Re:What is a CDN? How do CDNs work?
by onion2k on Wednesday February 08, 2023 @09:42AM
(#34708633)
I've heard an opinion recently that CDNs are not useful any more.
In the past devs would use a CDN delivered asset in the hope that it was already in the user's cache from a visit to a different website that uses the same CDN, meaning it wouldn't need to be downloaded again. That meant you got a little speed boost.
Today browsers partition their caches so you can be absolutely sure the user doesn't have any of your website's assets in their cache if they've not visited before. This actually makes CDNs more important rather than less, because you want to deliver everything from the closest possible location to the user. That means you need a CDN.
Essentially the focus of CDNs has shifted away from Content, and now it's all more about Network.
In the past devs would use a CDN delivered asset in the hope that it was already in the user's cache from a visit to a different website that uses the same CDN, meaning it wouldn't need to be downloaded again. That meant you got a little speed boost.
Today browsers partition their caches so you can be absolutely sure the user doesn't have any of your website's assets in their cache if they've not visited before. This actually makes CDNs more important rather than less, because you want to deliver everything from the closest possible location to the user. That means you need a CDN.
Essentially the focus of CDNs has shifted away from Content, and now it's all more about Network.