Live streaming has quickly become a popular medium the world over. According to Statista, live streams are the third most popular form of video content consumed worldwide and the most popular non-entertainment video content.
For organizations, live streams have an immense and untapped potential for corporate communication, brand outreach, video marketing, onboarding, and training and learning efforts.
However, the magic of live streams fades fast if viewers encounter buffering or lag. Research shows that more than 50% of viewers abandon live streams within 90 seconds or less if the quality is poor.
Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) are often used to combat buffering and latency issues caused by surging live-stream demands. Their vast network delivers content from geographically distributed servers, keeping your stream smooth for viewers worldwide.
This helps businesses stream all around the world without having to set up a dedicated hardware presence everywhere. It's a cost-effective, hassle-free approach that works for everyone.
Using a CDN alongside your live streaming platform can go a long way to making sure your streaming efforts don't go to waste when start-and-stop annoyances make your viewers switch to other streams or drop off entirely.
But with so many different CDNs out there, how do you know which one is the best pick to suit your live streaming efforts? To answer this question, we'll be looking at the 7 best CDNs that you can choose for your live streaming platform.
Before we begin, however, let's understand what a content delivery network is and how it works.
What are Content Delivery Networks?
Content Delivery Networks or CDNs are a network of servers placed in different regions of the world. These servers take content such as audio, video, images, and more from an origin server and copy it in a cached form.
When users try to access any kind of content, they are directed to their closest CDN rather than the origin server. This helps users access files faster, reduces load on servers, and distributes content globally.
You can think of CDNs as distributors. (In fact, another name for CDNs is Content Distribution Networks.) Instead of having to request something from the source, users can request it from an edge server located nearby.
It's like heading to your nearest bookstore to pick up a copy of a book rather than driving all the way to the publisher. You save yourself the trip, and the publisher doesn't have to worry about having a physical presence in every location—everyone wins.
But there are other benefits, too. Increasing demand for data requires organizations to deploy individual servers worldwide, which isn't practical, feasible, or cost-effective. Because of this, they rely on CDN providers, which already have massive networks of servers deployed globally.
Want to learn more about CDNs? Check out our blog on how a content delivery network helps deliver smooth video streaming.
How Content Delivery Networks Work for Live Video
Now that we've covered what content delivery networks are and how they work, we need to understand how they work to deliver live video streaming. For a video-on-demand (VoD) stream, the process is similar to distributing a webpage, image, or any other content. The edge server copies over the content and caches it so it can be delivered to a user when requested.
The same process can't work for live streams because of the real-time nature of live streaming. If edge servers request the content in its entirety, then it's not live anymore. If users request content from the origin server, then that defeats the purpose of using CDNs.
To solve this problem, CDNs often segment the live stream and cache it to the edge server in chunks. These segments are usually seconds or minutes long and are streamed to the user as soon as their cached. Once a segment is streamed, another one is queued to be cached and streamed.
The entire process follows these steps:
Compression and Encoding
First, the feed from the live camera is encoded using suitable codecs like H.264, H.265, VP9, and AV1. This helps convert raw footage into digital, streamable content and also helps cut down on the file size.
Transcoding
Once the feed is encoded, it is sent to a streaming server that converts the stream into multiple bitrates and resolutions to allow viewers to stream at different quality levels depending on the internet connection. During this transcoding process, the stream is also chopped up into smaller, manageable chunks, typically a few seconds long.
Manifest File Creation
Next, a manifest file is created to map out all the chunks for the different resolutions and bitrates. This file acts like a roadmap for the video player, listing all the available chunks, the order in which they should be played, and which ones correspond to which quality.
Progressive Delivery
At this stage, the stream is packaged and ready to be sent out using protocols like HLS and DASH. As the live stream starts, the video content delivery network pushes the transcoded segments out to the edge servers closest to the viewers.
Caching
As soon as an edge server receives a segment of the live stream, it caches it locally for a few seconds or minutes. When a new segment is created by the streaming server, it is added next in line to be cached and streamed to the user. Because of the nature of this method, live streams often have a delay of a few seconds to compensate.
Content Delivery
Finally, the live video player on the user's device requests the appropriate segments of the live stream based on the manifest file it received earlier. The segments are downloaded, assembled, and played in the corresponding order to ensure seamless playback.
Benefits of Using a Video Content Delivery Network for Live Streaming
A video content delivery network is always preferred over traditional methods like single-server delivery. Intuitively, it may make sense to stream directly from the source rather than having the stream go through an extra server. However, in reality, a CDN can effectively address several limitations of single-server streaming and provide additional benefits as well. These include:
Latency and Buffering Reduction
Using a video streaming CDN for your live stream can significantly improve the playback experience for your users. Although any kind of live stream will have some delay, leveraging a CDN for your live stream helps make the experience as close as possible to real-time.
When using a single-server setup, the quality of the playback experience depends on the user's distance to the server. This introduces latency and can make the stream buffer constantly as it can't catch up fast enough to the player's current position.
But, when you use a CDN, you reduce the distance that a stream takes to reach the user. The vast network of geographical servers ensures that there's always a server that's relatively closer to the user's location.
Even with an added server in the network, the round-trip time (RTT) of origin server to edge server to user is usually much lower than origin server to user. This means a significant reduction in latency, faster content delivery, and reduced buffering.
Resource Optimization
Content delivery networks don't just balance the load of your network. They help distribute the processing burden by giving streaming tasks to edge servers. This helps alleviate strain on the origin server's hardware to better utilize resources in an efficient and cost-effective way.
Distance isn't the only factor when it comes to a live stream's performance. Having multiple users trying to access the same content from a server can really put it under stress.
When you stream directly from your origin server, it handles the entire workload of encoding, packaging, and delivering the video stream. This can be resource-intensive, especially during peak viewership times.
With too much stress on a single server, your live stream could end up buffering, dropping in quality, or failing entirely. That's not the kind of experience you would ever want to give to your viewers, especially when 67% of viewers think quality is the most important factor when watching live streams.
Distributing the load also helps your origin server focus on its core tasks like content management and security, while the edge servers handle the real-time delivery aspects. This frees up valuable resources on your origin server, allowing it to function more efficiently.
Enhanced Security
While CDNs are primarily known for improving performance, using them can also be seen as extending a wider security net around your live stream. While the core function of a CDN focuses on performance optimization, its geographically distributed network offers enhanced security as a valuable secondary benefit.
Unlike a single origin server, a CDN's network of edge servers acts as a distributed security layer. This makes it more difficult for malicious actors to target your stream with attacks. For instance, DDoS attempts would need to overwhelm numerous edge servers spread across the globe rather than a single point of origin.
High Availability
Another major benefit of using CDN video streaming is that you have multiple servers in the network to act as failback should something go wrong. Having these other servers on standby ensures there's always a server available for backup.
Relying on a single streaming server creates a single point of failure. This means that if your origin server experiences an outage due to hardware malfunction, software error, or even a scheduled maintenance window, your entire live stream goes down.
Downtime, even for brief periods, can have significant consequences, leading to lost revenue, frustrated users, and reputational damage.
Thankfully, this problem is eliminated with CDNs. Even if a single edge server encounters an issue, the CDN automatically routes viewers to the next closest healthy server. This redundancy ensures minimal disruption and near-continuous uptime for your live stream, even if there are unforeseen technical hiccups.
Flexible Scalability
The diverging nature of CDNs makes it really easy for your organization to scale its streaming infrastructure depending on the needs. If your viewers suddenly peak, you won't need to suffer the consequences of your resources being bottlenecked to keep up.
Without a CDN, you may find yourself constantly having to upgrade your streaming infrastructure every time there's an increase in your viewership. Additionally, you may have to spend time, effort, and resources to maintain and service that infrastructure.
A video content delivery network gives you a more scalable option for live streaming. CDNs can automatically allocate additional resources from their vast network of edge servers during peak times. Businesses don't have to focus on the technical complexities, which allows them to focus on delivering a smooth and reliable streaming experience.
7 Best CDN for Video Streaming
By now, you may have realized that you need to use a CDN to deliver your live streams. But there are so many different CDN options out there to choose from.
Some CDNs prioritize a wider geographical spread, while others focus on security or additional features. Getting the best CDN for video streaming might boil down to your specific requirements. Luckily, with the abundant amount of options, there's bound to be one that works for you. With that said, here are the 7 of the best video streaming CDN options you can consider:
1. Azure CDN
Azure CDN is a viable CDN offering from Microsoft. It boasts a robust global network of edge locations that can efficiently deliver your live streams to a wide audience.
There's out-of-the-box support in Azure CDN for on-demand and live video streaming. Moreover, it integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft Azure services, making it a convenient choice for organizations already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem.
Pros:
- Over 200 points of presence (PoPs) in more than 95 countries.
- Pay-as-you-go pricing
- Easy Integration with other Azure services.
- Versatile geo-filtering
Cons:
- Interface navigation is difficult
- Complex management console
2. Edgio (Formerly Limelight/EdgeCast)
Edgio was formed through the 2022 merger of Limelight Networks and Yahoo's Edgecast, has become a major player in the CDN market. They offer a comprehensive suite of edge-enabled solutions, including video content delivery.
There's a strong focus with Edgio on security functionalities including enterprise WAF, bot mitigation, DDoS defense, API protection, and robust web filtering. This can make it a suitable choice for organizations that have a strong focus on their security needs.
Pros:
- 300+ points of presence (PoPs)
- Reliable distribution network
- Integrates easily
- Support is prompt
Cons:
- Fixed pricing
- User interface isn't as easy to navigate
3. Akamai
Akamai is a big name in the CDN industry, and for good reason. Having launched as early as 1998, Akamai is the first commercially available CDN to come out. Since then, it has carried that prestige to be one of the largest content delivery networks. In fact, roughly 30% of all internet traffic goes through Akamai.
With a robust global content distribution network and advanced features like a video and image manager, Akamai has become an entire video content delivery platform. This makes them a suitable choice for any organization.
Pros:
- 4,200 points of presence (PoPs) in 135 countries
- Akamai CLI option
- Content delivery possible for China
- Comprehensive manager for videos and images
Cons:
- Inadequate reporting at times
- Can flag false positives
4. Fastly
Fastly is a leading cloud-based edge computing platform known for its focus on high performance and real-time content delivery. It supports content delivery for both video on demand (VoD) and live video streaming.
There's native support in Fastly for common live streaming protocols like HLS and MPEG DASH. What's more, Fastly also provides live event monitoring services to help consult organizations on network congestion during large live or high-traffic events.
Pros:
- 94 points of presence (PoPs)
- Fast performance
- Cache replacement feature
- Dashboard is easy to navigate
Cons:
- Reporting interface is not as straightforward
- No bot filtering
5. Leaseweb
With over decades of operation, Leaseweb has had extensive experience operating in the industry. Despite not being one of the better known names, it still remains a feature-rich CDN solution with a global reach, making it a compelling option for video streaming.
Leaseweb offers a host of services, including cloud storage, dedicated services, hosting, networking services, and CDNs. It offer everything from standard CDNs to multi-CDNs and beyond.
Pros:
- 43 points of presence (PoPs)
- Comprehensive reports
- Highly configurable
- Intuitive web interface
Cons:
- Response times are a bit slower
- Requires call authorization
6. KeyCDN
KeyCDN promises secure and fast content delivery for organizations. Besides content delivery, KeyCDN also offers many other features such as live logs, content processing, and more.
Although it doesn't have as big of a global reach as the rest of the CDNs on this list, it's still worth considering given its extensive security functionalities. The only drawback is that it's hard to get it going right out of the box.
Pros:
- 34 points of presence (PoPs)
- Pay-as-you-go pricing
- Great security features
- Bot blocking
Cons:
- Initial setup can be a bit complicated
- Zone changing takes more time than competitors
7. CloudFront
CloudFront launched in 2008 and is a part of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) platform. That should tell you that this CDN is a trusted name in the market. This CDN has impressive global coverage and reliable performance and speed.
Given that CloudFront is an AWS offering, you can expect it to integrate seamlessly with other AWS services. This makes it a good option for organizations that already use AWS services.
Pros:
- 600+ points of presence (PoPs) in 50 different countries.
- Fast load times
- High availability
- Inbuilt Geo-restrictions
Cons:
- Requires technical expertise for configuration and use
- A bit costlier than alternatives
Why You Need a Live Streaming Platform with CDN Video Streaming
Once you've narrowed down your choice for a video streaming CDN, you should consider how you're going to push out the live stream. To effectively utilize your CDN, you will need some kind of live streaming platform to get the job done.
Using a CDN directly to stream is generally not a feasible option for most organizations. There's a lot of technical expertise, time, and costs involved in the process. Besides, you may need to have your own self-hosted live video platform.
That's why most organizations opt for an enterprise live streaming platform that already integrates with CDNs. This helps them save the hassle of setup and implementation.
But that's not the only reason. Enterprise live streaming platforms offer an entire platform where organizations can organize, stream, and share their content. Platforms offer intuitive interfaces that help organizations manage live streams, schedule broadcasts, exercise access control, and even add branding elements – all within a user-friendly interface.
That's why it's recommended to get a live stream platform with CDN integration, as they unlock a powerful combination of professional and engaging live streams.
Deliver Smooth, Uninterrupted Live Streams with EnterpriseTube
Recognized by Gartner, VIDIZMO EnterpriseTube is an enterprise video platform that supports on-demand and live video streaming. EnterpriseTube natively integrates with a host of popular CDNs to deliver low-latency, buffer-less live streams.
But more than that, EnterpriseTube is a complete video platform with extensive features to satisfy the video needs of organizations of all sizes. From content management to interactivity and beyond, EnterpriseTube offers it all.
Here's a glimpse of what you can expect from using EnterpriseTube:
- Native CDN Support: EnterpriseTube natively integrates with a host of popular CDNs, including industry leaders like Akamai, Microsoft Azure CDN, Amazon CloudFront, Fastly, and more.
- eCDN Support: Route traffic through enterprise networks using Enterprise Content Delivery Network (eCDN) support.
- Adaptive Bitrate Streaming: Give your users an uninterrupted streaming experience with Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) support that automatically adjusts stream quality depending on their internet connection.
- Live Protocol Support: Enjoy vast protocol support with options ranging from modern protocols like HLS and DASH to legacy favorites like RTMP and RTSP.
- Intelligent Fallback Logic: Combat server failures by automatically rerouting live video traffic to viewers from the next available server.
- Custom Live Streaming Server: Create your own live stream server by defining your own custom encoder and publishing point.
- White-label Platform: Brand your live streaming platform your way using customization options for logos, fonts, colors, thesaurus, custom domain, player customization, and more using custom CSS styling.
- Live Interactivity: Engage your audience with interactivity options like live chats, FAQs, Q/As, and social media feeds.
- Content Management: Record your live streams and make them available on-demand with extensive options for content management and access control.
- Scalable Livestreaming: Go live regardless of the number of users or devices, thanks to EnterpriseTube's scalable video content delivery platform.
- Live Analytics: See the impact your live streams make in real time using live analytics such as engagement data, user-level analytics, heatmaps, top devices, browsers, and more.
- Security: Maintain your security posture with security features like encryption, SSO, Role-Based Access Control, Geo-restrictions, DRM, limited sharing, audit logs, and so much more.
- Live Stream Embedding: Extend the reach of your live streams by securely embedding RTMP feeds on web pages.
Curious to know what else VIDIZMO EnterpriseTube is capable of? Check out our extensive features.
Go Live Today with an Enterprise Video Content Delivery Platform
Different content delivery networks will offer you different advantages when it comes to content delivery. But settling on one option can be tough. The most practical solution for enterprises is to use a live video streaming platform that utilizes several different CDNs to deliver a smooth streaming experience.
Not only that, live video streaming platforms unlock an entire world of possibilities, from streamlining your workflows of content security, management, and access control to providing additional functionality such as analytics and interactivity. And enterprise live streaming platforms like VIDIZMO EnterpriseTube make this all possible.
Ready to try out VIDIZMO EnterpriseTube? Sign up for a 7-day free trial, or contact us to learn more.
People Also Ask
Why Do You Need Content Delivery Networks?
Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) bring your video content closer to viewers, reducing delays and buffering. They also scale to handle surges and offer security features.
What is a Video Content Delivery System?
A video content delivery system is a specialized form of a Content Delivery Network (CDN) that is optimized for video delivery. It can adjust video quality for different internet speeds and offers features like real-time streaming.
What is the Main Benefit of a Content Delivery Platform?
A content delivery platform is a comprehensive tool for managing all kinds of digital content, not just video. It offers storage, delivery optimization, and data insights in one consolidated place.
Why Do You Need a Video Streaming CDN?
A video streaming CDN is built for video, offering features like transcoding, adaptive bitrate, and low-latency optimization for smoother playback. They may also have cost advantages and cater to live-streaming needs.
What is CDN Video Streaming?
CDN video streaming refers to the process of using a CDN to deliver your video content efficiently. The CDN caches your video on servers around the world, ensuring viewers get it from the closest location for smooth playback.