A content delivery network (CDN) is a geographically distributed group of servers that combine together to provide the fast delivery of Internet-related content.

A CDN provides a quick transfer of assets needed for displaying Internet content, including; HTML, javascript files, CSS, images, and videos. CDN’s have grown in popularity over the last few years, and the majority of the most popular websites such as Facebook, Amazon, and Netflix web traffic is served via CDN’s.

Another advantage of a CDN is it reduces the threat of malicious attacks such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attacks.

Is a CDN the same as a web host?

A CDN does not host content, but it does help to cache content at the network edge, thus improving a website’s loading times. Large websites tend to find that they can’t find the right performance by using only a web host, so they also use a CDN to solve the issue.

The use of caching ultimately reduces bandwidth, this helps to reduce any interruptions in service and improves security, ultimately a CDN will reduce problems associated with traditional web hosting.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us at our Lichfield web design office.