Azure CDN - Content Delivery Network

What is Azure CDN?

Azure CDN (Content Delivery Network) was Microsoft’s offering for delivering static and dynamic web content through globally distributed edge servers. By caching content at edge locations, a CDN reduces latency, offloads origin servers, and improves the performance of websites, APIs, and streaming services.

Important for planning: Azure CDN from Microsoft (classic) is in wind-down mode. Since August 15, 2025, no new domains or profiles can be created, and no new managed certificates have been issued since the same date. Full retirement of Azure CDN Standard from Microsoft (classic) is planned for September 30, 2027. The Akamai and Verizon/Edgio provider tiers have already been fully retired (Akamai: migrated to Edgio since 2023; Edgio: retired on January 15, 2025). For new projects, and for migrating existing Azure CDN profiles, Microsoft recommends Azure Front Door, which combines CDN functionality with Layer 7 load balancing, WAF, and global anycast routing.

Core Features (Azure CDN classic)

• Edge caching at numerous points of presence worldwide
• HTTPS with custom domains (managed certificates only for endpoints created before August 2025; afterward, bring-your-own-certificate only)
• Rule-based caching policies and query string caching
• Geo-filtering for country-specific content control
• Integration with Azure Blob Storage and Web Apps

Typical Use Cases

Existing Azure CDN profiles continue to be used for delivering static assets (images, JavaScript bundles, downloads) until migrated to Azure Front Door. New projects requiring global content delivery, dynamic web applications, or WAF capabilities should build directly on Azure Front Door.

Benefits

• For existing customers: latency reduction through geographic proximity to users, until migration to Front Door is due
• Easy integration with existing Azure resources
• Clear migration path to Azure Front Door with expanded capabilities (WAF, load balancing)

Migrating to Azure Front Door

For new projects, and for existing Azure CDN profiles ahead of the retirement date, Microsoft provides a tier migration tool that moves Azure CDN (classic) profiles to Azure Front Door Standard or Premium, including endpoints, caching rules, and custom domains.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Azure CDN still current, or is it being replaced?

Azure CDN from Microsoft (classic) is in wind-down mode: since August 2025, no new domains or profiles can be created, and full retirement is planned for September 30, 2027. Microsoft recommends Azure Front Door for new projects.

What is the difference between Azure CDN and Azure Front Door?

Azure CDN (classic) is designed for static caching. Azure Front Door combines CDN functionality with Layer 7 load balancing, WAF integration, and global anycast routing, and is Microsoft’s recommended platform for new delivery and security scenarios.

What happened to Azure CDN from Akamai and Verizon/Edgio?

Azure CDN Standard from Akamai stopped accepting new profiles in 2023 and was auto-migrated to Edgio. Azure CDN from Edgio (formerly Verizon) was fully retired on January 15, 2025. Affected customers need to migrate to Azure Front Door or Azure CDN from Microsoft.

Can I still use HTTPS with custom domains?

Existing Azure CDN (classic) endpoints support HTTPS with custom domains, but no new managed certificates have been issued since August 2025. New certificates must be brought by the customer (BYOC), or the domain must be migrated to Azure Front Door.

Integration with innFactory

As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, innFactory supports you with assessment and migration from Azure CDN to Azure Front Door: architecture consulting, caching strategies, WAF configuration, and migration planning.