Cloudflare CDN
Cloudflare is a content delivery network (CDN). A CDN is a geographically distributed group of servers that provide fast delivery of Internet content, including HTML pages, JavaScript files, stylesheets, and images.
Cloudflare intelligently routes content requests on its network along the fastest path using Argo Smart Routing. Traffic can be load-balanced across multiple origins, using proximity and network latency to determine the most efficient destination for each request.
Benefits
There are four main benefits gained from Sitecore Content Hub using Cloudflare CDN.
-
Performance - The main benefit of Cloudflare CDN is increased speed in Internet content delivery. As data is cached on edge servers and content requests are directed to the closest or most optimal network node, the CDN sends the data along with the shortest route to the user. This caching reduces latency allowing for faster load times as well as improved streaming quality.
-
Reliability - With content delivered via a CDN, all assets are dynamically distributed across multiple servers. Outages in one region or issues with a single hardware node do not impact the entire system. Even in a DoS attack, the distributed infrastructure can neutralize the impact and keep availability at 100%.
-
Scalability - As content increases, there is a need to be prepared for inevitable bursts in traffic. Giving content a more significant number of servers for delivery results in greater network backbone capacity and makes it easier to handle unexpected surges in heavy content requests.
-
Cost savings - The other advantage of having more servers is that the load imposed on each one diminishes. Additionally, implementing a CDN reduces the burden on the backbone network by offloading traffic to its edge servers. So while the cost of a CDN needs to be taken into account, it is likely to be lower than the expense of adding new satellite nodes.
Multitenancy
Cloudflare is a key element to the multitenant architecture of the delivery service. Starting with Content Hub version 4.2.0, a single Media delivery service (MDS) serves multiple tenants. For compatibility purposes, Cloudflare automatically converts the existing links created in the single-tenancy architecture to links that can be used with the multitenancy architecture.