CDN Point of Presence Split Architecture for Dynamic Content
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current content delivery networks (CDNs) face challenges in delivering dynamic web content efficiently due to ineffective caching, leading to delays and bandwidth costs when content is missing from the CDN, as users expect rapid web browsing experiences and are dissatisfied with even slight service quality issues.
Innovation Solution
A system and method within a CDN that rewrites embedded resource links to route requests to the nearest point of presence (POP) or origin server, utilizing front-end and back-end optimization engines and caches to accelerate content delivery, allowing for dynamic content caching and reduction of transportation costs through differential coding and compression.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If content is cached at a single POP location, then caching effectiveness is improved for static content, but delivery speed deteriorates for dynamic content that changes frequently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the caching function by creating two distinct POP roles: front-end POP for serving end users and back-end POP for serving origin servers. This segmentation allows dynamic content to be cached at the back-end POP closer to the origin, while the front-end POP delivers content to users, resolving the contradiction between caching effectiveness and delivery speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The back-end POP acts as an intermediary between the origin server and the front-end POP. It receives content from the origin server, caches it, and then supplies it to the front-end POP, which serves users. This intermediary structure enables effective caching of dynamic content while maintaining fast delivery to end users.
2Loss of time
If requests are routed to the nearest POP, then user response time is improved, but bandwidth costs increase due to repeated origin server requests
Solution Approach 1:
The back-end POP performs preliminary actions by caching content from the origin server before user requests arrive. When users request content, the front-end POP can serve it from the back-end POP's cache rather than contacting the origin server, thus reducing bandwidth costs while maintaining fast user response times.
3Device complexity
If a single POP handles both user requests and origin server communication, then system complexity is reduced, but performance deteriorates due to distance from origin server
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the POP functionality into two specialized POPs: one optimized for user interaction (front-end) and another optimized for origin server communication (back-end). This segmentation improves content retrieval speed by placing the back-end POP closer to the origin server, while maintaining manageable system complexity through clear functional separation.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for accelerating web page delivery is disclosed in one embodiment. Web content requests are made to an edge server of a first point of presence (POP) of a content delivery network (CDN). The web content has embedded resource links. The first POP can rewrite the embedded resource links to route requests for the embedded resource links to any POP in the CDN or even the origin server. In some embodiments, the first POP can decide if the first POP and/or another POP referenced in a rewritten embedded resource link should cache and/or accelerate the resource referenced in the embedded resource link.