Which statement best describes how CDNs improve performance?

Which statement best describes how CDNs improve performance?

• A. CDNs increase latency.
• B. CDNs store content permanently on a single central server.
• C. Deliver content from geographically close servers to reduce latency.
• D. CDNs replace DNS entirely.

Answer: (C)

The idea behind CDNs is to cut latency by delivering content from servers that are close to the user. A CDN spreads many edge servers around the world and caches copies of content there. When you request something, it comes from the nearest edge location, so the data has to travel a shorter distance and pass through fewer network hops. This makes pages load faster, especially for static assets like images, scripts, and videos. It also helps the origin server handle less traffic and ride out traffic spikes. So delivering from geographically close servers directly describes how CDNs boost performance. The other statements don’t fit: increasing latency is the opposite of what CDNs do, storing content on a single central server defeats the purpose of distribution, and replacing DNS isn’t what CDNs do—DNS helps route you to the best edge server rather than being replaced.

The idea behind CDNs is to cut latency by delivering content from servers that are close to the user. A CDN spreads many edge servers around the world and caches copies of content there. When you request something, it comes from the nearest edge location, so the data has to travel a shorter distance and pass through fewer network hops. This makes pages load faster, especially for static assets like images, scripts, and videos. It also helps the origin server handle less traffic and ride out traffic spikes.

So delivering from geographically close servers directly describes how CDNs boost performance. The other statements don’t fit: increasing latency is the opposite of what CDNs do, storing content on a single central server defeats the purpose of distribution, and replacing DNS isn’t what CDNs do—DNS helps route you to the best edge server rather than being replaced.