[Yandex Cloud documentation](../../index.md) > [Yandex Cloud CDN](../index.md) > Concepts > Overview

# Yandex Cloud CDN overview



{% note warning %}

Starting July 1, 2026, a new pricing model for Cloud CDN is in effect. For more information, see [Yandex Cloud CDN pricing policy](../pricing.md).

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Yandex Cloud CDN provides web service developers with a _Content Delivery Network_ (CDN) functionality. The _CDN servers_ located at [points of presence](points-of-presence.md) get content from your _origins_, cache the content, and deliver it to end clients on request. Thus you decrease the load on origins and reduce content waiting time for the end user.

### How CDN works

1. You keep your content in [origins](origins.md). As an origin, you can use your server with a domain name, an [Object Storage](../../storage/concepts/bucket.md) bucket, or an L7 [Application Load Balancer](../../application-load-balancer/concepts/application-load-balancer.md).
1. In Cloud CDN, you create a [_resource_](resource.md) and specify in its settings the origins, domain names for content distribution, and other CDN settings. 
1. Cloud CDN deploys CDN servers in many regions of the world and provides you with a domain name of the _CDN Load Balancer_ that accepts requests and passes them to the servers. You must link this name to the domain names that you use for content distribution using the CNAME type of DNS records.

   {% note info %}
   
   Do not use an [ANAME](../../dns/concepts/resource-record.md#aname) resource record with domain names for content distribution; otherwise, the end user will get a response from a CDN server not linked to the user geolocation. The response will always be the same for all users.
   
   {% endnote %}

1. When the client requests a file using the domain name specified in the settings:

   1. Depending on where the client is located on the web, the CDN load balancer determines the CDN server that can deliver the content the fastest, and sends a request to this server.
   
   1. If the requested file is already cached on the selected CDN server, it's returned to the client right away. If the file is not cached, it is requested from one of the origins, cached (if [caching on CDN servers](caching.md#server-side) is enabled), and also returned to the client. 

### Service concepts {#service-concepts}

Cloud CDN uses the following basic terms:

#|
|| **Term** | **Description** ||
|| [Resource](resource.md) | The main entity in the service that allows you to configure and control content distribution from origins over the CDN. ||
|| [Origins and origin groups](origins.md) | The servers that are origins of content. CDN servers access them to load files. ||
|| [Points of presence](points-of-presence.md) | Points of presence, or PoPs, are physical locations of CDN servers that cache and deliver content to end users. ||
|| [Exchanging data between clients and the CDN](clients-to-servers.md) | Receiving client requests by the CDN load balancer and sending response data from CDN servers. ||
|| [TLS certificates](clients-to-servers-tls.md) | Certificates used for HTTPS connections between clients and the CDN load balancer. ||
|| [CORS](cors.md) | Cross-domain client requests to the CDN (cross-origin resource sharing). ||
|| [Content compression](compression.md) | Sending GZIP files to clients. ||
|| [Exchanging data between the CDN and origins](servers-to-origins.md) | CDN server requests for files from origins and responses to them. ||
|| [`Host` header](servers-to-origins-host.md) | `Host` HTTP header in CDN server requests to origins. ||
|| [Content segmentation](slicing.md) | Storing large files on CDN servers in parts. ||
|| [Origin shielding](origins-shielding.md) | Using a shield server between CDN servers and origins to reduce origin load. ||
|| [Request redirect](http-rewrite.md) | Redirection of requests from a CDN resource to an origin using the rewrite rule. ||
|| [Following request redirects](follow-redirects.md) | Setting up how to follow request redirects received from content origins. ||
|| [Hiding of origin headers](hiding-headers.md) | Whitelisting headers transmitted from the origin to the client. ||
|| [Content caching](caching.md) | Creating copies of files and storing them temporarily on CDN servers and/or on the client side. ||
|| [Secure tokens](secure-tokens.md) | Setting up access to files on CDN servers based on time and IP using secure tokens. ||
|| [IP-based access policy](ip-address-acl.md) | Configuring access to CDN resources using an allow or block policy. ||
|| [Dedicated IP addressing of CDN resources](dedicated-ip-addressing.md) | Service that provides a dedicated IP address for CDN resources. ||
|| [Location rules](location-rules.md) | It is a mechanism used to selectively redefine CDN resource settings for requests whose paths match specific templates. ||
|| [Log export](logs.md) | Exporting CDN and shielding server request logs to object storage. ||
|| [Labels](labels.md) | CDN resource [labels](../../resource-manager/concepts/labels.md) in `<label_name>: <label_value>` format. ||
|| [Quotas and limits](limits.md) | Service use restrictions. ||
|#

See also the Yandex Cloud [general resource hierarchy](../../resource-manager/concepts/resources-hierarchy.md).

#### Useful links {#see-also}

* [Yandex SWS and CDN: Website protection and acceleration for businesses of any size](https://yandex.cloud/ru/blog/sws-cdn-cloudflare-alternative)
* [Webinar: How to use Cloud CDN to offload a high-traffic infrastructure](https://yandex.cloud/ru/events/1489?utm_source=docs&utm_medium=yandex&utm_campaign=infra&utm_content=vebinar&utm_term=cdns3)