In - depth Explanation: What is CDN Acceleration? An Article to Help You Understand It Thoroughly
Deeply analyze the working principle of CDN acceleration, provide practical configuration examples, methods of integration with cloud services, and compare the advantages and prices of mainstream foreign CDN providers. We help you comprehensively understand and apply CDN technology, improve website performance and user experience.
Tatyana Hammes
Mar 25, 2025
12 mins to read
I. What is CDN Acceleration?
CDN (Content Delivery Network) is a distributed network architecture. Its basic idea is to replicate and cache the content of the origin server onto edge servers deployed around the world. When users access a website or application, they are automatically directed to the nearest and well - functioning cache nodes, which greatly reduces network latency, alleviates the pressure on the origin server, and improves access speed and stability.
Simply put, CDN acceleration uses geographically widespread edge nodes, through intelligent scheduling and caching strategies, to deliver content "nearby" to users, thus achieving the effect of accelerating access.
from flask import Flask, request, Response
import requests
import hashlib
import os
app = Flask(__name__)
CACHE_DIR = "cdn_cache" # Local cache directory
os.makedirs(CACHE_DIR, exist_ok=True)
ORIGIN_SERVER = "http://origin-server.com" # Origin server address
def get_cache_path(url):
""" Generate the cache file path """
hashed_url = hashlib.md5(url.encode()).hexdigest()
return os.path.join(CACHE_DIR, hashed_url)
@app.route("/cdn/", methods=["GET"])
def cdn_proxy(file_path):
cache_path = get_cache_path(file_path)
# If the cache exists, return the cache content directly
if os.path.exists(cache_path):
with open(cache_path, "rb") as f:
return Response(f.read(), content_type="application/octet-stream")
# Fetch the resource from the origin server
origin_url = f"{ORIGIN_SERVER}/{file_path}"
response = requests.get(origin_url)
if response.status_code == 200:
# Save to the cache
with open(cache_path, "wb") as f:
f.write(response.content)
return Response(response.content, content_type=response.headers["Content-Type"])
else:
return Response("Not Found", status=404)
if __name__ == "__main__":
app.run(host="0.0.0.0", port=5000, debug=True)
II. The Working Principle of CDN Acceleration
CDN acceleration mainly relies on the following key steps and technologies:
1,DNS Redirection When a user enters a domain name in the browser, the DNS resolution will resolve the domain name to the IP address assigned by the CDN. Through intelligent DNS scheduling, the CDN guides the user's request to the nearest and fastest responding edge node.
; Example: CNAME Record Configuration in Route 53
example.com. 300 IN CNAME d123456abcdef.cloudfront.net.
2,Intelligent Routing and Load Balancing
The selection of edge nodes is based not only on the physical distance between the user and the node but also on factors such as network congestion and the current load of the node. This ensures that user requests can be allocated to the optimal node, improving transmission efficiency.
from flask import Flask, request, jsonify
import random
app = Flask(__name__)
# Simulate a list of backend servers
backend_servers = [
{"url": "http://backend1.local", "load": 10},
{"url": "http://backend2.local", "load": 20},
{"url": "http://backend3.local", "load": 5}
]
def select_server():
""" Select the server with the lowest load """
return min(backend_servers, key=lambda x: x["load"])
@app.route("/route", methods=["GET"])
def route_request():
server = select_server()
server["load"] += 1 # Simulate the increase in load due to the request
return jsonify({"redirect_to": server["url"]})
if __name__ == "__main__":
app.run(host="0.0.0.0", port=5000, debug=True)
3,Caching Technology
Edge servers cache commonly used static resources such as images, videos, CSS, and JavaScript. If the content requested by the user is already in the cache, the edge server can return it directly, greatly shortening the response time. If the cache does not exist, the edge server fetches data from the origin server through a cache - miss operation, and then caches it for subsequent use.
server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com;
location / {
proxy_pass http://origin_server;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
# Set the cache expiration time
expires 1h;
}
}
4,Origin - Pull Mechanism
When the content requested by the user is not in the edge cache, the CDN node forwards the request to the origin server (source site), obtains the latest data, and then delivers it to the user. At the same time, it updates the cache content.
III. Core Technologies
CDN acceleration is achieved through multiple technologies, including:
Caching Technology: By leveraging technologies such as proxy caching and transparent caching, static resources are stored on nodes closer to users, reducing repeated requests and data transfer times.
Load Balancing Technology: This technology distributes user requests evenly among multiple edge servers to prevent a single node from being overloaded and to ensure high availability across the entire network.
Intelligent Scheduling Algorithm: Based on factors like user geolocation, network conditions, and node load, this algorithm selects the best - performing node in real - time to provide services, enabling nearby access.
Dynamic Content Delivery: In addition to static content, some CDNs also support accelerating certain dynamic content. This is accomplished by optimizing transport protocols (such as HTTP/3 and QUIC) to reduce latency.
Improved Access Speed: User requests can be directly responded to by nearby edge nodes, significantly reducing latency caused by long - distance transmission.
Reduced Origin Server Load: Most user requests are directly answered from the edge node cache, alleviating the pressure on the origin server. This, in turn, reduces operating costs and bandwidth consumption.
Enhanced Website Stability: When a node fails, the system can automatically switch to other nodes, ensuring continuous service availability.
DDoS Resistance: The distributed architecture spreads traffic across multiple nodes, effectively mitigating the impact of large - scale attacks on a single server.
Global Coverage and Elastic Scalability: Regardless of the user's location, they can enjoy nearby services. Additionally, CDN can dynamically expand service nodes according to traffic demands.
V. Application Scenarios
CDN acceleration technology is widely applied in multiple fields, including but not limited to:
Full - site Website Acceleration: Caches static resources and some dynamic content to improve web page loading speed.
Video on Demand and Live Streaming: Distributes large - scale video streams to ensure smooth playback and a low - latency experience.
Large - file Download: Rapidly distributes large - volume files such as software, games, or documents, reducing the bandwidth pressure on the origin server.
Mobile Application Acceleration: Enables fast and stable data transmission for scenarios such as App data synchronization and image loading.
VI. Service Provider Recommendations and Price Comparison
When choosing a CDN service, it's necessary to consider not only the technical principles and acceleration effects but also factors like price, global coverage, ease of use, security protection, and integration with existing platforms (such as WordPress). Here are some internationally well - known CDN service providers with excellent cost - performance:
cdn07
Features and Advantages:
Global License - free and High - security DDoS Protection: cdn07 focuses on license - free services in the Asia - Pacific region, T - level DDoS protection, and intelligent acceleration. It is especially suitable for enterprises with extremely high security requirements.
Flexible Billing: Offers a free trial plan (no credit card required) and has two billing models: pay - as - you - go and package - based billing, making it suitable for small and medium - sized enterprises as well as international projects.
Multilingual Localization Support: In addition to Chinese, it supports multilingual interfaces such as English and Japanese, facilitating use by global customers.
Free Trial Plan: You can experience a certain amount of traffic for free each month (for example, a 100GB free quota according to the official website announcement).
Examples of Paid Packages: The price range of standard, business, and enterprise packages generally starts from around $10 per month. The specific price depends on protection capabilities, traffic, and additional features such as SSL and WebSocket support. Official Website: https://www.cdn07.com/
Amazon CloudFront
Features and Advantages:
Deep Integration with the AWS Ecosystem: Suitable for enterprises that have already deployed services on AWS, supporting seamless integration with S3, EC2, Elastic Load Balancing, etc.
Wide Global Coverage: With over 180 edge nodes, it can provide relatively stable acceleration services globally.
High Security: Equipped with strict security certifications and flexible access control policies.
Price Comparison (Reference): Depending on the usage region, the price for the first 10TB of traffic ranges from $0.04 - $0.085 per GB. The price structure is relatively complex, making it suitable for medium - to - large - scale traffic projects. Official Website: https://aws.amazon.com/cloudfront/
Cloudflare
Features and Advantages:
Advantages of the Free Tier: Cloudflare offers a free CDN service, which is suitable for personal websites with low traffic or startup enterprises.
Easy to Connect: After changing the NS, you can enjoy automatically issued SSL, intelligent routing, and protection functions.
Global Anycast Network: With numerous global nodes, it ensures excellent access speeds from overseas.
Price Comparison (Reference):
The free version can meet basic needs.
The professional version is approximately $20 per month, and the enterprise version is about $200 per month, suitable for projects with high security and customization requirements. Official Website:https://www.cloudflare.com/
Fastly
Features and Advantages:
High Performance and Flexibility: A premium CDN service for developers, supporting instant configuration updates and fine - grained cache control, suitable for accelerating high - demand Web and mobile applications.
Real - Time Logging and Monitoring: Helps with precise tuning and troubleshooting.
Price Comparison (Reference):
North America/Europe Region: Approximately $0.12 per GB for the first 10TB (the price decreases for the excess amount).
The price structure varies greatly by region, making it suitable for enterprises with high traffic and a pursuit of high performance. Official Website:https://www.fastly.com/
5. KeyCDN
Features and Advantages:
Cost - effective: KeyCDN's pay - as - you - go model is very flexible with a relatively low unit price, making it especially suitable for projects with limited budgets.
Simple Integration Method: It offers CNAME integration, a 30 - day free trial (about 25GB of traffic), and supports Let’s Encrypt independent SSL.
Price Comparison (Reference):
North America/Europe Region: The price for the first 10TB can be as low as $0.04 per GB. The price in Asia/Oceania is slightly higher, but it remains competitive overall.
Deep Integration with Azure Cloud Services: For enterprises that have already built applications within the Azure ecosystem, Azure CDN is a great choice.
Global Coverage and Strong Back - end Support: It has wide - reaching coverage and relatively transparent pricing, making it suitable for international projects.
Price Comparison (Reference):
Pricing varies depending on the operating region and traffic requirements. Generally, the price is at a mid - level among international mainstream CDN service providers. For specific details, refer to the official Azure pricing page.
Globally Leading Network: Akamai has an extremely large edge - node network, suitable for ultra - large enterprises with extremely high requirements for stability and performance.
Advanced Security and Media Services: It provides adaptive media delivery, real - time analysis, and professional security protection.
Price Comparison (Reference):
Akamai's pricing is usually a customized plan, suitable for large enterprises and multinational companies. The price is high, but it offers comprehensive services and excellent performance.
Real - time Configuration, Developer - friendly, Fine - grained Cache Control
KeyCDN
30 - day Free Trial
Pay - as - you - go
Approximately $0.04 per GB in North America
Over 25 Strategic Nodes
Low - cost, Easy Integration, Support for Custom SSL
Azure CDN
No Independent Free Tier
Pay - as - you - go
Varies by Region
Wide Global Coverage
Integration with Azure Cloud Ecosystem, High Stability
Akamai
No Public Free Plan
Customized Plan
Customized Pricing
The Largest Global Network
Extremely High Performance, Advanced Security Protection, Comprehensive Media Services
Note: The above prices are for reference only. The actual costs may vary depending on regions, traffic volumes, and service packages. It is recommended to carefully check the latest pricing information on each official website before actual procurement.
Selection and Implementation Recommendations
1,Service Provider Selection Criteria
Node Coverage: The number of global nodes, the quality of carrier network lines (such as BGP multi - line).
Protection Capability: DDoS scrubbing bandwidth, the update frequency of WAF rules.
Data Monitoring: Provide tools for real - time traffic analysis, log auditing, etc.
Service Response: 7×24 - hour technical support, SLA commitments (such as 99.99% availability).
2,Implementation Steps
Content Classification: Differentiate between static and dynamic content and develop differential caching strategies.
Monitoring and Tuning: Integrate with cloud monitoring platforms through APIs to adjust node loads in real - time.
VII. FQA
Q: Can CDN accelerate all types of content? A: It mainly targets static resources. For dynamic content, it needs to be combined with full - site acceleration or dynamic routing technologies. Q: Does using CDN increase the risk of data leakage? A: High - quality service providers ensure data security through HTTPS encryption and access control (such as URL authentication). Q: Is it better to build a self - hosted CDN than to use a third - party service? A: Third - party CDNs have lower costs (monthly fees are approximately $1,000 - $5,000) and require no maintenance, which is suitable for small and medium - sized enterprises. Large enterprises can consider hybrid deployments. Q: Are more CDN nodes better? A: It is necessary to balance the node density and cost. The rationality of node distribution (such as covering major user areas) is more important than the number.
Summary: CDN acceleration provides users with a faster and more stable access experience by pre - caching content on edge nodes around the world, combined with intelligent DNS redirection, load balancing, and advanced caching technologies. Whether it is a large - scale website, video platform, or mobile application, CDN acceleration has become an important means to improve network performance, reduce costs, and ensure security.