What is akamai?
Akamai is a company that runs one of the world’s biggest Content Delivery Networks (CDNs). In simple terms, it’s a network of many servers placed around the globe that store copies of web content (like images, videos, scripts) and deliver them to users from the server that’s closest to them. Akamai also offers cloud security and performance services.
Let's break it down
- CDN (Content Delivery Network): A system of distributed servers that cache (store) copies of your website’s files.
- Edge servers: The individual machines in the CDN that sit at the “edge” of the internet, near end‑users.
- Caching: When a user requests a file, the edge server serves the cached copy instead of going back to the original (origin) server.
- Security services: Akamai provides DDoS protection, web application firewalls, and bot management.
- Analytics: Real‑time data about traffic, performance, and threats.
Why does it matter?
- Speed: Users get files from a nearby server, so pages load faster.
- Reliability: If one server fails, another can take over, keeping the site online.
- Reduced load on origin: The main server doesn’t have to handle every request, saving bandwidth and cost.
- Security: Built‑in protection helps stop attacks before they reach your site.
Where is it used?
- Streaming services (Netflix, Hulu) to deliver video quickly.
- E‑commerce sites (Amazon, Shopify stores) for fast product images and checkout pages.
- Software downloads (Microsoft, Adobe) to speed up large file transfers.
- Online gaming to reduce latency for game updates and patches.
- News and media sites to handle traffic spikes during breaking news.
Good things about it
- Massive global footprint - thousands of edge locations in over 130 countries.
- High performance - proven ability to cut load times dramatically.
- Robust security suite - DDoS mitigation, WAF, bot management all in one platform.
- Scalable - can handle tiny blogs to massive enterprise traffic without re‑architecting.
- Detailed analytics - gives insight into user geography, performance, and threats.
Not-so-good things
- Cost: Premium performance and security can be expensive, especially for small businesses.
- Complexity: Setting up and fine‑tuning caching rules may require specialist knowledge.
- Vendor lock‑in: Moving away from Akamai can be difficult because of deep integration.
- Caching pitfalls: Improper configuration can serve outdated content or cause “stale” pages.
- Support variability: Some users report slower response times from customer support during peak incidents.