IT Specialist at Jeeny
Real User
A CDN solution that has rich documentation and resources
Pros and Cons
  • "The beneficial feature for the entire AWS community is the presence of edge location servers. These servers are strategically located in multiple locations, allowing efficient content delivery from the nearest server."
  • "The solution can benefit from expanding its data center and server locations to multiple places for smoother content delivery with even lower latency. The latency we experience is sufficient for our needs, and we are doing well. However, if they expand their locations in the future, it could be a positive factor. Its competitors have multiple data and server locations."

What is our primary use case?

We use Amazon CloudFront for various purposes based on our needs and budget considerations. For instance, if we have live content like static images or videos that should be quickly accessible on our website, the tool is handy. It enables us to deliver content swiftly to end users. The cache features also reduce the need to access the origin server, optimizing our website speed.

How has it helped my organization?

Previously, we were directly fetching videos from our Amazon S3 URL, resulting in slow image loading and high latency on our landing page. To address this, we explored Amazon CloudFront features with edge locations to improve content delivery speed. We integrated Amazon S3 with Amazon CloudFront, and now all content is served through the product, leading to better optimization than our previous setup.

What is most valuable?

The beneficial feature for the entire AWS community is the presence of edge location servers. These servers are strategically located in multiple locations, allowing efficient content delivery from the nearest server. 

We opted for the tool because we already used the Amazon S3 bucket. Since Amazon CloudFront is an AWS feature, integrating it with our S3 bucket was easy. Transferring data from one source to another within AWS is straightforward. The process might have been more time-consuming if we had chosen a different CDN provider. Amazon CloudFront, a managed service by AWS, offers an easy integration solution.

What needs improvement?

The solution can benefit from expanding its data center and server locations to multiple places for smoother content delivery with even lower latency. The latency we experience is sufficient for our needs, and we are doing well. However, if they expand their locations in the future, it could be a positive factor. Its competitors have multiple data and server locations. 

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For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with the product for five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the tool's stability a nine out of ten. Customization is easy with the product. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate Amazon CloudFront's scalability a ten out of ten. I use it 24/7. 

How are customer service and support?

AWS technical support can't be fully assessed at the moment. In the basic support plan, users have the option to open basic support tickets, and AWS provides choices for responses through calls or live chat. To access advanced technical support, users need to subscribe to premium plans. Its response time is quick. Though they give a timeframe of 24 hours, support is immediately initiated.  

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used Akamai CDN before. I chose the product since it integrates easily with my internal system. It is widely used and comes with rich documentation and resources. 

How was the initial setup?

The tool's deployment is easy. For inexperienced resources, I rate deployment difficulty an eight out of ten. For me, it's nine point five out of ten. The product comes with a vast amount of resources and documentation. 

We had a deadline of one and a half months. However, we could go into production within four weeks, i.e., 25 days. Deployment includes quality assurance and staging processes. One resource is enough to handle the deployment process. The person responsible for deploying the solution should know CI/CD processes. They should understand security compliance, gate methodologies, and the functioning of code push and pull. Familiarity with Webhooks and the dashboard of AWS CodePipeline or check kits is necessary.

Once the setup is done, the tool doesn't require frequent changes. Two resources are needed for maintenance, and one would be enough later. 

What was our ROI?

We have seen an ROI of 45 percent with the tool's use. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I rate the product's pricing an eight out of ten. The licensing follows a pay-as-you-go model. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution a nine out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Bireshwar Adhikary - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Consultant at ATOS
Vendor
Top 5Leaderboard
Straightforward deployment, stable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of the solution is the speed of delivery."
  • "Amazon CloudFront can improve by accurately determining the latency of a non-defined URL that the solution encounters."

What is our primary use case?

Amazon CloudFront is a service that allows us to host our website or video on a domain. If we want to access a specific page on our website directly, we can create a CloudFront connection to the hosting server for our website. If we want to launch our website and then link it to documentation or other elements quickly, we can do so directly through CloudFront. Afterward, we can link our domain to the CloudFront distribution.

How has it helped my organization?

Amazon CloudFront is a service that dramatically accelerates the delivery of our static and dynamic web content.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of the solution is the speed of delivery. For example, if we have HTML, CSS, PHP, images, and media files, CloudFront can deliver them quickly and reliably through its worldwide network of edge locations. This reduces latency, allowing webpages to open faster, while also providing high performance.

If the content is not stored in the Amazon CloudFront location, it will be retrieved from an origin, such as Amazon S3, a MediaPackage Channel, or an HTTP file server. For example, if the content is stored on a web server, that server can be identified as the source for the requested content. Suppose that we are hosting an image on a traditional web server, such as a PNG file. We might place the image on a website with the image name adhikary.png. This way, our users can easily navigate to the URL and see the image. When we use Amazon CloudFront, however, they may not be aware that the request is routed from one network to another. This is because the complex connections of interconnected networks that comprise the internet are hidden until the image is found.

What needs improvement?

Amazon CloudFront can improve by accurately determining the latency of a non-defined URL that the solution encounters. For example, if we have a direct connection, the solution will link to the data in a fraction of a second but if we don't have a direct connection and are using a domain name instead, it will take longer to connect. To improve this, we should consider getting a direct connection.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for several months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the product is very high, and it will not be affected by the connection of the endpoint to CSS, HTML, or CloudFront. Amazon CloudFront is an independent product and its stability is also very good.

I give the stability an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I give the scalability an eight out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support provides extensive support for their managed services. In most cases, we don't need much support, but if any issues arise, AWS provides quick and reliable assistance.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. I give the deployment an eight out of ten.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I believe the solution is more expensive. Amazon's pricing varies depending on the data transfer. The cost depends on how much data is transmitted from that particular CloudFront. The cost is lower if we are located in America and hosted in America.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution an eight out of ten.

Navigating Amazon CloudFront is easy and provides many options. Image access management, CloudFront delivery, and the location and IP address range of the CloudFront server is all easily accessible. I find Amazon CloudFront to be particularly productive, making it a great choice for my needs. If an organization is using Amazon's cloud service it is best to use Amazon CloudFront and stay away from other solutions.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Amazon CloudFront
May 2024
Learn what your peers think about Amazon CloudFront. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2024.
769,630 professionals have used our research since 2012.
IS/IT Consultant at Wipro Limited
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
The product is scalable and reasonably priced, but it lacks caching features, and the support team takes a lot of time to provide solutions
Pros and Cons
  • "The product is very well interconnected with other Amazon services."
  • "A lot of caching features must be added to the solution."

What is our primary use case?

We used the product for one of our projects associated with online gaming.

What is most valuable?

The product is very well interconnected with other Amazon services. It is very well connected with EC2, so the integration with S3 becomes easier. It reduces latency to some extent. If all our services fall under the AWS landscape, the user experience would be much better.

What needs improvement?

A lot of caching features must be added to the solution. It only has the standard caching features. Akamai has properties that have multiple features that can be added as rules. Something similar must be added to CloudFront.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for more than three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The tool is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The tool is scalable. A team of three people was using the product in our organization.

How are customer service and support?

We opted for the standard support. The support was not the best. It was satisfactory. The support people took a lot of time to answer. Though we explained our issues well, they did not understand them clearly. It might be because the support team lacked skilled people. The expensive support packages might not have such issues.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have worked with Akamai.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution’s price is reasonable. It is much more reasonable than Akamai.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend CloudFront to people dealing with simple projects and AWS infrastructure. Overall, I rate the tool a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Software Engineer at a security firm with 11-50 employees
Reseller
Has efficient security features and the ability to deliver content globally
Pros and Cons
  • "It is an expensive product with valuable features."
  • "The lack of seamless integration made the setup process more complex and required additional research to manage all the services properly."

What is our primary use case?

We use the product as a CDN in front of several public websites.

What is most valuable?

The platform's most valuable feature is its ability to deliver content globally, optimizing website delivery for users worldwide. Additionally, it is an inexpensive product.

What needs improvement?

I encountered challenges with seamlessly integrating different services. Specifically, integrating a WAF (Web Application Firewall) with CloudFront took a lot of work. The process required managing infrastructure, including configuring VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) settings, setting up load balancers, and connecting them to the WAF. The lack of seamless integration made the setup process more complex and required additional research to manage all the services properly.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using Amazon CloudFront for about 3 months now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The platform is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is highly scalable, even if you use it on a large platform. It's designed to handle increased demand without errors. Additionally, if you need more power or resources, you can easily find a solution within AWS.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward, but it required some research. For a small website, it took about one day to one and a half days to complete the setup. Without prior research, it could take up to three hours to set up once you're familiar with the process. The complexity ultimately depends on the architecture, but managing the website takes two to three hours.

What was our ROI?

Our ROI with CloudFront is quite favorable. We can deliver our services without incurring significant outbound traffic costs, as it's included in the price and quite affordable. Compared to managing several instances implemented in different locations, it proves to be much more cost-effective. The exact ROI depends on the use case. Still, for scenarios like hosting a website that requires global accessibility, it can lead to significant savings, potentially up to 50% or more compared to alternative solutions.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The product has a mid-range pricing.

What other advice do I have?

The security features have helped to protect the content. It is an expensive product with valuable features. I rate it an 8.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
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Dai Le - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Software Engineer at Nextivity
Real User
A solution that provides security and needs its users to go through an easy setup phase
Pros and Cons
  • "Feature-wise, I like the solution's signed URL because it provides security for me."
  • "During the setup phase, there were some hiccups in terms of security, the user role, and the permissions."

What is our primary use case?

I have been using Amazon CloudFront to create and then set up a signed URL, which is something I need for my project.

What is most valuable?

Feature-wise, I like the solution's signed URL because it provides security for me.

What needs improvement?

I don't know yet what can be improved in the solution. I don't have time to dig into it.

During the setup phase, there were some hiccups in terms of security, the user role, and the permissions. The aforementioned area can be considered for improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Amazon CloudFront for one of my recent projects. I am a customer of the solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

For scalability, considering AWS, I can say for the Docker container, I can launch multiple instances.

How are customer service and support?

I haven't contacted customer support yet. I'd use online pages, YouTube, and all kinds of sources, but I won't prefer calling customer service directly.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward.

What other advice do I have?

I think everything in the solution looks fine to me because I've been back and forth between Azure and Amazon's UIs. So, I think I'm okay.

Since I haven't explored the solution yet, I rate the overall product an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Business Analyst at Insphere Solutiona
Reseller
Top 10
Offers detailed documentation, ability to reduce latency and improves content delivery performance
Pros and Cons
  • "The distribution aspect of CloudFront and its ability to reduce latency are most beneficial."
  • "There is room for improvement in customer service and support."

What is our primary use case?

This product is used for website content distribution.

How has it helped my organization?

We implemented CloudFront for two of our clients, including one called NIS (National Administrative Technologies). They provide a platform for students to access classrooms, lectures, and examinations. The students required fast processing and content delivery, so we used CloudFront for that.

So, CloudFront significantly improved content delivery performance.

Primarily, it reduces latency. We only use CloudFront in certain projects, including some government initiatives.

What is most valuable?

The distribution aspect of CloudFront and its ability to reduce latency are most beneficial. It really helps reduce the time it takes for content to reach the client.

Compared to Google, where we work with some big clients like JSL (one of India's top ten companies), AWS offers smoother integration. Their services are mature and well-documented. This makes the process easier for us.

What needs improvement?

There is room for improvement in customer service and support. 

We have a PDM [Program Delivery Manager], but we struggle to get help with things like competencies and documentation. 

For example, we need business plan document formats, and they say we can't get that support until we're an Advanced-Tier partner. 

Partners below Advanced-Tier aren't getting the resources they need. There should be something in place for partners who are still growing.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with it for about two years now. My company has been working with AWS for five to six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability an eight out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable product. I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten. 

How are customer service and support?

Sometimes, I find that the customer service and support are not easily approachable. Even as a close-to-Advanced Tier partner, we sometimes struggle to get the support we need regarding documentation. Overall, I'm not happy with their technical and sales support.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complex at all. I didn't have any difficulty or major issues configuring it.

Moreover, integration with other third-party solutions is very easy. Compared to Google, where we work with some big clients like JSL (one of India's top ten companies), AWS offers smoother integration. Their services are mature and well-documented. This makes the process easier for us.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Compared to competitors like Azure and Google, we find AWS pricing to be advantageous.

AWS excels in its detailed documentation and security features. That makes it a better choice for us.

What other advice do I have?

I would definitely recommend using this solution. We recommend CloudFront, which provides a clear benefit, not universally for every project.

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
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Pethuvignesh K - PeerSpot reviewer
AWS Cloud Engineer at Pepul
Real User
A cloud solution for building applications with DDoS protection
Pros and Cons
  • "It has built-in DDoS protection, which protects against DDoS attacks."
  • "Support needs to be enhanced."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution to build social media solutions. They distribute the short videos using the cloud.

What is most valuable?

CloudFront is good, comparing all aspects of the platform. It has built-in DDoS protection, which protects against DDoS attacks.

What needs improvement?

Support needs to be enhanced.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Amazon CloudFront for 3 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is stable.

I rate the solution’s stability a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

10,000-20,000 users are using this solution, but it dropped these days.

I rate the solution’s scalability a nine out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

We have basic customer service support. We usually use chat or call. It goes first to non-technical people, like salespeople or supports agents, who then forward the cases to a technical person.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. You can do it on the dashboard itself. It requires minimal experience.

It takes five to ten minutes to deploy.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We have private pricing on AWS. We get a fifty percent discount.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend the solution. It has good services. It is scalable and cost-effective. We can add a graph on the other security on top of Cloudflare.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Adalberto Barbosa Da Costa Lobato - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Solutions Architect at gwcloud.company
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
A stable and easy-to-deploy solution that enables users to deliver files and media across the world
Pros and Cons
  • "The speed and usability of the solution are valuable."
  • "The tool must provide regional control."

What is our primary use case?

I use the solution for CDN.

How has it helped my organization?

We use the platform to deliver files and media across the world.

What is most valuable?

The speed and usability of the solution are valuable. It's part of AWS. It’s pretty useful.

What needs improvement?

The tool must provide regional control. It must provide features to allow only one region to reach the content via CDN.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for six years. I am using the latest version of the solution.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the tool’s stability a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate the solution’s scalability a ten out of ten.

How was the initial setup?

The tool is very easy to set up.

What was our ROI?

I have seen a 100% return on investment in the product.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The product could improve its price. People using the product must pay attention to what they are setting up. The cost can greatly increase if they do not take care of it.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I rate the product a ten out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Download our free Amazon CloudFront Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: May 2024
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Amazon CloudFront Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.