How do CDNs improve performance?
CDNs improve performance through several mechanisms: caching content at edge locations closer to users, compressing files to reduce transfer sizes, optimizing connection routing, and using HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 protocols for faster communication.
What is CDN caching?
CDN caching stores copies of web content on edge servers distributed globally. When a user makes a request, the CDN delivers the cached copy from the nearest edge server instead of the origin server, dramatically reducing round-trip time (RTT) and improving page load speeds.
Performance metrics improved by CDNs
CDNs typically improve Time to First Byte (TTFB), reduce page load times by 40-60%, decrease bandwidth costs, and improve Core Web Vitals scores for websites.