Complete CDN Video Delivery Guide
Published on Jan 9, 2026
CDN (Content Delivery Network) is core infrastructure for M3U8 streaming services. Proper CDN configuration significantly improves video loading speed, reduces latency, and decreases origin server load.
๐ What is CDN?
CDN is a network of servers distributed globally that cache and deliver your video content. When users request videos, CDN serves content from the nearest node instead of your origin server.
Faster Loading
Nearby access, 50-80% latency reduction
High Availability
Multi-node redundancy, 99.9% uptime
Cost Reduction
Reduce origin bandwidth usage
๐ข Major CDN Providers
Cloudflare
AWS CloudFront
Akamai
Fastly
Alibaba Cloud CDN
Tencent Cloud CDN
โ๏ธ M3U8/HLS CDN Configuration
1. Caching Strategy
| File Type | Recommended TTL | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| .m3u8 | Live: 1-3s / VOD: 1 day | Playlist needs timely updates |
| .ts | 7 days or longer | Video segments don't change |
| .key | 1 hour | Encryption key, security concern |
2. CORS Configuration
To allow browsers to make cross-origin video requests, configure proper CORS headers:
Access-Control-Allow-Origin: * Access-Control-Allow-Methods: GET, HEAD, OPTIONS Access-Control-Allow-Headers: Range, Content-Type Access-Control-Expose-Headers: Content-Length, Content-Range
3. MIME Types
Ensure CDN returns correct Content-Type:
.m3u8 โ application/vnd.apple.mpegurl .ts โ video/mp2t .mp4 โ video/mp4 .key โ application/octet-stream
4. Range Request Support
HLS players need Range request support for seeking. Ensure CDN is configured with:
- โข Accept-Ranges: bytes
- โข Properly handle 206 Partial Content responses
โจ Best Practices
๐ฏ Use Dedicated Domain
Use a dedicated CDN domain for video assets (e.g., cdn.example.com) for easier management and optimization.
๐ Enable HTTPS
Modern browsers require HTTPS for video playback. Ensure CDN has valid SSL certificates.
๐ Monitoring & Analytics
Enable CDN access logs and real-time monitoring to quickly identify and resolve issues.
๐ Multi-Region Deployment
If users are distributed across regions, consider multiple origin servers or multi-CDN strategy.
โ ๏ธ Common Issues
Cache Causing Live Delay
In live streaming, long m3u8 cache TTL increases delay. Set to 1-3 seconds or disable caching.
CORS Errors
Browser console shows cross-origin errors. Check if CDN CORS configuration is correct.
Origin Fetch Failed
CDN cannot fetch from origin. Check if origin is accessible and firewall rules are correct.