Speed, stability, and global reach are considered a necessity for any modern website. One of the most effective ways to achieve all three is to use a content delivery network (CDN). In this guide, we explain what a CDN is, how it works, and the exact steps you need to take to set it up for your Contabo-hosted website.
What is a CDN
A content delivery network (CDN) is a globally distributed network of servers that stores (or caches) your website’s static content, such as images, CSS, and JavaScript files. When visitors access your website, the CDN delivers these files from the nearest server location, resulting in faster load times and smoother performance.
Using a CDN offers several benefits:
- Faster page loads
- Lower server load
- Extra DDoS protection
- Better global performance
By distributing your content across multiple servers worldwide, a CDN reduces the load on your main server and ensures consistent performance for users, regardless of their location.
Setting Up CDN
For this tutorial, we are using Cloudflare as an example because it integrates seamlessly with Contabo servers and offers a free plan that covers all basic features. In addition to Cloudflare, you can also use the vshosting CDN provided by Contabo.
Step 1: Choosing a CDN Partner
The first step is to select a CDN provider that meets your particular needs. Popular and reliable options include Cloudflare, Bunny.net, Amazon CloudFront, and KeyCDN.
- Visit Cloudflare.com
- Sign up for an account
- Click “Add Site” and enter your domain name
Cloudflare automatically scans your DNS records and prepares your website for setup.
Step 2: Update Your DNS Settings
Once Cloudflare has scanned your entries, you will receive new nameservers. You’ll need to update these with your domain registrar:
- Log into your domain registrar dashboard.
- Find your current DNS or nameserver settings.
- Replace the existing nameservers with the ones provided by Cloudflare.
DNS propagation can take up to 24 hours, though it often completes sooner.
Once this process is done, your domain will be active on Cloudflare’s CDN.
Step 3: Configure Your CDN
Once your domain is connected, optimize your CDN settings for best performance. To do this, enable the following features in your Cloudflare dashboard:
- Caching: Stores your website’s static assets for quicker delivery.
- Minification: Compresses your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files to reduce load time.
- Compression: Turn on Brotli or Gzip compression to reduce file sizes further.
- SSL (HTTPS): Secure your website traffic with encrypted connections.
These optimizations can significantly boost your site’s loading speed and improve its overall stability.
Step 4: Test Your Setup
Once your CDN is live and configured, it’s time to test your website’s performance. You can use free tools such as GTmetrix or Google PageSpeed Insights to measure the improvements.
You should notice:
- Faster loading times
- Lower resource usage
- Improved performance scores
Using a CDN with WordPress
If your website runs on WordPress, connecting your CDN is even easier.
- Install the Cloudflare plugin directly from your WordPress dashboard.
- Log into your Cloudflare account through the plugin.
- Enable caching and other optimization features automatically.
If you make changes to the design or content, clear your CDN cache to ensure that visitors only see the latest version. In the Cloudflare plugin, this is done by selecting “Purge Cache”.
Watch Our YouTube Video on CDN
If you are more of a visual learner, we have a Video on our YouTube ready for you, where we walk you through the whole process.
Conclusion
And that’s it! You have successfully set up a CDN to make your website faster, more secure, and more efficient. Whether you host on a Contabo VPS or a dedicated server, integrating a CDN is a helpful step that ensures better performance and global availability.