Why ordering a CDN?

Internet providers a lot of possibilities for businesses to develop and prosper. If you want to succeed, you need to attract users globally, but what about web performance issues? How to ensure proper connection and security?

CDN (content delivery network) can help you with that. Created for dealing with latency and downtime, CDN helps to establish stable connection in different regions with potential customers. Why ordering it?

1. Reliability and high response times

Good performance results into high conversion rates and more sales. Even a few extra seconds in loading can spoil conversion significantly. A high-quality CDN will reduce loading speed and ensure security of transactions.

2. Global connectivity

About 35% of world’s population uses Internet actively, so you should be able to reach people in all regions. CDN accelerates data delivery with the help of PoPs (points of presence). It beats latency reducing the distance between the end user and server.

3. Save money with CDN

Growth of infrastructure and ordering of services from numerous providers is a costly and complicated process. Instead, you can simply buy a CDN and enjoy its benefits without overpaying. Global CDNs provide integrated platforms to handle traffic from numerous regions, and are recommended for companies with tight budget.

4. 100% availability

CDN keeps tabs on traffic distribution, and automatically connected users with servers that function. If one server is out of work, users will be redirected to others. Therefore a website is always available, even if power outage or hardware failures occur.

5. Offload main server

Placing CDN servers in strategic locations you will cut on delivery expenses and offload the origin server. That will decrease the risk of breakdown and boost server security.

6. Client support around the clock

Good CDN providers strive to provide excellent 24/7 customer support. Their agents are always ready to answer questions and back up. Remember that CDN is not just a system of servers – it comes with a wide range of additional services.

7. Real time analytics

CDN provides valuable information and statistics among other things. It shows user demographics, performance values, popular assets and pages. Using this data you will be able to develop business, improve the quality of service, and make your users more satisfied.

How to ensure absolute protection of CDN origin server?

Developing a serious online project, you can’t afford downtime: your services and pages should be available around the clock. Therefore you should always keep tabs on website security and prevent possible DDoS attacks and other attempts to damage your site.

Most common attacks are performed by sending too many external requests to the server so that it could not anymore process legitimate requests, or worked too slowly making websites unavailable for users.

CDN (Content Delivery Network) has features that prevent DDoS attacks. A network consists of numerous high-capacity servers that distribute load and allow handling much more content than a single hosting server. Besides, CDN service features DDoS protection (firewall) and skilled technical staff who can deal with it. However, every CDN solution works on the basis of user’s own server that is called CDN origin. The content is initially loaded on the origin server and only then is cached on edge servers. If hackers manage to disrupt the origin server, it will damage functionality of the whole CDN network. It will make website unavailable, or only partially available.

There are three options for effective protection of CDN origin server, and all of them have the same idea at the base: you should allow requests coming from CDN only. All external requests should be blocked.

Limitation of IP rate

If you limit IP rate, you will receive only some certain amount of requests from an IP address during some certain period. But this may not work well with CDN service, because CDN has to process a lot of valid requests from a few IP addresses, and each of them should go through.

Whitelisting

This approach may appear to be more helpful. It works the following way: you include some unique identifiers in a request header, and only requests containing it are passed through. But when whitelisting IP addresses you should consider all IPs of every CDN edge server so that they could access the origin. But what if CDN companies won’t give you their server IPs? Or will just forget to inform you about new IPs? It will lead to problems.

Whitelist a unique identifier in a request header, and CDN servers will include unique info in the requests sent to the origin for them to pass through. Ask if your CDN provider has such possibility. This method is helpful, but not 100% reliable. If hackers get to know request headers, they will easily to fake requests.

Use complicated origin hostname

This is a simple and yet smart idea. Generate a random set of numbers and use them as a subdomain. Only CDN network, origin server owner and DNS provider should be aware of this hostname. The chance it will be revealed is low. Whitelist request with this hostname, and your website will be safe.

How to prepare for a traffic surge?

Expecting a traffic spike? This may bring a lot of problems for your server, if you don’t use a CDN (content delivery network) that distributes load over several servers. How to make sure that your website is ready for traffic surges? These tips will help you to achieve maximum website availability, no matter if you use a CDN or don’t.

Be aware of your limits

If you don’t know the limits of your hosting plan, you should contact the hosting provider and ask about its specifications. Although many CDN providers and hosting companies try to keep servers offloaded with the help of caching and request filtering, some amount of traffic will still pass via the host. Knowing exact limits of the hosting plan, you will be able to scale in time and prevent bottlenecks.

Filter unwanted requests

Some hosting providers allow blocking either individual IP addresses, or IPs of certain regions. To block traffic from some locations, specify settings in the control panel. This function is particularly useful for websites with definite target audience. You will both save traffic and repel attacks from some regions.

Use certain IP addresses

Server can be protected in the peak season, if you configure your firewall to accept traffic from provider’s IP addresses solely (this measure should be temporary). If you accept only providers’ IPs, malicious traffic coming to your IP can be deterred.

Ensure that provider’s IPs are whitelisted

Typically, a CDN provider operates as reverse proxy for user’s website, and all connection come from its IPs. If you eventually restrict provider’s IPs, users may have problems with access to the website. Therefore you should include all provider’s IPs in the white list.

Customize caching

By default, CDN caches static content, but this option can be customized in Page Rules. Open this section, and select “Cache everything” option (you can activate it either for the entire website, or its sections). Cache Everything function helps to reduce the number or times the provider needs to address to the origin to download cacheable objects. On this page you can also specify Edge Cache Expire TTL and the Browser Cache Expire TTL to define for how long cached assets can be stored.

Using these tips you will be able to control traffic and avoid overloading of the origin server. Keep in mind that CDN solutions greatly reduce the risk of website breakdown.