CDN and dedicated servers are known to be the most popular decisions for high-loaded projects. Here we will try to compare these solutions, to discuss their differences, advantages and disadvantages as well as to shed some light on how to make the correct choice.
So, let us start. CDN is a big system of servers deployed in numerous data-centers all over the world. Differently from the model when all the data is located on one server or in one point, CDN preserves your website and numerous web-objects on different servers in different places. Such data and files as text, images, video, different documents, web-addresses, scripts, streaming media and applications may be shared among the network of serviers in data-centers. The main aim of CDN is to make content highly available to user at reasonable speed. If we speak about dedicated server, you usually either buy it or rent it for use and you don’t have to share it with anybody.
Of course you may choose dedicated server over CDN. Dedicated server and hosting gives you total control over the server, but at the same time you have to be ready for higher level of administration. You will have to administer it by yourself, to compensate downtimes, to think in advance of possible errors and recovery methods. For those who don’t have enough time to write code and to administer the server at the same time or for those who have to experience in managing the dedicated server it is advised to think of the CDN hosting. In case you have the team to manage your dedicated servers and you have money to buy more servers than you need (for backups etc.), dedicated server can be named a good option for you.
It may, however, become cheaper but if your traffic will constantly grow or some critical error will occur, it will turn out to be much more expensive.
CDN has many functions – they help to save time and money for businesses and to provide the needed platform for administrators and developers. CDN-hosting allows to ease the pressure on your server and even in some cases to fully or partially downgrade it to something cheaper.
comments