Encyclopedia / Hosting & delivery

CDN

Copies of your site in data centers around the world.

A content delivery network keeps your files on edge servers close to visitors, so someone in Seoul doesn't wait for a server in Virginia. It also absorbs traffic spikes and attacks. Most modern hosts put a CDN in front of every site by default.

Related terms

Caching Edge Web server / host

Where it shows up in a page load

  1. Step 3: Secure connection. With the IP in hand, the browser opens a connection to the nearest CDN edge server and runs a TLS handshake. The server proves who it is with a certificate, and both sides agree on encryption keys. This is the padlock.

Watch the full request journey →

More in Hosting & delivery

Where the files live and how they reach a visitor quickly.

Web server / host Edge Static site Dynamic site Caching Serverless function Redirect Status codes

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