Company snapshot
| Category | Alibaba Cloud CDN | BunnyCDN |
|---|---|---|
| Status | active | active |
| Founded | — | — |
| Headquarters | — | — |
| Website | — | — |
| Docs | — | — |
Overview
Alibaba Cloud CDN, operated by Alibaba Cloud, is a global content delivery network with over 1,200 points of presence (POPs) across more than 70 countries. It specializes in accelerating content delivery for websites, video streaming, and large-scale downloads, particularly in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and China. The service supports a range of industries, including e-commerce, gaming, and media, with a strong focus on compliance with China’s regulatory requirements. Customers include enterprises and developers needing low-latency delivery in APAC markets. The platform integrates with other Alibaba Cloud services like Elastic Compute Service (ECS) and Object Storage Service (OSS) for streamlined content hosting.
BunnyCDN, founded in 2015, is a Slovenia-based content delivery network provider focused on delivering web content, video streaming, and edge storage solutions. It operates a global network designed to accelerate website performance, video delivery, and software distribution. The service caters to developers, small to medium-sized businesses, and enterprises seeking cost-effective CDN solutions. BunnyCDN emphasizes simplicity, with features like edge storage and real-time analytics, and is known for its developer-friendly APIs and straightforward pricing. Customers include web developers, e-commerce platforms, and media companies. It is often chosen for its European-based operations and competitive performance compared to larger providers. To explore their platform, try BunnyCDN here.
Network & Architecture
Alibaba Cloud CDN operates over 1,200 POPs globally, with a significant presence in APAC, including China, where it holds a Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) license for compliance. The network leverages extensive peering with local ISPs in China to ensure low-latency delivery. It uses tiered caching and origin shield to reduce origin server load. The service is optimized for high-traffic scenarios like e-commerce events (e.g., Singles Day), but its coverage in Africa and Latin America is less extensive compared to North America and EMEA.
BunnyCDN operates over 120 points of presence (POPs) across six continents, with a strong presence in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. Its network leverages Anycast routing and Tier 1 peering to optimize latency and reliability. The service includes edge storage zones for hosting static assets, with replication options for redundancy. Regional strengths include robust coverage in Europe and North America, though its presence in China is limited due to regulatory requirements. The Bunny Shield feature provides additional DDoS protection and traffic management. Limitations may include fewer POPs in certain emerging markets compared to larger competitors like Cloudflare or Amazon CloudFront.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Alibaba Cloud CDN | BunnyCDN |
|---|---|---|
waf | ✓ | ✗ |
bot_mitigation | ✗ | ✗ |
ddos | ✓ | ✓ |
rate_limit | ✗ | ✗ |
http3_quic | ✓ | ✓ |
tls13 | ✓ | ✓ |
tiered_cache | ✓ | ✓ |
origin_shield | ✓ | ✓ |
instant_purge | ✓ | ✓ |
stale_while_revalidate | ✗ | ✓ |
stale_if_error | ✗ | ✓ |
image_optimization | ✓ | ✓ |
video_vod | ✓ | ✓ |
video_live | ✓ | ✓ |
drm | ✗ | ✗ |
hls_dash_packaging | ✗ | ✗ |
websockets | ✗ | ✓ |
signed_urls | ✓ | ✓ |
edge_compute | ✓ | ✓ |
functions | ✗ | ✓ |
kv_storage | ✗ | ✓ |
api_first | ✗ | ✓ |
realtime_logs | ✓ | ✓ |
log_push | ✓ | ✓ |
terraform | ✓ | ✗ |
Legend: ✓ = Supported, ✗ = Not supported, — = Not listed
Pricing
Alibaba Cloud CDN uses a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model with pricing based on traffic volume and region. A free trial is available, offering up to 12 months of usage for select services like Elastic Compute Service, which integrates with CDN. Per-GB pricing varies by region, with China typically higher due to regulatory compliance costs. Detailed pricing is available at https://www.alibabacloud.com/product/cdn/pricing.
BunnyCDN uses a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model with a free 14-day trial and no minimum commitments. Pricing starts at $0.005/GB for standard regions, with volume discounts for higher usage (e.g., $0.003/GB for 10+ TB). Edge storage is priced at $0.01/GB/month, and Bunny Stream costs $0.005/GB for video delivery. The Bunny Optimizer for image optimization is an add-on at $9.50/month per domain. Full details are available at https://bunny.net/pricing/.
Integrations & DevEx
The service supports Terraform for infrastructure-as-code, enabling automated configuration of CDN domains. SDKs are available for multiple languages, facilitating integration with CI/CD pipelines. Real-time logs and analytics are accessible via the console or API, with log push capabilities for external storage. A self-service diagnostics tool helps troubleshoot issues like page loading failures. Domain transfer tools simplify migrations across Alibaba Cloud accounts.
BunnyCDN provides a RESTful API for managing CDN, storage, and streaming services, with SDKs for popular languages like JavaScript and Python. It supports WordPress and other CMS integrations via plugins. Real-time logs and analytics are accessible through the dashboard or API, with log push to external systems. Migration tools include FTP and API-based uploads for edge storage. Terraform support is not currently available, but the API-first approach simplifies CI/CD integration. Documentation is comprehensive, with guides and examples at https://docs.bunny.net.
When it fits
- Businesses targeting APAC and China markets, especially those needing MIIT-compliant CDN services.
- E-commerce and media companies handling high-traffic events with video streaming or large downloads.
- Users integrating with Alibaba Cloud’s ecosystem (ECS, OSS) for end-to-end content management.
- Small to medium-sized businesses or developers needing a cost-effective CDN with global reach and simple setup.
- Projects requiring video streaming or image optimization with flexible, PAYG pricing.
- Teams prioritizing European-based providers with strong API support and edge storage.
When it doesn’t
- Organizations prioritizing extensive coverage in Africa or Latin America, where POP density is lower.
- Small businesses seeking simple, low-cost CDN solutions without complex integrations.
- Users requiring advanced bot mitigation or managed WAF rules, which are not fully supported.
- Enterprises requiring extensive WAF, bot mitigation, or region-specific compliance (e.g., China-licensed CDN).
- Users needing advanced edge compute features like serverless functions beyond Deno-based scripting.
- Organizations dependent on Terraform or complex CI/CD pipelines not fully supported by BunnyCDN’s integrations.
History & Notes
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