CDN for software downloads
Installers should not all pull from one origin disk.
Release day turns a handful of large binaries into a worldwide read storm. A single download origin will saturate before the CDN would.
Cache installers and packages at Cloud CDN with long TTLs. Use large-file optimisation and Origin Shield. Purge or version when a release is replaced.
Why teams use Aptranet
What CDN for software downloads looks like on this network.
Cloud CDN caches and accelerates eligible content on 210+ points of presence, with Origin Shield when the origin must stay out of the way.
Large-file optimisation
Installers and packages use the same 200+ Tbps network as web content.
Release traffic at 210+ PoPs
Clients download from a nearby edge instead of the build origin.
Versioned objects, simple purge
Hashed filenames avoid purge. Named latest paths can be purged on release.
How to set it up
A cutover you can validate before DNS moves.
Create the Cloud CDN configuration, prove it on an Aptranet hostname, then point production DNS when the path looks correct.
- 1Put binaries on an origin Cloud CDN can pull
A files host or artefacts origin over HTTPS.
- 2Cache with long TTLs
Released artefacts rarely change. Version the filename when they do.
- 3Enable Origin Shield
First-byte misses should not fan out to every edge independently.
- 4Map the downloads hostname
Attach TLS and optionally token-protect paid artefacts.
Outcomes
What changes once the hostname is on Aptranet.
- Installers are served from the edge
- Release days do not saturate origin
- Versioned files can skip purge
- Paid binaries can require a token
Keep reading
Related pages
More CDN use cases on the same Cloud CDN footprint.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cloud CDN is built for large-file delivery, including software and game downloads. Plan unusually large catalogues with Aptranet.
Yes. Use token authentication so URLs are not freely shareable.
Cache them with a short TTL or purge when the pointer changes. Prefer versioned filenames.
Any large HTTPS object can be cached. Validate cache keys for registries that use special URLs.