What Is a CDN and How Does It Help CMS Performance?
BeginnerQuick Answer
TL;DR
A CDN (Content Delivery Network) is a globally distributed network of servers that caches your CMS content close to users. Instead of every request traveling to a single origin server, the CDN serves cached responses from the nearest edge node — reducing latency from hundreds of milliseconds to single digits. CDNs also absorb traffic spikes and provide DDoS protection.
Key Takeaways
- CDNs cache content at edge nodes worldwide, dramatically reducing latency for global audiences
- Origin server load drops significantly — most requests never reach your CMS
- Traffic spikes and DDoS attacks are absorbed at the edge before reaching your infrastructure
- Major CDN providers include Cloudflare, Fastly, AWS CloudFront, and Vercel's Edge Network