The History of Multi-CDN

Using multiple CDNs at once is now a common strategy for large platforms. Known as Multi-CDN, it provides resilience, global reach, and performance tuning beyond what any single provider can guarantee. This article traces the history of Multi-CDN, from early experiments with failover to modern platforms that automate real-time traffic steering across many networks. Early beginnings: redundancy and failover The first Multi-CDN setups in the early 2000s were crude but effective. Enterprises with global audiences, especially in media and finance, sometimes contracted with more than one provider. Typically, they designated a “primary” CDN and configured a “backup” to handle traffic if the main service failed. ...

August 17, 2025

The History of Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)

Content Delivery Networks, or CDNs, are now invisible yet essential infrastructure. They accelerate websites, deliver video, block attacks, and connect billions of users to online services. Their story stretches from the late 1990s, when a few pioneering companies sold premium acceleration to media giants, to today, when free CDN tiers are available to anyone running a blog. This article traces that history, highlighting the technical and commercial shifts that shaped the CDN industry. ...

August 16, 2025