University of Twente Student Theses
Understanding and Characterizing CDN Services and Paid Features
Xu, Youwei (2024) Understanding and Characterizing CDN Services and Paid Features.
PDF
2MB |
Abstract: | Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) play a crucial role in optimizing web performance and ensuring content security. This thesis provides a comprehensive analysis of CDN usage, focusing on market distribution, feature adoption, and security configurations. The study aims to fill the research gap in understanding the market dynamics of CDN services and their implications for security and privacy. By employing a robust methodology that includes data collection, statistical analysis, and automated detection methods, the research identifies major CDN providers and examines their paid features and Web Application Firewalls (WAF) across different website rankings and industry sectors. The findings reveal that 34% of the measured websites use detectable CDNs, with Cloudflare dominating the market, showing significant usage among both high-ranking and lower-ranking websites. Furthermore, 22% of the measured websites utilize at least one detectable paid feature, with Fastly and Amazon CloudFront showing higher proportions of paid feature usage among high-traffic websites. The study also uncovers the extensive use of WAF solutions, particularly among high-ranking websites, emphasizing the importance of security features in the CDN landscape. This research provides valuable insights for website operators and security professionals, aiding in informed decision-making regarding the selection and deployment of CDN services to enhance web performance, security, and user experience. |
Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
Faculty: | EEMCS: Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science |
Programme: | Computer Science MSc (60300) |
Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/103366 |
Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
Repository Staff Only: item control page