To speed up content delivery, we need to ensure that the data source is in close proximity to the end user. By minimizing the distances between the content and the user, the speed of the website can be significantly improved to improve the user experience and improve business prospects.
Understanding CDNs (content delivery network)
The content delivery network (CDN) is primarily designed to mitigate latency by bringing content closer to end users. Imagine that you have placed content on servers located in the US and it is targeted at users in Asia. There will be significant latency due to the multiple hops that may be required for content to reach users in Asia. However, if the same content is available on servers located in Asia, delivery will be much faster.
Content Delivery Network consists of a distributed network of web servers that aim at faster delivery of web content, thus improving the availability and speed of websites. Since the original content is available in the form of copied content across the network, end users can access the content from the CDN server closest to them. This significantly reduces loads on the original server because the number of users requesting content from a single server is greatly reduced.
CDN enhances the optimal utilization of network resources while greatly improving the user experience. CDN operators are approached by media companies or eCommerce companies to speed up the delivery of their content to their end users. CDN service providers must engage hosting providers to host CDN servers in their data centers in various locations based on the presence of end users.
Important features of CDN services
As mentioned above, the CDN server locations play a vital role in building a highly efficient network that effectively improves the availability and distribution of content with reference to the target audience. Since the basic goal of a content delivery network is instant delivery of requested content, delivery nodes contain cached content running one or more delivery applications and are placed close to end users.
The primary purpose of storage nodes is to provide data to delivery nodes in the form of content caching and to protect origin servers by deploying content in a hierarchical model to facilitate tiered caching. The master nodes that store the content are known as source nodes. The number of source nodes can be increased to enable scalable and resilient operations. All components of the CDN, including routing, monitoring, and management, are hosted on the control node.
CDN node deployments are typically run in multiple locations spanning multiple backbones to mitigate bandwidth costs and improve page load times as well as global content availability. Different forms of CDN architectures can be designed to suit workloads according to individual requirements.
CDNs can mainly handle three types of content, including static content, dynamic content, and streaming content. Static content is produced using standard programming languages, including java, php, or ruby, while static content, such as CSS, images, and JavaScript, is not associated with any changes. There is a growing demand for streaming content that includes audio or video files.
Importance of CDNs for enhanced optimization
Contemporary users need to search for content on their mobile devices. Latency is an important factor to consider when delivering content to mobile devices. Delivery to these devices must be supported by an aggressive optimization strategy. CDNs help reduce latency for an improved user experience.
Every website should aim to enhance the user experience by promoting interactive and informative content. This requires web optimization efforts to improve the speeds of vital elements of websites, such as file formats, images, and pages, among others.
The performance of business websites has a direct impact on revenue and the overall perception of brands. Website performance can hardly be overlooked because more and more online shoppers are using mobile devices and according to one forecast, by the end of 2017, up to 26% of e-commerce sales will be attributed to phones smart.
It’s also interesting to note that customers who are prepared to wait around 15 minutes in supermarket queues are likely to abandon an e-commerce site that takes more than four seconds to load.
Role of CDNs in improving the user experience
CDNs make content reach everyone much faster to improve conversion rates and user experience. These are also very efficient at solving latency related issues. Modern CDNs take advantage of cloud acceleration and points of presence in global locations to accelerate global delivery of content.
CDNs (content delivery networks) improve performance by reducing network load. Multiple edge servers reduce bottlenecks and traffic congestion at the core server by intelligently distributing visitors to the closest CDN POPs. CDNs also improve the reliability of content delivery, regardless of the distances between the central server and the end users. These are also much appreciated for the load balancing effect, as network load is effectively redirected to the servers.