CloudFront is Amazon Web Services' content delivery network that distributes files through a global set of edge locations. It works by caching content closer to users so websites and applications load faster. CloudFront reduces latency by serving files from regions geographically near the requester.
It supports dynamic content, static assets, APIs, and video streaming.
CloudFront integrates with S3, Load Balancers, EC2, and Lambda@Edge for custom logic at the network edge. It can enforce security rules, including signed URLs and signed cookies, to protect private content. CloudFront also offers detailed metrics to help teams understand user behavior and performance.
It automatically handles replication, invalidation, and caching strategies so developers do not need to build their own CDN. By offloading traffic from origin servers, CloudFront improves reliability and scalability. It forms a common part of modern cloud architectures that require global reach.