A CDN (Content Delivery Network) is a network of servers spread across many cities that holds copies of your website's static files — images, scripts, styles — and serves each visitor from whichever server is closest to them.
The problem it solves
Your site physically lives in one data centre. A visitor nearby reaches it fast; a visitor further away a little slower, and one on another continent noticeably slower — every request has to cross the distance back and forth. A CDN removes that distance for the bulk of your traffic by caching copies near the visitor.
What a CDN actually does for you
- Serves static files (images, CSS, JavaScript) from an edge server close to the visitor.
- Absorbs sudden traffic — a spike gets served by the edges rather than hammering your WebFulHost server.
- Often adds a layer of protection and SSL as a bonus, depending on the provider.
Dynamic content (a logged-in cart, a personalised page) usually still comes from your server — CDNs are about the 80% of a page that's static.
Does your site need one?
| Mostly domestic visitors, images not huge | Generally not essential — low-latency hosting plus a caching plugin covers it |
| Overseas visitors, media-heavy pages | Worth it — the gain is real and measurable |
| Overseas audience or frequent viral spikes | Strongly worth it |
Setting one up
Adding a CDN usually means: sign up with a provider, add your domain, point DNS records at the CDN, and confirm your SSL certificate still works (How to Enable SSL and Force HTTPS covers the HTTPS side). Because it touches DNS, allow propagation time and keep an eye on your records.
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