Simply, a content delivery network (CDN) is a collection of servers spread out around the world that hold static assets to serve to users closest to them geographically. By using a CDN for distribution of graphics, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc. you reduce latency and site load times for your users, increasing user retention. Most of the web traffic is now served over CDNs including big players like Netflix and Amazon.
There are several advantages for a business using a CDN to serve data. There can be a reduction in bandwidth costs as larger chunks of data are served off the CDN rather than your web host. You may also see a benefit during spikes of activity because the CDN can manage more traffic and reduce the load on the origin server. This can result in more users getting served even if running near capacity on your host machines.
The two most significant benefits however are improved security by the mitigation of DDoS attacks and, arguably the best benefit, is delivering pages much faster to the user. Users have little patience for a slow loading site and will abandon the page quickly if left waiting. A CDN can positively impact the bottom line by reducing bounce rates and increasing the time users spend on your site.
For our clients we use Cloudflare as the CDN for our hosted WordPress sites. For applications built using Angular or Blazor front ends we serve assets over the Verizon Premium service through Microsoft Azure.
Our CI/CD pipeline automates the building and packaging of the required assets. Once pushed to storage automated scripts clear the objects from the CDN so the newly updated files will be reloaded and served to users.
Bottom line, if you aren’t using a CDN to serve files to your users you’re leaving money on the table.
