What is CDN and how it works?

I came to an idea to write a brief and simply explanation to what CDN is and how it works, in English language without any complicated terms. I recently installed it on this very website therefore want to take you through a journey

What is CDN – Content Delivery Network

CDN simply said transfers files from your website through online servers which are located all across the globe. What does that mean in every life?

Imagine, you’re sitting at your work desk, time for lunch, you have your lunch in the kitchen which is 50 meters away from your, three doors, one hallway et cetera, it would really help if someone could meet your halfway right?

Well consider CDN as your colleague in the office, each time you need to finish something that’s not at your desk you get someone to bring it 80% of the way for you.

CDN in networking sense delivers files from a website which is far from you to the location which is closest to you.

WHY – Should you use CDN on your website?

Various reasons but first ask yourself, do you server audience from all across the planet or you focus mainly on your local audience?

If you server locally only you need to focus on that traffic while blocking other countries where you have no reason to be showcased, in that case CDN might not be of benefit to you as you will get a server to host your website in the closest country or even in your own country if one exists.

So, to continue if you server your audience globally whether it’s through offering IT services or simply selling online/physical products you can benefit from using CDN on your website.

CDN next to files such as html, css, javascript can also transfer zip files or for that matter any other files you have on your website, pdfs etc …

In order for your visitors to load your website as soon as possible, using CDN is your go to solution, but be realistic please, if your website is slow, there isn’t much CDN can do, it won’t make your website faster as it is, it’ll just load those same unoptimised just from a closer location so users wouldn’t need to wait for that distance but they will still wait for your unoptimised website to load anyways.