Offered by Amazon’s Web Services division, Amazon CloudFront is a CDN for static and dynamic web content. Features include:
A global network of over 220 PoPs across 44 countries
Cache retention for large libraries and media assets
SSL/TLS encryptions and HTTPS
Access control via Signed URLs and Signed Cookies
Compliance with data management standards for sensitive data
CloudFront can securely deliver many types of content, such as data, videos, applications and APIs. It integrates with the broader set of AWS offerings, including AWS Shield for DDoS protection, Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) and Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud). Developers can also employ
[email protected], a feature that allows them to run custom code to modify the user experience.
Amazon CloudFront has a free usage tier, which gives customers 50GB of outbound data transfer and two million HTTP or HTTPS requests each month for a one-year period. General pricing is based on usage across five categories: data transfer out, HTTP/HTTPS requests, invalidation requests, field level encryption requests and real-time log requests. In addition, the company applies discounts for customers who can commit to certain traffic minimums.
Amazon CloudFront customers benefit from strong built-in security features like web application firewall and encryption protocols, and they can take advantage of many AWS integrations. The CDN has flexible, on-demand pricing plans. However, AWS phone and email support are not included; only the community forum for technical assistance is free.
Amazon CloudFront’s compatibility with the AWS suite is highly appreciated, with one user commenting, “If you’ve already got plenty of AWS services, CloudFront is an obvious choice. It integrates seamlessly with other AWS infrastructure, and can be managed via CloudFormation as part of your wider Infrastructure as Code.”