Performance · Website glossary

CDN

Quick answer · What is CDN?

A content delivery network distributes delivery through geographically spread infrastructure that can cache or proxy content.

IN PRACTICE

CDN: an example

A site serves public images through edge locations instead of sending every image request to its origin.

KEEP IN MIND

A CDN is not automatically safe for personalized responses; cache rules must preserve privacy and correctness.

Put the idea to work

Frequently asked questions

What is a practical example of CDN?

A site serves public images through edge locations instead of sending every image request to its origin.

Are personalized responses automatically safe to cache on a CDN?

A CDN is not automatically safe for personalized responses; cache rules must preserve privacy and correctness.

Which concepts should I read alongside CDN?

Cache: A store of reusable results or data that can reduce repeated retrieval or computation.
Web server: Software that receives web requests and sends responses, or the computer running that software.