Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) are used to provide Internet content from more than one source. For example, if you have a website with a high volume of video content and 10,000 visitors attempt to view your video at one time, they may experience delays if this content is being provided by a single server. This delay may cause your visitors to lose interest and click away. However, if you use a CDN, you could have 10 servers across the network offering your video, increasing buffering speed substantially.
CDNs are used to cache files sent to the browser. By storing the files or scripts geographically closer to the users, you are reducing the time they have to wait. However, uia calls are sent from the browser are not affected by CDN at all. Think of it as loading packages on and off a train. Downloading files is like stopping a train in order to load packages on it. Reporting (uia) is like throwing packages out of the windows of a moving train. Obviously it doesn’t affect the train’s speed.
CDNs are common for high-traffic websites and used by a large portion of the Internet today. CDN owners work directly with content providers and carriers/network operators who host their servers. In addition to improving site performance, using a CDN also reduces a site’s risk of malicious attack. If something like a virus reaches one portion of the CDN, it’s likely the other portions will be unaffected and your website can remain functional while the issue is addressed.
Many CDN users have a combination of site-owned servers and third-party servers working in unison. Dozens – if not hundreds – of highly reputable and reliable CDN providers are now available to assist with your site’s content delivery needs.
With today’s users’ reduced attention spans, it’s important not to undervalue the importance of your site’s performance speed. A two-second delay in a page loading and/or a video playing could be the difference between a sale and an abandoned opportunity.
With Dynamic Yield, you can serve experiment scripts from your own CDN server.
