How do CDNs work and what role do they play in improving website performance?

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Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) are systems of distributed servers that deliver pages and other web content to a user, based on their geographic locations, the origin of the webpage, and a server. They play a significant role in improving website performance, especially for sites with a global audience. Here’s how they work and why they’re beneficial:

  1. Distributed Servers: CDNs consist of multiple servers located around the world. When a user requests content from a website, the CDN delivers it from the server closest to the user, reducing the time it takes for the content to reach the user. This is due to the principle of latency, which refers to the delay between a user’s action and the response of the system.
  1. Caching: CDNs cache static content such as images, stylesheets, and scripts on servers around the world. This means that once a file is requested from a particular server, it remains stored there until it expires, making subsequent requests for that file quicker.
  1. Load Balancing: CDNs distribute network traffic across multiple servers to avoid any single server becoming overwhelmed with too many requests. This helps ensure that the website remains responsive even during periods of high traffic.
  1. Improved Speed and Reliability: By delivering content from servers closer to the user, CDNs significantly improve website load speeds and reliability. Faster loading times lead to better user experiences and higher SEO rankings. If one server fails, the CDN can direct traffic to another server without disrupting service.

Examples of websites that use CDNs include YouTube and Netflix. These platforms rely on CDNs to deliver video content quickly and reliably to users around the world

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