KeyCDN - The Next-Generation CDN

In this blog post we'd like to share our insights and thoughts about what makes KeyCDN a next-generation CDN. It's about a whole range of components that we think define a next-generation CDN.

We are rapidly developing new features based on the feedback and requests we receive from our customers. KeyCDN is a next-generation CDN not just from a technical perspective, but also based on our business model, our culture, our drive to innovate and how we empower everyone to use a CDN. So what's behind the brand KeyCDN? Let's take a closer look on that and explain what we mean.

It's not just about technical features, but also about usability and simplicity

KeyCDN has been developed with the goal in mind that a technically complex service should be combined with simplicity and ease of use. Everything is easy to configure and immediately deploying in our global network. Deep analytic insights are made available to our customers. Get started within just minutes. Convince yourself within the free trial and buy the service when you're convinced of it.

What's part of our next-generation CDN today?

Here the most important features and functionalities of our next-gen CDN today:

• Origin Shield: Further reduce the traffic on your origin server to an absolute minimum. Edge servers will fetch the content from the distributed shield clusters instead your origin server.
• Everything in real time: Purge files or Zones instantly. Logs are forwarded to you in real time and provisioning of Zone changes takes place within minutes. Push content is globally available right after the upload.
• Security and speed: Shared SSL, Custom SSL, OCSP stapling and HTTP/2 is available for everyone.
• Developer friendly: Use our dashboard or the API, whatever works best for you.
• Customize: Even though our CDN is very flexible and versatile, we can still add custom rules to your Zone if needed.
• Optimized: KeyCDN has a customized TCP stack in combination with IP Anycast, geo location and latency based routing technology. All our servers operate on solid-state drives (SSD).

Defining the next-gen CDN from a business perspective

In addition to the technical innovation, it was very important for us to also have the same degree of innovation on the business side. This means that we got rid of subscriptions, overages, rollover bandwidth and monthly fees. We don't charge extra for HTTPS traffic, neither for HTTP requests. Our pricing model is simple and transparent. It's very easy to calculate the monthly cost. A next-generation CDN from a business perspective means also pay-as-you-grow for us, your CDN expenses should only increase if your business is growing.

Beside the transparent pricing, we also keep the administrative effort for customers as low as possible.

KeyCDN is part of the eco system

These days, there is no such thing as a single IT system. That's why we support solutions such as content management system (CMS) or developer frameworks. We support real-time log forwarding to third party services, or even use your own logging infrastructure. We offer the interfaces needed, to seamlessly integrate KeyCDN into an existing IT landscape. KeyCDN can be added beside all your other IT components. No overhead - no hassle.

Tools and a world-class support

We encourage our customers to not just use our CDN but to also understand it. That's why we've launched KeyCDN Tools available for everyone. It helps getting insights that are hardly to get otherwise. KeyCDN Tools consists of:

• Speed check: A service that let's you check the website speed from lots of different locations worldwide.
• DNS check: Get a global perspective of your current DNS propagation from different locations.
• Ping test: Ping a host from various locations simultaneously.
• Traceroute test: Analyze a route and measure transit delays of packages across the Internet.
• Locate IP: Locate any IP with a single click.
• HTTP check: Get all the HTTP headers of a single request:
• Security checks: Get insights into your SSL certificate and check any website against the FREAK attack.

If there are still issues and questions, the KeyCDN support team is happy to help.

Optimization behind the scene

We spend a great amount of effort optimizing every detail of the delivery chain. There is a wide range of optimization hat happens behind the scenes and the customer doesn't need to care about because that's our job. We implemented a customized TCP stack and we react to routing issues on a daily basis in order to ensure best performance.

Adding POPs in all regions of the World

Adding more POPs is one more component of being a next-gen CDN. It is crucial to constantly evaluate new data center locations for extended coverage of our service. We've already launched a new POP in France this year. New POPs will follow, not just in the well-known locations.

What's ahead?

HTTP/2 brings some important changes such as faster encrypted connections, more efficient compression and improved prioritization. The IESG approved HTTP/2 to publish as Proposed Standard. SPDY will be replaced with HTTP/2.

WebRTC has the potential to change various parts of the content delivery chain. It lets browsers exchange data directly from client to client. WebRTC also comes with some limitations and has not primarily been designed for content delivery (data channel), but rather for audio and video due to the additional RTTs involved with this new protocol.

Unlike HTTP/2 or WebRTC with a very concrete definition there is also a number of other terms that will have an impact on next-gent CDNs, The Internet Of Things (IoT) is one of them, describing a long-term trend which will definitely become reality where a huge number of devices will be part of the Internet.

The list of emerging trends and technologies goes on and on, whether is application delivery or DDOs protections. It's definitely going to be an exciting time!