How to self-host web fonts on a CDN

Host WOFF2 files on Cloud CDN with long TTLs, CORS and HTTP/3 so font requests stay first-party and off the critical path.

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Font files are small and on the critical path. A third-party font host adds DNS, TLS and privacy surface. Self-host WOFF2 on Cloud CDN under your hostname.

WOFF2 is enough

Current browsers speak WOFF2. Skip extra legacy formats unless you still have a reason. Version the filename when the face changes and long-cache it.

CORS on the font hostname

If fonts are on a sibling host, set CORS so the site origin can use them. Many teams simply put fonts on the same distribution as the site.

Preload without over-preloading

Preload the one or two faces used in the first paint. Preloading every weight fights LCP.

Licensing still applies

Self-hosting does not change the foundry licence. It changes the delivery path.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Should I still use a foundry CDN?

You can. Self-hosting on Cloud CDN gives you cache, privacy and first-party URLs.

How long can I cache fonts?

Versioned WOFF2 files can use long TTLs. Change the filename when the file changes.

Does this help Core Web Vitals?

It removes a third-party connection from LCP-related text. Pair with font-display and reserved line-height to limit layout shift.