Why implementing AWS cloudfront is a better fit for your Architecture

Source: Dev.to

Introduction

In the ever‑growing internet landscape, the ability for a platform to scale and adapt to visibility involves many considerations—from testing and consumer surveys to the architectural design phase. Delivering the latest information to clients over the internet is pivotal for credibility, vision alignment, and future growth.

AWS CloudFront provides a solution for implementing a fast, reliable content‑delivery layer on the AWS platform.

Types of Distributions

CloudFront offers two distribution models:

Standard Distribution

Designed for unique configurations per website or application. Each site or app requires its own CloudFront distribution with custom settings.

Multi‑tenant Distribution (CloudFront SaaS Manager)

Built for SaaS and multi‑tenant scenarios. It allows a single distribution to serve multiple customer websites and applications while providing centralized control over shared configurations.

Video Delivery

Video on Demand

Media must be encoded and packaged. AWS Elemental MediaConvert handles this process. See the MediaConvert Getting Started guide. The encoded files can be stored on an Amazon S3 bucket and served through CloudFront.

Live Streaming

After encoding, videos are compressed and formatted for the target device before being delivered via CloudFront’s live‑streaming capabilities.

Private Content

When serving private content, CloudFront can use Lambda@Edge, signed URLs, or signed cookies. Options include:

• Origin Access Control with an Amazon S3 origin – see the guide on Serving Private Content.
• Custom Origins – use CloudFront managed prefix lists for fine‑grained control: Managed Prefix List documentation.
• A detailed walkthrough: Serving Private Content Using Amazon CloudFront & Lambda@Edge – AWS Blog post.

Encryption

CloudFront enhances data security beyond HTTPS by offering field‑level encryption on top of the end‑to‑end TLS connection. For an in‑depth look, refer to the Field‑Level Encryption documentation.

Conclusion

CloudFront is more than just a means of delivering information over the internet; it provides extensive customization for how, from where, and to whom content is delivered. For a full breakdown of features and extensive documentation, visit the Amazon CloudFront Developer Guide.

Enjoy your journey with AWS Cloud services.