As applications become more dynamic and distributed, CDNs are evolving beyond traditional content delivery systems into intelligent, programmable platforms at the edge. At the heart of this shift is edge computing. By bringing data processing closer to users, this approach minimizes latency, boosts performance, and enables scalable digital experiences.

Leveraging our globally distributed edge network, CDNetworks Edge Application brings compute power to the edge. In this blog, we explore how our platform helps businesses build applications faster while ensuring the best performance and availability.

Introducing CDNetworks’ Serverless Edge Computing Solution

CDNetworks Edge Application is a serverless computing platform that empowers businesses to build, deploy, and scale applications directly on CDNetworks’ global edge infrastructure.

By adopting a serverless architecture, it abstracts away the complexities of infrastructure setup, resource provisioning, or server maintenance and allows developers to concentrate solely on building powerful applications.

As a serverless computing solution, Edge Application comprises two fundamental components:

• Edge Cloud Apps for robust computing capabilities
• Edge KV Storage for high-availability, low-latency data storage

Edge Cloud Apps

Powered by Google’s V8 engine, Edge Cloud Apps provides a serverless runtime environment at the edge. Developers can deploy JavaScript functions across CDNetworks’ globally distributed network, with each function triggered by specific events such as HTTP requests, API calls, or scheduled tasks.

It ensures fast, on-demand execution, enabling businesses to craft customized and low-latency experiences for end users with less resource overhead.

Edge Cloud Apps Highlights:

• Multilanguage runtime: Edge Cloud Apps natively supports JavaScript and the Service Worker API, while other languages like C, C++, Rust, and Go can be compiled into WebAssembly (WASM) for execution at the edge.
• Automatic scaling: Functions are automatically deployed and executed in proximity to end users across CDNetworks’ global edge network
• Fast startup and low overhead: Ultra-fast 5ms cold starts, minimal 3MB memory overhead, and zero context switching.
• Isolated and secure: Each function runs in an isolated sandbox environment with strict resource and permission controls, preventing cross-tenant risks.
• High availability: Requests are intelligently routed to the best-performing edge PoP, with CDN fallback ensuring uninterrupted service across CDNetworks’ global edge network.
• Increased productivity: Developers can use our integrated Cloud IDE developer tools to create, test, and debug functions and streamline the deployment pipeline.

Edge KV Storage

Edge KV Storage is a serverless key-value (KV) store for Edge Cloud Apps, ideal for building applications that require frequent reads and infrequent writes. It provides low-latency, secure KV access across CDNetworks’ global edge networks. Developers can manage the database via API, the console, or through Edge Cloud Apps.

Edge KV Storage Highlights:

• Flexible storage: Edge KV Storage supports data storage in strings, arrays, and binary formats.
• Real-time synchronization: Data is synchronized globally within seconds, allowing fast read and write access close to end users.
• High availability: Edge KV Storage is built on a distributed architecture with dual-center hot standby for high availability and seamless failover.
• Efficient data retrieval: Developers can quickly access data stored in the KV database by invoking it through Edge Cloud Apps, with just a few lines of code.
• Multi-layered data protection: Data is protected by multiple layers, including strict isolation, Encryption in Transit, and controlled API access.

Use Cases of CDNetworks’ Serverless Computing Solution

1. Virtual Waiting Room

High-traffic events like product launches and flash sales often draw a rush of visitors to your site, overwhelming your backend systems beyond their capacity. CDNewtorks Edge Application enables you to route excess users to a virtual waiting room, which is a custom-branded page that displays their position in line and estimated wait time. As availability frees, visitors are allowed to enter in a pre-set order — first-in-first-out, random, or custom rules. This approach helps preserve the customer experience and protects origin servers from being strained by requests.

2. Personalization and Localization

For a global website, fast and personalized user experiences are key to keeping users engaged worldwide. CDNetworks Edge Application allows dynamic content delivery according to user attributes like geolocation, device type, login status, etc. By handling these decisions at the edge, businesses can deliver faster, more relevant experiences to users worldwide while reducing latency and backend load. This improved performance also contributes to better search engine rankings by enhancing overall site speed and user satisfaction.

3. A/B Testing

A/B testing is a common method used to compare different versions of content to see which one performs better. Usually, deciding which variant to deliver involves querying the origin server. CDNetworks Edge Application allows you to place this decision-making logic at the edge. This greatly reduces the origin load, improves response times for end users, and empowers you to make data-driven decisions based on real user feedback.

4. Forensic Watermarking

Content piracy undermines both revenue and user trust in media streaming platforms. Forensic watermarking offers an ideal solution by embedding unique, invisible watermark sequences into content streams. Integrating CDNetworks Edge Application with third-party watermarking systems will allow this process to happen right at the edge. When a user ID is flagged, their stream is blocked instantly, protecting content without disrupting legitimate users.

Read customer story: How one of Vietnam’s largest pay-TV operators enhanced anti-piracy efforts using CDNetworks’ Edge Application →

5. Quick Authentication

In digital services where content access must be tightly controlled, ensuring that only authorized users can reach the right resources is critical. CDNetworks Edge Application securely stores session tokens and user data at the edge, enabling fast, real-time identity verification with minimal latency. This reduces backend load and enhances overall security by preventing unauthorized requests before they reach origin systems.

6. Deploy Static HTML Websites

When temporary services or business campaigns call for fast rollout of lightweight websites, conventional deployment methods can be too slow or resource-intensive. CDNetworks Edge Application supports serverless hosting of static HTML sites at the edge with no origin server required. This enables rapid deployment and low-latency access across regions, while minimizing operational complexity and ensuring stable performance.

Key Benefits

• Run your code without managing any infrastructure. Perfect for developers looking to innovate with minimal overhead.
• Improve performance by processing decision-making at the edge, easing the origin server load.
• Integrate seamlessly with your existing business logic via SDK or API.
• Jumpstart development with ready-to-deploy code samples.
• A flexible pay-as-you-go pricing model that charges only for the compute time you consume.
• Deploy functions quickly in just 3 easy steps through our console.

Begin Your Serverless Journey Today

Once you’ve decided that a serverless approach aligns with your business goals, it’s worth looking into how specific serverless platforms like CDNetworks Edge Application can simplify the onboarding process.
Embarking on the serverless journey may seem overwhelming, but adopting the right platform will help you get up and running in no time.

Ready to get started? Sign up for a free trial or read the product brochure to learn more about our Edge Application platform.