What is the function of a Content Delivery Network (CDN)?

A Content Delivery Network (CDN) serves the primary function of delivering cached content from a distributed network of servers closer to users, which significantly reduces latency. By positioning servers strategically around various geographic locations, a CDN can serve content to users from a point that is closer to them, minimizing the distance that data must travel. This approach not only improves the speed at which users can access web content but also enhances the overall user experience, especially for high-bandwidth applications such as video streaming or large file downloads.

The architecture of a CDN also allows for load balancing, which distributes incoming traffic across multiple servers, thus preventing any single server from becoming a bottleneck. Additionally, CDNs typically store static content like images, videos, and scripts, enabling quicker retrieval and reduced server load on the origin server.

This capability of improving access speed and reliability is why CDNs are widely used by websites and services that aim to deliver a seamless experience to users around the world.