What is a content delivery network (CDN)?
A content delivery network is a group of servers spread across many locations that keep cached copies of a website's files. Each visitor is served from a nearby server rather than from one distant origin, which cuts load times, absorbs traffic spikes and reduces the load on the main server.
How a CDN works
When someone requests a page, the CDN checks whether the closest edge server already has a fresh copy. If it does, the file is returned at once; if not, the edge fetches it from the origin, returns it and keeps a copy for the next visitor. Cache headers decide how long each copy stays.
Why it matters for speed
Shorter distances mean faster responses, which feeds directly into Largest Contentful Paint and the other Core Web Vitals. Sites built with a static site generator benefit most, because every page can be cached.
Who provides it
Hosted builders such as Framer and Webflow include content delivery in their hosting. Standalone providers include Cloudflare, Fastly and Amazon CloudFront.
