Content Delivery Network (CDN)
A geographically distributed network of servers that delivers web content from locations closer to users.
Quick Definition
A geographically distributed network of servers that delivers web content from locations closer to users.
Full Explanation
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a system of distributed servers that deliver web content to users based on their geographic location. CDNs cache content at edge locations worldwide, reducing the distance data must travel and significantly improving TTFB and overall load times. Popular CDNs include Cloudflare, Fastly, AWS CloudFront, and Akamai. CDNs improve performance by reducing latency, providing DDoS protection, and offloading traffic from origin servers. For global websites, a CDN is one of the highest-impact performance optimizations available. Modern CDNs also offer edge computing capabilities for running code closer to users.