A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a network of servers designed to efficiently and quickly distribute content to users around the world. The main goal of a CDN is to improve the performance of websites and web applications by bringing content such as HTML pages, images, videos, scripts, and other static or dynamic content closer to end users.
A CDN operates by deploying copies of content on servers located in various geographical locations known as "edge servers." When a user accesses a website or application supported by a CDN, the content is loaded from the edge server nearest to them, rather than from a central server that may be farther away. This leads to accelerated load times and an enhanced user experience as traffic is routed over shorter distances and potentially over more robust networks.
In addition to performance improvement, a CDN also offers better scalability and fault tolerance for websites and applications since traffic is distributed across multiple servers, and outages at one location do not fully disrupt the service.
Overall, a Content Delivery Network enables businesses and website operators to deliver content more efficiently and enhance user experience regardless of where users are located.
