CDN and caching

Every website on a FiniteHost web plan comes with its own Bunny CDN host. The CDN keeps copies of your images, stylesheets and scripts on servers around the world, so visitors download them from somewhere close by. Your pages stay correct because dynamic pages are never cached for other visitors.

Before you start#

• Add the website and connect your domain, including the www CNAME record.

How your site is served#

The www name is a CNAME to your site's CDN host (shown on the CDN page and under Domains & DNS). The CDN fetches from your server over HTTPS the first time a file is requested, then serves copies from its edge locations.

What is cached and what is not#

• Static files (images, CSS, JavaScript, fonts, PDFs) are cached at the edge using normal caching rules.
• PHP pages that do not set their own Cache-Control header are sent with Cache-Control: private, no-cache. The CDN does not store them, so a logged-in WordPress page, a cart or a checkout is never shown to someone else.
• Changes you upload show up within minutes. If you replace an image but keep the same file name, some visitors may see the old copy for a while; renaming the file (for example logo-v2.png) makes the change instant.

Cache a PHP page on purpose#

If a page is the same for everyone (for example a public price list), you can let the CDN cache it by sending your own header before any output:

<?php
// Allow browsers and the CDN to keep this page for 10 minutes.
header('Cache-Control: public, max-age=600');
?>

Only do this for pages that never show personal information. Pages for logged-in users, carts and forms must stay uncached.

CDN traffic and your plan#

Each web plan includes CDN traffic per billing period. It is counted for the period you have paid for and starts again when you renew.

1. Watch the meter. Open CDN in the left menu. The Bandwidth this period card shows traffic used against your allowance. The figure is updated a few minutes after traffic happens.
2. Read the emails. We email you when you reach 80% and again at 100% of the allowance.
3. Know the 120% rule. Above 120%, your sites stop using the CDN and are served from your server only until the next period. They keep working, but may load more slowly for far-away visitors.
4. Get more if you need it. The warning email mentions extra traffic in 100 GB blocks. There is no button for this in the panel yet: write to support@finitehost.com, or upgrade your plan.

Troubleshooting#

• www shows an error but the bare domain works: the CDN fetches from https://acme.in, so the bare domain must have its certificate first. Wait until SSL / HTTPS shows HTTPS on, then check that www is a CNAME to the CDN host.
• I see an old version of a file: rename the file or add a version to its link (style.css?v=2).
• My PHP code sees a CDN address instead of the visitor's: FiniteHost already trusts the CDN's forwarding header, so $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'] holds the real visitor address. Rate limits also apply per real visitor.

What's next#

• Plan limits: every limit and what happens when you reach it.
• Upload your website
• Website security