Overview
Amazon CloudFront is a content delivery network (CDN) provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS), designed to deliver web content, APIs, and streaming media with low latency and high availability. It integrates with other AWS services like S3, EC2, and Lambda for seamless content storage and compute capabilities. CloudFront serves a wide range of users, from startups to large enterprises, particularly those already using AWS infrastructure. It supports static and dynamic content, video streaming, and edge computing through Lambda@Edge. The service is known for its global reach and integration with AWS’s security and monitoring tools.
Network & Architecture
CloudFront operates over 600 points of presence (PoPs) across 100+ cities in 50+ countries, with regional edge caches for improved performance. It leverages AWS’s global backbone for efficient routing and peering with major ISPs. The service has a strong presence in North America, EMEA, and APAC, with growing coverage in LATAM, India, and the Middle East. Its architecture supports tiered caching and origin shielding to reduce origin load. Limitations include less penetration in Africa and certain APAC regions compared to competitors like Cloudflare.
Features
| Feature | Supported |
|---|---|
waf | ✓ |
bot_mitigation | ✗ |
ddos | ✓ |
rate_limit | ✗ |
http3_quic | ✓ |
tls13 | ✓ |
tiered_cache | ✓ |
origin_shield | ✓ |
instant_purge | ✓ |
stale_while_revalidate | ✓ |
stale_if_error | ✓ |
image_optimization | ✓ |
video_vod | ✓ |
video_live | ✓ |
drm | ✗ |
hls_dash_packaging | ✗ |
websockets | ✓ |
signed_urls | ✓ |
edge_compute | ✓ |
functions | ✓ |
kv_storage | ✗ |
api_first | ✓ |
realtime_logs | ✓ |
log_push | ✓ |
terraform | ✓ |
Legend: ✓ = Supported, ✗ = Not supported
Pricing
CloudFront uses a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model with no upfront commitments. A free tier includes 1 TB of data transfer and 10 million HTTP/HTTPS requests per month for the first year. Pricing varies by region, with per-GB rates starting at $0.085 in the US and Europe, higher in regions like India ($0.109). Enterprise plans are available for high-volume users with custom pricing. Full details: https://aws.amazon.com/cloudfront/pricing/.
Integrations & DevEx
CloudFront supports Terraform for infrastructure-as-code deployments. SDKs are available in multiple languages (Python, Java, Node.js, etc.) for API integration. It integrates with AWS CI/CD tools like CodePipeline and offers real-time logs via CloudWatch and log push via Kinesis. Migration tools include S3 transfer acceleration and origin failover configurations. Analytics are real-time through CloudWatch dashboards, though RUM is not natively supported.
When it fits
- Organizations already using AWS services (S3, EC2, Lambda) needing tight integration with a CDN.
- Applications requiring global content delivery with strong support for video streaming and edge computing.
- Enterprises needing robust security (WAF, DDoS) and customizable caching policies.
When it doesn’t
- Small businesses or startups looking for simpler, non-AWS-integrated solutions with lower complexity.
- Users prioritizing deep coverage in Africa or specific APAC regions where PoP density is lower.
- Budget-conscious buyers seeking predictable pricing without regional rate variations.