Single-purpose CDN

Abstract

Gerhard and his Changelog Media colleagues have been exploring ways to make http://changelog.com infrastructure simpler and easier to operate. While using a CDN provider may seem simpler, years of experience taught them a different lesson.

In episode 18 (Kaizen 13) of the Changelog & Friends podcast, Gerhard, Adam & Jerod discussed the CDN issues that they have been having since late 2023. The episode title captures that conversation well: Should we build a CDN? https://changelog.com/friends/26

A few months later, they had the beginnings of a self-hosted CDN running in 16 world-wide http://fly.io locations. You can watch that demo here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSnUJ2SqOJE

In this livestream, Gerhard will walk us through some of the CDN problems that they faced over the years, why they chose to start building their own CDN, and where they are currently at.