“CDN” stands for Content Delivery Network. It is a system of servers distributed across multiple locations around the world. Rather than serving each visitor from a central server, a CDN routes each request to the nearest available server in its network. 

The farther any data has to travel, the longer it takes to arrive at its destination. That’s why CDNs exist. They shorten the journey. When you visit a website that uses a CDN, you’re probably accessing content from a server, likely an edge server, that is just a few hundred miles away, rather than thousands of miles, on the other side of the globe. 

CDNs are typically used for static content like images, videos, stylesheets, and scripts that don’t change from one visitor to the next. The content is cached across multiple servers so that it can be delivered quickly. 

The benefits for users are plentiful: faster loading pages, less video buffering, and an improved browsing experience overall. Website owners benefit, too. CDNs help them to handle traffic spikes without overloading their servers.