What is Content Delivery Network? — UK Software Development Guide
Direct Answer
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a geographically distributed network of servers that delivers web content to users based on their geographic location. By caching static assets (images, CSS, JavaScript) on edge servers close to the user, CDNs reduce page load times and bandwidth costs.
Cdn in the UK
CDNs have specific UK GDPR implications. Edge servers in a CDN may be located outside the UK — if those servers cache content containing personal data, this constitutes an international transfer under UK GDPR. ClickMasters' rule: never cache personal data in CDN — CDNs should only serve static assets (images, CSS, JavaScript bundles, fonts). Dynamic API responses that include personal data must bypass CDN caching. Common UK CDNs: AWS CloudFront (configure to exclude personal data from cache), Azure CDN, Cloudflare (UK legal entity available), Fastly.
Related Glossary Terms
UK GDPR
UK GDPR explained for UK software developers and business owners. UK GDPR (UK General Data Protection Regulation) is the post-Brexit version of EU GDPR, retained into UK law via the Euro... UK context, examples, and related services.
Cyber Essentials
Cyber Essentials explained for UK software developers and business owners. Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed cybersecurity certification scheme developed by NCSC (National Cyber Security... UK context, examples, and related services.
DEVOPS
DevOps explained for UK software developers and business owners. DevOps is a set of practices, principles, and culture that combines software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) t... UK context, examples, and related services.
Microservices
Microservices explained for UK software developers and business owners. Microservices architecture is a software design approach where an application is built as a collection of small, indepen... UK context, examples, and related services.
Kubernetes
Kubernetes explained for UK software developers. Kubernetes (commonly abbreviated as K8s) is an open-source container orchestration platform that automates the deploymen... UK context and related services.
Docker
Docker explained for UK software developers. Docker is a platform that packages software and its dependencies into standardised units called containers. A Docker con...
Get Expert Advice on Cdn
Speak with our UK software development experts about Cdn. Free consultation, transparent pricing, no obligation.