When we build a WordPress website, many of us encounter a common problem: the site opens too slowly. This can affect the impression of visitors and also affect search engine rankings. One way to solve this is to use the CDN(Content Distribution Network).

This article helps you understand the difference in performance optimization between a WordPress site using a CDN and just using traditional hosting in simple terms for newbies.

I. What is a traditional host?

legacyhosts(also called web hosting) means: all the content of your website is stored on a fixed server, such as a data center located in Beijing, Shanghai or overseas.

Every time a visitor opens the site, the browser has to go to this remoteserver (computer)Get the content of the page.

An example:
If your web server is in Shanghai and the visitor is in Germany, when he opens your website, all the text, pictures and styles have to be transferred from Shanghai to Germany, which is naturally not fast.

What is CDN?

CDN(Content Delivery Network) is a website acceleration tool that caches a portion of your website's static content, such as images, style files, scripts, etc., to server nodes around the world.

This way, when a visitor opens your site, the browser can fetch the content from the nearest CDN node without having to go back to your main server to fetch the resources.

Continue with examples:
Your server is in Shanghai and your visitor is in Germany. If you use a CDN, he will browse much faster by fetching images, scripts, etc. from a CDN node near Germany.

Third, the use of traditional hosts and CDN in the performance of the main difference between

comparison term	traditional mainframe	Using a CDN
Loading speed	Slower access for distant users	More balanced and responsive global access
Website Stability	May crash when heavily accessed	Distributed nodes can share access pressure
safety	Servers are directly exposed to the Internet	CDNs can hide server addresses, making them harder to attack.
File loading	All resources are transferred from the master server	Static files are read from the nearest node
bandwidth pressure	All access traffic is concentrated at a single point of egress	Traffic is spread across multiple nodes, reducing the burden on hosts

What content is suitable for CDN acceleration?

CDN Suitable(computing) caches are static content, i.e., parts that don't change often, for example:

• Images (jpg, png, webp)

• Style files (CSS)

• Script file (JavaScript)

• Video or audio files
• Website Font Files

This content doesn't change for everyone who visits, and accelerating it with a CDN will work well.

V. WordPress using CDN common way

• Direct binding to CDN services
  for example, by using CloudflareThe CDN, Seven Bulls Cloud, Tencent Cloud CDN, etc., after configuring the domain name and caching rules, you can realize the access acceleration.
• CDN Integration with Cache Class Plugins
  for example WP RocketWP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, etc., all provide CDN function entrance, which can replace your website resource links with CDN links automatically.

• Using CDN with Object Storage
  Images or attachments can be uploaded to cloud storage (e.g. AliCloud OSS) and then distributed via CDN addresses.

VI. Under what circumstances can I use only traditional hosting?

• node(web counter) hitsNot very large, with visitors concentrated in one area
• Simple site structure and low number of images

• The current hosting speed is sufficient for use

In this case, you just need to install a caching plugin in conjunction with optimizing images and reducing the number of scripts to achieve better loading speeds as well.

VII. Summary: Is CDN worth using?

If your website has the following conditions, using a CDN will result in a smoother access experience:

• Visitors come from many parts of the country or overseas
• Pages contain a lot of images, videos, scripts and other static resources
• Desire to increase loading speeds and reduce pressure on the main server
• It is hoped that increased site security will preventmalicious attack (e.g. on a cell phone)

The role of a CDN is not to replace your hosting, but to help it work more easily. A properly optimized WordPress website is usually the result of hosting, caching plugins and CDNs working together.

If you're still not sure about using a CDN, you can also use the free version of Cloudflare to test the results and feel the speed improvement before deciding whether to use it in the long run.

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