CDN
3 synonyms for CDN, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A network of servers spread across many locations that keep copies of a website's files, so each visitor is served from somewhere geographically close rather than from one central machine.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
content delivery network
content distribution network
edge network
How to use CDN
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
put it on a CDN
CDN cache
CDN edge
serve from a CDN
purge the CDN
Take "a" before it in speech: "a CDN". Commonly paired with "edge" and "origin" — the origin being the site's own server.
Etymology
An initialism of content delivery network.
Full origin of CDN →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a CDN and web hosting?
Hosting is where a site actually lives and where its pages are generated. A CDN sits in front of that, holding copies of files at many locations to serve visitors faster and reduce load on the host. A site can have hosting without a CDN, but not a CDN without something to originate from.
Does a CDN cache everything?
Not necessarily. Static files such as images, stylesheets and scripts are the easiest to cache. Pages that differ per visitor, such as an account dashboard, are usually passed through to the origin server or cached under stricter rules.
What does purging a CDN mean?
Purging tells the network to discard its stored copies so the next request fetches a fresh version from the origin. It is done after a file changes but the old version is still being served.
