Product Introduction

Overview

UCDN (SurferCloud Content Delivery Network) service, also known as the cloud content distribution network, is a distributed content distribution network built on multiple provider networks. Relying on edge servers deployed all over the world, it balances loads, distributes content, schedules, and other function modules through the central platform, enabling users to obtain the required content nearby, reducing network congestion, improving user access response speed and hit rate, significantly increasing concurrent access and avoiding adverse effects caused by single-point failures.

Features and Advantages

SurferCloud content acceleration system is a fully self-researched content acceleration software system, an essential part of SurferCloud public cloud, and has been operated online for more than five years. The features and advantages of the product are gradually becoming apparent, and the current deployment of self-built nodes exceeds 250, with over 500 global fusion nodes. The operating bandwidth is nearly 6.5Tbps, serving over 300 customers. The system supports acceleration of static files such as on-demand, download, webpage, as well as live dynamics.

• Integrated Solution ： Backed by the SurferCloud cloud platform, it offers an integrated solution for data collection, processing, storage, and distribution.
• Flexible and Customizable ： The self-researched cache system is not restricted by the open-source system and can flexibly support personalized needs, offering customized services for customer demands.
• Secure Acceleration Guarantee ： By using anti-theft link or IP restriction strategies, etc., it ensures user security.

Main Concepts

Acceleration Domain

The domain that users need to accelerate. Generally, the domain is owned by the client.

CDN Domain

A bridge for user domains to access SurferCloud CDN. When the acceleration domain passes the review, the system will generate a CDN domain. This domain needs to be used to modify the corresponding CNAME record to implement the intelligent addressing and scheduling of CDN. For modification methods, see "dns configure cname record".

Source Station IP or Domain

The real service site provided by the user (can be in SurferCloud or a third party), providing services to the public network in the form of IP or domain.

Content Refresh

Content refresh means to delete the specified directory or file from the acceleration node, allowing the user to request to go back to the source to get and refresh the cache manually when you want the user to see the latest information promptly.

Pre-fetch File

Pre-fetch will simulate the user's first request on all acceleration nodes and cache the specific content to the CDN node, enhancing the user's first download experience and reducing back-to-source traffic.

UCDN Product Architecture

Acceleration Types

The biggest difference between webpage acceleration and large file acceleration or video on-demand acceleration is mainly the attributes of the file to be accelerated:

• If the resources to be accelerated are mainly static small files such as pictures and documents, prefer to use webpage acceleration. Small files update frequently, and the efficiency of refreshing and pre-fetching by manual operation is low, wasting manpower costs.
• If the resources to be accelerated are mainly large files over 30M and installation packages, prefer to use large file acceleration.
• If the resources to be accelerated are mainly videos, then prefer to use Video On Demand acceleration.
• If the resources to be accelerated have dynamic resources (pure dynamic or dynamic+static resources), it is recommended to use the whole site acceleration, and distinguish static resources when setting cache rules.

Page Acceleration

Page acceleration can distribute static content of a customer's website, such as web pages, images, text, etc., to server nodes worldwide, significantly improving the website's response speed and availability. In addition, for security reasons, page acceleration also provides anti-theft chain functions to protect the website content from being captured.

Customer issues:

• Many website files, slow access speed;
• High bandwidth requirements and high request numbers during operation and promotion period, which puts a lot of pressure on the performance of the source station;
• Easy to be attacked \ unauthorized access.

Business characteristics

• There are many access resources, and the content needs to be separated dynamically and statically. Dynamic resources need to use the whole site acceleration product.
• The visiting file is relatively small, and the types are mainly html\css\js etc.

Applicable scenarios: Portal websites, social websites, e-commerce websites, government websites, corporate portal websites, and news media websites.

Large File Download Acceleration

Accelerate downloading content such as video files, game installation packages, software, patches, etc., and provide customers with download acceleration solutions. Upload large files to the nearest server node, and then UCDN platform can intelligently deploy files and distribute them to nodes all over the country. It not only solves the problem of insufficient bandwidth but also allows users to experience faster download services.

Customer issues:

• High-bandwidth and high request number during peak concurrent downloads put high pressure on the performance and bandwidth cost of the source station;
• User can't download or the download is too slow, or it's easy to interrupt the download.

Business characteristics

• Irregular bandwidth bursts, and concentrated resources, requiring high hit rates.
• The main resource size is above 20MB, and the resource types are mainly apk\exe\zip, etc.

Applicable scenarios: Gaming industry, software download sites, remote education, book application providers, etc.

Video On-Demand Acceleration

Video on-demand acceleration is used to accelerate the video files. First, upload the content of the source station to the data center, then distribute it to the edge servers all over the country through the private protocol, and transmit it to the end user combining streaming media technology. This can improve the user's viewing experience and solve the problems of slow access and stalling during viewing.

Customer issues:

• High bandwidth requirements and high request numbers during high concurrent access put a lot of pressure on the performance of the source station and bandwidth cost;
• User access to videos is not smooth.

Business characteristics

• Irregular bandwidth bursts, and concentrated resources, requiring high hit rates.
• The main resources are: resource types are mainly mp4\m3u8\ts, etc.

Applicable scenarios: Online video websites, remote education MOOC, and other streaming media service websites.

Whole Site Acceleration

On the basis of static UCDN services, for businesses like POST requests that cannot be cached on the edge, it supports pure dynamic acceleration and mixed dynamic and static acceleration services. It supports intelligent cache, dynamic routing, and multi-protocol services, and deploys access control strategies.

Target users (small and medium): Online education/ gaming/ retail/ news media/ finance

Customer issues:

• Cross-ISP access delay is high, network congestion during peak hours
• Need static resource cache, dynamic request can penetrate
• It is difficult to split and manage dynamic and static resources.

Business characteristics

• There are mixed dynamic and static resources, or mainly dynamic resources
• Multi-protocol requirements (QUIC, Websocket)
• Have upload requirements (POST request)

Applicable scenarios: Full-service API/data upload/forums and blogs/life services/financial transactions