For the longest time, hosting static files on CDNs was the de facto standard for performance tuning website pages. The host offered browser caching advantages, better stability, and storage on fast edge servers across strategic geolocations. Not only did it have performance benefits, but it was also convenient for developers. Recent developments, however, show that self-hosting static files such as Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) and jQuery libraries, CSS styles, and other include directives are faster, more reliable, and add better security to the system.

Possible Performance Degradation from CDN Usage

Most developers and administrators think that adding a CDN-hosted static file improves performance. The idea has been that a CDN has fast edge servers that cache content and deliver it based on the user’s geolocation. These cached servers are faster than a traditional single hosting server, and the developers got the benefit of convenience.