A CDN (content delivery network) keeps copies of your website files on servers around the world. Each visitor gets the files from the server nearest to them.
Benefits
- Faster loading, especially for visitors far from your hosting server.
- Reduced load on your server.
- Better handling of traffic spikes.
- Security features such as DDoS protection and firewalls on many CDNs.
Do you need one?
- Your hosting server is outside India but visitors are in India.
- You serve visitors in several countries.
- Your site has many images or videos.
- You run an online store or get traffic spikes from ads.
A small local site hosted in India may see smaller gains, but many CDNs offer free plans worth trying.
How to set one up
- Many hosts include a CDN; check your plan.
- Popular CDNs offer free tiers and connect by changing DNS settings.
- Shopify and many builders include a CDN automatically.
A CDN does not replace optimisation
Still compress images (use our image compressor) and use modern formats (our format converter).
Read WordPress caching.
Want the full picture? This article is part of Business websites: the complete guide, our in-depth guide with everything in one place.
