---
title: "Deploy your first CDN"
description: "Step-by-step guide to deploying a CDN on Edge Network: create a deployment, add a domain and origin, set a CNAME record, and get automatic SSL within a minute."
url: "https://edge.network/docs/cdn/getting-started"
section: "CDN"
---

# Deploy your first CDN

This guide walks you through creating a CDN deployment and adding your first domain.

## Prerequisites

- An Edge Network account ([sign up here](/console/access/new))
- A domain or subdomain you want to serve through the CDN
- Access to your domain's DNS settings
- An origin server where your content lives (S3, your web server, etc.)

## 1. Create a CDN deployment

A deployment is a container for your CDN domains. You might have one deployment per project or environment.

1. Navigate to **CDN** in the sidebar.
2. Click **Deploy CDN**.
3. Enter a name for your deployment (e.g. "My Website" or "Production").
4. Click **Create Deployment**.

![Configuration options when creating a deployment](/media/docs/control-cdn-create.svg)

## 2. Add a domain

Now add the domain you want to serve through the CDN.

1. Click **Add Domain**.
2. Enter your domain (e.g. `cdn.yoursite.com`).
3. Enter your origin URL (e.g. `https://origin.yoursite.com` or an S3 bucket URL).
4. Click **Add Domain**.

![Add Domain modal with domain and origin fields](/media/docs/control-cdn-domains.svg)

> [!NOTE]
> The origin is where your actual content lives. This could be an S3 bucket, another CDN, your web server, or any URL that serves your static files.

## 3. Configure DNS

Point your domain to Edge CDN by adding this CNAME record at your DNS provider:

| Type | Name/Host | Value/Target |
|---|---|---|
| `CNAME` | `cdn` | `cdn.edge.network` |

Replace `cdn` with your subdomain. For a root domain, you may need to use your DNS provider's CNAME flattening feature or an ALIAS record.

1. Log in to your DNS provider (Cloudflare, Route53, etc.).
2. Add a CNAME record pointing to `cdn.edge.network`.
3. Wait for DNS propagation (usually 1–5 minutes).
4. Click **Check DNS** in the Edge console.

## 4. Wait for the SSL certificate

Once DNS is verified, we automatically issue a free SSL certificate for your domain using Let's Encrypt. The domain's SSL status changes from `issuing` to `active`.

Certificate issuance typically takes 30–60 seconds. The page updates automatically.

> [!TIP]
> **You're live!** Your domain is now being served through Edge CDN with automatic SSL. Visit your domain to see it in action.

## Host a static site

You can serve a static website directly from an Edge Storage bucket through the CDN. Upload your files to a storage bucket, create a CDN deployment with **Storage Bucket** as the origin type, and add your domain. When using a storage bucket origin, the CDN automatically serves `index.html` for directory paths. For example, visiting `example.com/` serves `index.html` from the bucket root. The result is fully static hosting with global CDN caching, automatic SSL and zero egress fees.

1. Create a storage bucket.
2. Upload your site files (`index.html`, CSS, JS, images).
3. Create a CDN deployment.
4. Add a domain with origin type **Storage Bucket**.
5. Your site is live.

The agent API can do all of this in one call with `POST /agent/deploy/static-site`. See the [Storage documentation](/docs/storage) for more on buckets.

## Test your CDN

Verify everything is working correctly:

```bash
# Check the response headers
curl -I https://cdn.yoursite.com/path/to/file.jpg

# Look for these headers:
# x-cache: HIT (served from cache)
# Server: Edge CDN (confirmation that Edge served the request)
```

## Next steps

- [Configuration](/docs/cdn/configuration) — Presets, caching rules and image settings
- [Image optimisation](/docs/cdn/image-optimization) — Resize and optimise images on the fly
- [Caching](/docs/cdn/caching) — Understand cache behaviour and TTLs
- [View analytics](/docs/cdn/analytics) — Monitor traffic and cache performance