What Is a CDN?

CDN stands for Content Delivery Network. It's a service that makes your website load faster for visitors by serving your files from closer to them. Here's the plain-language version.

A CDN stores your site in many places

Normally, your website lives on one server in one location. If a visitor is far away, your site has to travel a long distance, so it loads slower.

A CDN copies your site's static files (images, CSS, JavaScript) to servers around the world. When a visitor loads your site, they get the files from the nearest server, so it loads faster.

A simple analogy

Think of it like storing goods in multiple warehouses. Instead of shipping everything from one factory, you keep stock in regional warehouses so customers get their orders faster.

Does my site need one?

For most small businesses, not necessarily — but it can help. A CDN is most useful if:

• Your site has lots of images or media.
• Your visitors are spread across a large area.
• You want faster load times and better performance.

CDN vs. hosting

These are different: - Hosting — where your website lives and is served from. - CDN — an extra layer that caches your files in many places to speed up delivery.

Getting a faster site

If your site is slow, there are quicker wins than a CDN — see Speed up your website. And for the technical basics, see What is a server?.

Not sure if you need one? Contact support and we'll help you decide.