Original content is stored on the origin server, also known as the point of presence. Sending and receiving content requests to end users is handled by POPs through caching servers.
It's as simple as that. This shows how easy it is to set up a CDN.
How Can a CDN Benefit You?
By using CDNs, you can reduce the size of files and reduce the number of requests required to load a webpage, which is called Front End Optimization. Users see this as slow content delivery, so all of this is aimed at eliminating it.
One of the greatest advantages of CDNs is that they facilitate traffic scaling over the internet. Using them allows you to reach a wide audience and provide a great user experience on your website.
CDNs also offer the following benefits:
- The speed at which pages load,
- A reduction in internet bandwidth consumption
- Multiple servers are used to balance internet traffic.
A CDN is a pretty good idea for all those reasons!
One scenario, however, doesn't require a CDN-if you're serving content exclusively to a particular location. It would be pointless to cache location-specific versions of your content if all your target audience is in New York City.
Companies that typically need a CDN include:
- Stores that sell their products globally through eCommerce;
- Informational websites for international travelers provided by the government;
- Buying and selling platforms like eBay or Amazon that connect international buyers and sellers;
- Distributing global content through platforms like Youtube.
CDNs: How Can They Be Used?
CDNs are usually available as an add-on feature with most hosting providers, making them an option for customers setting up a website. Over the past few years, hosting providers have been able to offer their customers CDN services at a significantly lower cost.
If your hosting plan provides access to a CDN, you'll need to make a few configuration changes in your website's control panel in order to use it. You can improve the delivery of your content to faraway users by modifying the root domain DNS configurations.
CDNs are secure, right?
Besides being secure, CDNs actually protect the origin server from cyber attacks. Hackers are likely to access cached content from local servers near them, thus protecting the original content. By protecting your online content with a CDN, you can use it with confidence.
Additionally, CDNs typically use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connections to encrypt the data and content being transferred. It can't be accessed or manipulated by outside parties.
Furthermore, CDNs enhance data security by limiting how long content remains vulnerable because they send content via local servers to international users rather than via the origin server.
It is highly recommended that you use a CDN. In addition to providing fast content delivery, they can serve location-specific versions of your content, improving the user experience on your website for users around the globe.
How does your website perform with CDNs?