Amazon CloudFront
Amazon CloudFront is the content delivery network (CDN) from AWS. It delivers content via a global network of edge locations, thereby shortening loading times for users.
What is Amazon CloudFront?
Amazon CloudFront is AWS’s Content Delivery Network (CDN). A CDN is a globally distributed network of servers that deliver content as close to the user as possible. Instead of sending every request over a long distance to the origin server, a nearby edge location responds to the request – this significantly reduces loading times.
CloudFront operates hundreds of such edge locations worldwide. Frequently accessed content is cached there. This makes the website or application noticeably faster for users, whilst simultaneously reducing the load on the origin server.
What CloudFront delivers
- Static content: images, videos, stylesheets and JavaScript files – often from an Amazon S3 bucket.
- Dynamic content: Requests to an application behind a load balancer or API Gateway can also be routed through CloudFront.
- Complete websites: CloudFront can serve as a central entry point for an entire application.
Security and performance
CloudFront is more than just an accelerator. It enforces encrypted HTTPS connections, can be combined with AWS WAF to protect against attacks, and offers built-in protection against distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Using so-called edge functions, requests can be processed directly at the edge location – for example, for redirects, header adjustments or simple authentication checks.
Caching and Invalidation
You control how long content is cached at the edge location via caching rules. If content changes before this period expires, it can be invalidated selectively. A well-thought-out caching strategy is crucial: it ensures that users receive fast responses whilst not seeing outdated content.
CloudFront for SMEs
A CDN is now standard for any publicly accessible website or web application. CloudFront is particularly well-suited if content is already stored in S3 or the application runs on AWS, as the services integrate seamlessly. Faster loading times not only improve the user experience but also have a positive impact on search engine rankings.
Frequently asked questions about Amazon CloudFront
CloudFront charges for outgoing data transfer and the number of requests. Prices vary depending on the geographical region. For most medium-sized websites, the monthly costs remain in the single-digit to low double-digit euro range. A permanent free quota often covers small projects completely.
A load balancer distributes requests to multiple servers within a region. CloudFront is a globally distributed CDN that caches content at edge locations worldwide and delivers it close to the user. The two are often combined: CloudFront at the outer edge, the load balancer behind it.
Yes, even if dynamic content is not cached, it benefits from the optimised network connection between the edge location and the origin server. Static content is also delivered directly to the edge location.
Invalidation can be used to remove specific content from the cache of Edge locations so that the latest version is loaded the next time it is accessed. Alternatively, you can assign unique version names to files so that new versions are automatically reloaded.
Related terms
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Last updated: May 2026