CDN hosting

CDN (Content Delivery Network)—distributed server network worldwide. Site static content cached on edge servers close to users. Instead of loading image from Europe, Asian user gets it from local CDN server in milliseconds.

How CDN Works

First request hits origin server. User requests image, CDN checks cache—file absent. CDN loads file from your server (origin), gives to user, saves in cache.

Subsequent requests served from cache. Second user from same region requests same image—CDN gives from cache instantly. Origin server not loaded.

Geographical distribution reduces latency. Server in Europe, user in Australia—300 ms delay. CDN server in Sydney—20 ms. Files load 15x faster.

What CDN Hosting For

1. Site static content—main use case. Images, CSS, jаvascript, fonts, icons distributed through CDN. HTML generated on server, static from CDN—site loads fast.
2. Video content requires CDN mandatory. 500 MB video file from one server for 1000 viewers—500 GB traffic, server won't handle. CDN caches video on edge servers, load distributed.
3. Download files distributed efficiently. PDF documents, ZIP archives, software installers. Users download from nearest CDN server fast, origin server unloaded.
4. APIs with global audience. Static API responses (directories, configurations) cached on CDN. Latency reduced for users from different countries.

CDN Advantages

Site loading acceleration times. Amsterdam server site loads for Europeans in 1-2 seconds, for Asians 5-8 seconds. With CDN everywhere 1-2 seconds—static from local servers.

Origin server load reduction. 80% site requests—static files (images, CSS, JS). CDN processes these requests, origin generates only HTML. Server handles 10x traffic.

Peak load protection. Viral post brought 10000 simultaneous visitors—origin server crashes. CDN distributes static from cache, load distributed across hundreds servers.

DDoS protection at CDN level. Attack directed at site—CDN filters malicious traffic, passes legitimate requests. Origin server protected from direct attacks.

What Caches on CDN

1. All format images. JPG, PNG, WebP, SVG, GIF—product pictures, backgrounds, icons. Usually 50-70% site traffic volume.
2. CSS and jаvascript files. Styling, interactivity scripts. After first load cached in browser and CDN, subsequent visits instant.
3. Fonts and icons. Web fonts (WOFF, WOFF2), icon fonts. Load once, used on all pages.
4. Video and audio content. MP4, WebM video, MP3, OGG audio. Especially critical for video platforms and educational sites.
5. Documents and archives. PDF files, ZIP archives, installers. Frequently downloaded files cached, download speed high.

What Doesn't Cache

1. Dynamic HTML with personalization. Pages contain username, cart, personal recommendations—can't cache, each user sees own.
2. API requests with unique data. POST/PUT/DELETE requests, requests requiring authentication. Go directly to origin server.
3. Private content behind authorization. Personal accounts, closed sections, paid content. CDN doesn't cache, otherwise data leak.

CDN Setup

Integration simple for most sites. WordPress: CDN Enabler or W3 Total Cache plugin integrates CDN in 5 minutes. Static sites: change static URL from example.com/image.jpg to cdn.example.com/image.jpg.

DNS configuration for custom domain. Create subdomain cdn.example.com, add CNAME record to CDN provider. Users access your domain, traffic goes through CDN.

Cache-Control headers manage caching. Cache-Control: max-age=31536000—cache year. Cache-Control: no-cache—don't cache. Configure for content type.

Purge (cache clearing) on updates. Updated CSS file—clear CDN cache, new version spreads to edge servers in 5-15 minutes.

Caching Strategies

Static assets cached long. Images, CSS, JS with version in name (style.v2.css) cached for year. Update—new file name, cache doesn't interfere.

HTML cached short term. Homepage, product catalog cached for 5-30 minutes. Balance between speed and content freshness.

API responses cached selectively. Static directories (countries, currencies) cached for hour-day. Dynamic data (cart, profile) not cached.

CDN Server Geography

1. Europe covered densely. Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Paris, Warsaw—dozens presence points. Latency 10-30 ms for European users.
2. North America has excellent coverage. New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Dallas, Miami. Ping 20-50 ms for American audience.
3. Asia growing fast. Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul, Mumbai. Latency 30-60 ms for Asian users instead 200-300 ms without CDN.
4. Other regions represented. Latin America (São Paulo, Buenos Aires), Africa (Cape Town, Johannesburg), Australia (Sydney, Melbourne).

CDN and SEO

Loading speed affects ranking. Google considers Core Web Vitals: LCP (content load), FID (interactivity), CLS (stability). CDN improves LCP significantly.

Mobile-first indexing requires fast mobile version. Mobile internet slower than stationary, CDN critical for mobile performance.

Global ranking improves. Site fast for users from different countries—Google considers this for international queries.

CDN Security

SSL/TLS encryption mandatory. CDN supports HTTPS, Let's Encrypt certificates free or custom. User-CDN and CDN-origin connections encrypted.

Web Application Firewall protects from attacks. WAF at CDN level filters SQL injections, XSS, path traversal before reaching origin server.

DDoS mitigation built-in. CDN distributes legitimate traffic, filters attacks. Handles 10-100 Gbps attacks without problems.

Monitoring and Analytics

1. Detailed traffic statistics. How many requests served, traffic volume, cache hit rate (cache request percentage), popular files.
2. Request geography shows audience. Where users come from, which regions generate more traffic. Helps plan marketing.
3. Real User Monitoring (RUM) measures user experience. Real loading speed for users from different countries, browsers, devices.

What THE.Hosting Offers

1. CDN in 50+ countries worldwide. Edge servers on all continents, low latency for global audience.
2. Simple integration with existing sites. WordPress plugins, custom integration documentation. Setup in 15-30 minutes.
3. Free Let's Encrypt SSL certificate. HTTPS for CDN domain included, automatic renewal. Out-of-box security.
4. Support helps with setup. Integration questions, optimal caching settings, troubleshooting—specialists consult.