---
title: "CDN"
description: "A CDN (Content Delivery Network) is a distributed network of servers that caches and delivers web content from locations geographically closer to users, improving page speed and reliability."
category: "Web Security & Infrastructure"
date: "2026-03-05"
url: "https://getbeast.io/glossary/cdn/"
type: "glossary"
---

# CDN

**Category:** Web Security & Infrastructure | **Updated:** 2026-03-05

A CDN (Content Delivery Network) is a distributed network of servers that caches and delivers web content from locations geographically closer to users, improving page speed and reliability.

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## What Is a CDN?
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a globally distributed network of proxy servers and data centers that cache your website's static assets (images, CSS, JavaScript, HTML) and serve them from the edge server closest to the requesting user. Major CDN providers include Cloudflare, AWS CloudFront, Fastly, and Akamai.

## Why CDNs Matter for SEO
CDNs directly improve **page speed and Core Web Vitals** by reducing latency — a user in Tokyo gets content from a nearby edge server instead of your origin server in London. CDNs also provide DDoS protection, SSL termination, and improved uptime. Faster page loads improve rankings, reduce bounce rates, and increase conversions.

## How CDNs Work
When a user requests your page, the CDN routes the request to the nearest edge server. If the content is cached, it serves it immediately (cache hit). If not, it fetches from your origin server, caches it, and serves it (cache miss). Configure cache headers correctly to ensure fresh content is served. Monitor CDN performance with [LogBeast](/logbeast/).

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## Related Terms

- [Page Speed](/glossary/page-speed/)
- [Server Response Time](/glossary/server-response-time/)
- [Edge Computing](/glossary/edge-computing/)
- [SSL/TLS](/glossary/ssl-tls/)
- [Largest Contentful Paint](/glossary/largest-contentful-paint/)

## Further Reading

- [CDN Performance Optimization](/blog/cdn-performance/)

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*Part of the [GetBeast SEO Glossary](/glossary/). Visit [GetBeast.io](https://getbeast.io) for professional SEO and log analysis tools.*