Microsoft Azure Content Delivery Network (CDN): Boosting Content Delivery Performance

Microsoft Azure Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a global system of servers aimed at delivering content like videos, images, and static files quickly and efficiently to users worldwide. By caching data across multiple locations, Azure CDN enhances content delivery speed, optimizes bandwidth, and scales to handle high traffic, ensuring an improved experience for end users.

Microsoft Azure - Content Delivery Network (CDN)

A Content Delivery Network (CDN) in Microsoft Azure is a global network of servers designed to deliver content, such as blobs, videos, images, and other static files, to users efficiently by caching the content at various locations worldwide. The primary purpose of Azure CDN is to enhance the performance and speed of content delivery to end users, especially when the source of the content is far from the user.

Key Benefits of Azure CDN

  • Performance Improvement: By caching content at strategic locations close to the user, Azure CDN minimizes latency and speeds up content delivery.
  • Scalability: Azure CDN efficiently manages high traffic loads, ensuring consistent performance during peak times.
  • Bandwidth Optimization: It maximizes bandwidth usage, providing faster data delivery to users.

How to Create a CDN in Azure

Step 1: Login to Azure Management Portal

Start by logging into your Azure Management Portal.

Step 2: Access the CDN Creation Option

Click on the 'New' button located in the bottom left corner of the portal.
Navigate to ‘APP Services’ and then select ‘CDN’.

Step 3: Quick Create a CDN

Select ‘Quick Create’. A pop-up screen will appear with the following fields:

  • Subscription: Choose from the list of subscriptions you have (e.g., ‘BizSpark’).
  • Origin Type: Select the origin type (e.g., Web Apps, Cloud Services, Storage, Media Services).
  • Origin URL: The URL will be based on the chosen origin type.

After filling in the necessary details, click ‘Create’. The CDN endpoint is created and displayed.

Creating a CDN for Custom Origin Links

Azure CDN allows you to link not just Azure services but also any external website by specifying a custom origin.

In the 'Origin Type' dropdown, choose ‘Custom Origin’ and enter the URL in the provided field.

Managing a CDN

Step 1: Select and Manage Your CDN

Click on the name of the CDN you want to manage from the list of CDN services. Select ‘Manage CDN’ to access management features.

Country Filtering

This feature allows you to allow or block access to your content based on the user's country. It is useful for data protection and access control.
Navigate to ‘Country Filtering’ and select ‘Add Country Filter’.
Specify the directory, choose to allow or block, and then select the country.

Compression

Compression can be enabled to reduce the size of files, speeding up their delivery. By default, compression is disabled.
Go to ‘Cache Setting’, scroll to the bottom, and enable compression by selecting ‘Compression Enabled’. Then, click ‘Update’.

Analytics

Azure CDN provides analytics to monitor the performance of your content delivery, including metrics like the number of hits, regional distribution, and how often requests are served from CDN endpoints versus the origin server.
Access this by clicking on ‘Analytics’, and view reports, which can also be downloaded as an Excel file.

Mapping a Custom Domain Name to CDN

You can map a custom domain name to your Azure CDN endpoint for a more branded user experience.

Steps to Map a Custom Domain:

  • Click on the ‘Manage Domain’ button in the bottom menu.
  • Enter your custom URL in the text box and save the changes.

This process allows you to use a personalized domain name instead of the auto-generated Azure CDN endpoint.