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🌐 How CDNs Work

Follow web content from an origin through edge caches, cache hits and misses, freshness rules, invalidation, and the tradeoffs behind a faster-feeling site.

lessons

~10 min

to learn

🤖 Technology

subject

Adults

level

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What you’ll learn

The copy moves toward the audienceExplain how origins and nearby edge caches distribute reusable web content.A CDN distributes selected copies toward viewers while the origin remains authoritative. Edge locations make repeated delivery shorter without eliminating the source system.
The edge decides whether to fetchDistinguish cache hits, misses, cache keys, and refill paths.An edge serves a fresh matching object on a hit and fetches farther away on a miss. Cache keys and eviction determine whether two requests can reuse the same stored response.
Why the site feels localTrace a CDN request and explain its performance and change-management tradeoffs.A request is directed to an edge, checked against a cache key, and served locally or refilled from farther away. Invalidation and careful sharing rules keep locality from becoming stale or unsafe.

Questions this course answers

What happens on a cache hit?

A cache hit means the edge has a fresh response for the request's cache key and can return it without fetching from the origin.

Put this CDN request path in order.

The request is directed to the CDN, checked locally, sent farther only on a miss, and then returned with a possible cache refill.

Why can a CDN make a distant website feel local?

The CDN changes the geography of delivery by keeping selected reusable responses at network locations closer to viewers.

Grounded in trusted sources

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