A content delivery network (CDN) is a group of web servers that efficiently distribute content to users. CDNs mitigate problems with HTTP, handle spikes in traffic, and prevent DDoS attacks. CDNs can be used for software, videos, and streaming media. Large companies can build their own CDN or contract with a company that specializes in CDN services. CDNs are becoming more popular due to the growth of internet television and digital distribution.
A content delivery network or content delivery network (CDN) is a group of geographically distributed web servers intended to provide more efficient distribution of content to a large number of users. CDNs benefit users and content providers by shifting the load of large downloads from a single server to multiple servers in different locations. In many cases, end users are unaware that they are using a CDN. Several companies now specialize in offering CDN services and many large organizations use them to distribute software, videos and other types of content.
The use of a content delivery network can mitigate some of the problems that have developed with the modern use of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) which forms the basis of the World Wide Web. HTTP was designed for scenarios where a Web browser downloads content from a single web server. This is a problem for large websites or sites that suddenly experience a spike in network traffic. A single HTTP server can handle a small number of concurrent users, after which the server becomes very slow or completely unreachable. HTTP servers are also vulnerable to Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, which send a large number of irrelevant requests to a web server, making it impossible for actual users to access the site.
Instead of relying on a single HTTP server, a content delivery network uses multiple servers in various locations, each with its own copies of a site’s content. If a single server gets too busy, the others kick in to handle the additional traffic. CDNs make it much more difficult for a DDoS attack to bring down a website. Also, placing servers in a variety of locations can increase the speed available to end users since the closest server can be selected. Servers closest to users tend to be faster because data has to travel through fewer points on the Internet to reach its destination.
Most Internet users don’t even notice if a content delivery network is being used. Requests are typically sent to an HTTP server, and the CDN will point the user’s web browser to another server based on a number of factors. Some CDNs use the Domain Name System (DNS) to redirect traffic, while others can route traffic based on file type or by dynamically replacing URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) in a web page.
Many large companies will turn to a content delivery network to distribute software or other large file types. They can choose to build their own CDN or contract with a company that has a large network and specializes in CDN services. CDNs are particularly suited to delivering streaming media content because the closer proximity of servers to end users means fewer interruptions in the data flow, which means smoother playback. Many large network providers are building their own content delivery networks or encouraging third parties to place CDN servers within their data centers. These providers hope to gain additional revenue from the growing popularity of Internet television and other forms of digital distribution.
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