What is a CDN?
In short
- A CDN, or content delivery network, is a set of servers around the world that each keep a cached copy of a site's files.
- Each visitor is served from the nearest server, so the file travels a short distance instead of crossing an ocean.
- Pages load faster, and performance holds steady when a link gets a lot of traffic at once.
A CDN is a network of servers in many locations, each holding a copy of your file. When someone opens your link, the closest server answers instead of one machine in a single city. Every extra mile adds latency, so cutting thousands of miles from the trip decides whether a page appears at once or hangs for a beat. The spread of copies also absorbs sudden spikes, which keeps a widely shared link from buckling under the load.
NudgeHost keeps the files people upload out of shared CDN caches. A single file opens from storage through a signed link, and a zipped site's files come from NudgeHost's own servers. A site's pages are never cached, and its other files stay only in the visitor's browser, for up to five minutes. The page on how caching works covers what a browser keeps and for how long. Because no shared cache holds a copy, a new password or a deletion applies to the next person who opens the link. When you share a photo as a link, the picture is read from storage each time the link is opened.
The same rules apply on the free plan and on the Pro tier, which raises the upload limits. You never configure any of it. A CDN still plays a part when a hosted page loads a library or a font from a public CDN, since that file comes from the CDN's servers rather than from NudgeHost.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to set up the CDN myself?
No. NudgeHost keeps hosted files out of shared CDN caches, so there is nothing to set up. A single file opens from storage through a signed link, and a zipped site's files come from NudgeHost's servers.
Does a CDN help small files too?
Yes. Even a small HTML page loads faster, because the visitor connects to a nearby server instead of a distant one and the round trip gets shorter.
Is a CDN the same as caching?
The two work together. The CDN is the network of servers, and the cache is the stored copy each server keeps so it can skip fetching the file again.
Put it into practice.
Drop a file and get a shareable link in seconds. Free, no card needed.