Company snapshot
| Category | BlazingCDN | Level3 |
|---|---|---|
| Status | active | defunct |
| Founded | — | — |
| Headquarters | — | — |
| Website | — | — |
| Docs | — | — |
Overview
BlazingCDN is a content delivery network provider focused on delivering video, gaming, and large file content with global coverage. It serves businesses of various sizes, including media, gaming, and software companies, by offering solutions for video-on-demand, live streaming, and static content acceleration. The service emphasizes straightforward pricing and a user-friendly dashboard for managing CDN zones and analytics. Its infrastructure supports high-traffic projects, with a network designed to minimize latency for end users.
Level3, originally Level 3 Communications, was a multinational telecommunications and internet service provider that operated a global Tier-1 network and content delivery network (CDN) until its CDN services were discontinued in 2023. Acquired by CenturyLink (now Lumen Technologies) in 2017, it provided core transport, IP, voice, video, and content delivery for medium-to-large internet carriers. The CDN focused on video delivery, large object caching, and edge computing, serving clients across North America, Latin America, Europe, and parts of Asia. Level3’s CDN is no longer active, and its network assets are now managed under Lumen Technologies.
Network & Architecture
BlazingCDN operates over 25 points of presence (PoPs) globally, with 50 GBps uplink per server and a total network capacity exceeding 10 Tbps. It uses Anycast routing to optimize content delivery by directing traffic to the nearest server. The network has strong coverage in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, but lacks PoPs in Africa and the Middle East. Its architecture supports a private global backbone with 4.5 petabytes of cached files and an average latency of 27 ms in the USA and EU.
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Feature comparison
| Feature | BlazingCDN | Level3 |
|---|---|---|
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
BlazingCDN offers pay-as-you-go pricing starting at $5 per TB, dropping to $1.5 per TB for higher usage, with a minimum monthly cost of $25 for 5 terabytes. Enterprise plans are available for projects exceeding 25 TB. A 14-day trial is provided for testing. Pricing details are available at https://blazingcdn.com/pricing/.
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Integrations & DevEx
BlazingCDN provides an API-first platform with a user-friendly dashboard for managing CDN zones, custom domains, and analytics. It supports integration with object storage and tools like Cyberduck for file uploads via Swift protocol. Real-time analytics and log push enable monitoring and debugging. Migration support is offered with 24/7 SLA monitoring, though Terraform and other IaC tools are not explicitly supported. Documentation is available at https://help.blazingcdn.com/.
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When it fits
- Businesses needing affordable CDN for video streaming, gaming, or large file delivery with global reach.
- Small to medium-sized companies seeking simple setup and transparent pay-as-you-go pricing.
- Projects requiring low-latency content delivery in North America, Europe, or Asia-Pacific.
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When it doesn’t
- Organizations needing coverage in Africa or the Middle East due to absent PoPs.
- Users requiring advanced WAF, bot mitigation, or edge compute capabilities not offered.
- Enterprises needing extensive third-party integrations or Terraform support for infrastructure automation.
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History & Notes
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Level3 was a major player in the CDN market, leveraging its Tier-1 network to deliver high-performance content delivery, particularly for video and large files. Its acquisition of companies like Genuity, WilTel, and TW Telecom expanded its footprint, but the 2017 merger with CenturyLink shifted focus to broader network services. The CDN’s shutdown in 2023 was part of Lumen’s strategic pivot, though specific reasons for discontinuation were not publicly detailed. Some network assets may still support Lumen’s non-CDN services.