CDN and Edge Computing Patterns#

A CDN (Content Delivery Network) caches content at edge locations close to users, reducing latency and offloading traffic from origin servers. Edge computing extends this by running custom code at those edge locations, enabling request transformation, authentication, A/B testing, and dynamic content generation without round-tripping to an origin server.

CDN Cache Fundamentals#

Cache-Control Headers#

The origin server controls CDN caching behavior through HTTP headers. Getting these right is the single most impactful CDN optimization.

Securing Kubernetes Ingress#

The ingress controller is the front door to your cluster. Every request from the internet passes through it, making it both the most exposed component and the best place to enforce security controls. Most teams deploy an ingress controller and stop at basic routing. That leaves the door wide open.

TLS Termination and HTTPS Enforcement#

Every ingress should terminate TLS. Never serve production traffic over plain HTTP. With nginx-ingress, force HTTPS redirects and add HSTS headers: