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Sudha Gorantla - PeerSpot reviewer
DevOps Engineer at Construction Specialties
Real User
Top 5
Provides good security features, clear documentation, and integrates easily with other tools
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution has good security features."
  • "Sometimes, the server goes down automatically."

What is our primary use case?

We use the product to deliver our content. We can use it in end-to-end projects.

What is most valuable?

The solution has good security features. It has all the features we need. The solution provides more security to our applications. We can integrate the tool easily with other solutions if we follow the documentation properly.

What needs improvement?

Sometimes, the server goes down automatically. We do not know the reason yet.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for the past two years.

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Amazon CloudFront
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is stable. It gives access to all customers.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate the product’s scalability an eight out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

Whenever we contact the support team, the team solves the issue within a day. They respond on time. They put a lot of effort into solving our problems.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

If we do not know anything about AWS, the setup is difficult. If we try to learn the tool, everything will be easier than on other cloud platforms like Azure, IBM, and GCP. AWS is easy to learn. The documentation is very clear. It provides step-by-step information for everything.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Kibana is a tool that is used for open-source data visualization. It is difficult to find information on Azure and GCP’s documentation. Everything is interlinked on AWS on the same page. AWS is one of the best platforms.

What other advice do I have?

We monitor our environment using AWS. I like the EC2 instance. We also use Amazon GuardDuty. I do not have access to the production environment. GuardDuty and AWS Security Hub provide CSPM services to streamline security with automated and continuous security best practices. It provides NACLs and load-balancing features. I will recommend the product to others because it provides high security and high availability worldwide. Overall, I rate the tool 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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Anshuman Sen - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief Innovation Officer at Fluid.Live
Real User
Top 10
Easy to use and provides good security
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is very easy to use."

    What is our primary use case?

    The front end of most of our websites is by CloudFront. It works as a CDN. More than the CDN and the performance, we use Amazon CloudFront for its security. It frontends most of our sites, so we don't have to expose it directly.

    What is most valuable?

    Amazon CloudFront is a robust solution. We can use the solution to block certain countries. Since it frontends our S3, we don't directly expose or make public all the media files. We route it through Amazon CloudFront. The tool integrates with AWS's WAF (Web Application Firewall), which adds a lot of L7 security for us.

    Those are the primary things that we look at. We can use the solution to host things on EC2 instances or S3 buckets. You can choose what to cache and what not to cache. That feature allows you to work with policies, and we use it heavily. It's very easy to integrate Amazon CloudFront with other AWS services. The solution is very easy to use.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Amazon CloudFront for more than five years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    We haven’t faced any issues with the solution’s stability.

    How was the initial setup?

    The solution’s initial setup is very easy.

    What other advice do I have?

    The solution has improved the performance of our applications. Since we run websites, we usually block certain countries because we get a lot of DDoS attacks and hits from them. Although it's a CDN service, we look at Amazon CloudFront more from a security standpoint than the CDN. I would recommend the solution to other users.

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

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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    Amazon CloudFront
    December 2024
    Learn what your peers think about Amazon CloudFront. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
    824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    Ronald Rhey Minoza - PeerSpot reviewer
    Chief Executive Officer at PROJECT MOONSHOT
    Real User
    Top 5
    A cost-effective solution for content delivery but needs better support
    Pros and Cons
    • "The AWS environment was very helpful in terms of integration."
    • "The solution could be more simplified for new users. It could be more user-friendly."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use the solution for content delivery and website acceleration. We use it because AWS and CloudFront are under one environment. It requires AWS configuration.

    What is most valuable?

    We didn't face any issues. The AWS environment was very helpful in terms of integration.

    What needs improvement?

    The solution could be more simplified for new users. It could be more user-friendly. Also, support needs to be improved.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Amazon CloudFront for more than a month.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

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

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is pretty scalable. It works as we expected. We are setting up this solution for a bank with 200 staff employees and more than 5000 users.

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

    How are customer service and support?

    It is hard to get technical support from Amazon. They have launched in the Philippines around June, but it's very limited.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Neutral

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

    We have DigitalOcean but we use AWS because it is cheap.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is moderate in AWS but difficult in Azure.

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

    I rate the product’s pricing a six to seven out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.

    What other advice do I have?

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

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Private Cloud
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Aditya Goswami - PeerSpot reviewer
    Sr. Consultant Sales - AWS at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
    Real User
    Top 5
    Reduced latency enhances fast content delivery with good auto-scaling
    Pros and Cons
    • "One of the most valuable features of CloudFront is the reduced latency due to its edge locations, which results in a very fast delivery of data."
    • "CloudFront could improve in the areas of auto-scaling, reports, and insights. End clients desire more detailed reports to understand usage patterns better."

    What is our primary use case?

    My primary use case for Amazon CloudFront involves utilizing it as a CDN service from AWS. It is used mainly for e-commerce websites and for clients who have critical applications that require faster loading of their mobile applications and websites. 

    I've worked with clients in the e-commerce industry who seek to load pages and products faster and in an efficient manner. 

    Additionally, I've supported EdTech clients who use videos on their site and conduct live classes; CloudFront aids in delivering content quickly.

    How has it helped my organization?

    CloudFront has allowed organizations to enhance their applications and websites' overall performance, significantly impacting user experience and customer retention. 

    It helps regain customers by ensuring that websites load quickly, preventing potential users from switching to competitors' sites. This enhanced user experience translates to higher customer trust and retention, assisting in achieving business goals.

    What is most valuable?

    One of the most valuable features of CloudFront is the reduced latency due to its edge locations, which results in a very fast delivery of data. It also offers encryption capabilities and DDoS attack protection, which can be monitored and managed efficiently. 

    Another highlight is its user-friendly nature, particularly for developers and DevOps teams, due to complete APIs and arrangements, which simplify integration within applications and websites.

    What needs improvement?

    CloudFront could improve in the areas of auto-scaling, reports, and insights. End clients desire more detailed reports to understand usage patterns better. 

    There's an opportunity to modernize modules to support organizations completely on cloud with AI and ML solutions, making it more robust and flexible for contemporary technological demands.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been working with CloudFront for approximately one or two years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    During my experience with CloudFront, I encountered only a few instances of downtime, not exceeding one or two minutes per occurrence, and it has not been a major issue overall.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    CloudFront supports scalability through its auto-scaling feature, using container services like Kubernetes, crucial for handling unpredictable traffic spikes. It is highly beneficial for content delivery and offers significant support during major events.

    How are customer service and support?

    While there are occasional technical queries regarding latency from multiple data sources, interactions with AWS technical support have been rare due to the minimal technical issues faced.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

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

    I have experience with Azure CDN, which offers a more flexible pricing model for end clients. However, CloudFront is slightly faster than Azure CDN.

    How was the initial setup?

    I am not involved in the initial setup or deployment directly. That said, I understand CloudFront is user-friendly.

    What about the implementation team?

    I am not part of the deployment or implementation team. I am more involved in sales, account management, and consulting.

    What was our ROI?

    Clients who have used CloudFront, particularly in the e-commerce sector, have seen an increase in profitability. They have acquired new customers and experienced approximately ten to fifteen percent improvements in their ROI.

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

    The pricing of CloudFront is generally reasonable, offering a pay-as-you-go model with a twelve-month free trial for smaller websites. There is room for improvement, especially considering competition from other providers.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    I have considered Microsoft Azure CDN.

    What other advice do I have?

    I recommend CloudFront for any business, application, or website that aims to enhance end-user experience by providing fast content delivery. It is particularly beneficial for e-commerce but can also assist any content-focused endeavor.

    I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

    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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    PeerSpot user
    Infrastructure manager
    Real User
    Top 10
    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. 

    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.
    PeerSpot user
    Guilherme Golabek Brein - PeerSpot reviewer
    IT Manager Consultant at Alvarez & Marsal
    Consultant
    Top 10
    A stable CDN that distributed content much closer to users
    Pros and Cons
    • "The most valuable feature is the number of servers they can put your content in while being reliable."
    • "The user interface could be improved."

    What is our primary use case?

    I've used CloudFront, as the company's CDN, to distribute content across better local servers to help the final user perform better.

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable feature is the number of servers they can put your content in while being reliable. They are stable. It's a strong feature that helps distribute content close to the users.

    What needs improvement?

    The user interface could be improved. It's much easier to control or see financial results from similar solutions from Google.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution is very stable. I can only remember one or two times that the product was unstable, but overall, it is very hard for something to go wrong.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is very scalable.

    How are customer service and support?

    In the free tier, you receive very little support from Amazon. You get more support with premium support, but I believe Amazon lacks documentation. This is mainly a problem with people like us from abroad because it's not common for them to translate materials, and they are closed off from the community, so they do not offer the greatest support.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Neutral

    How was the initial setup?

    It takes a long time to deploy the solution, but the most difficult part is deploying it nicely. The user should fine-tune the configuration to achieve the solution's full potential.

    Depending on the complexity of the deployment, the number of people required varies. Just deploying the CDN on the cloud is not hard. If you have one or two good developers, they can deploy the solution themselves.

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

    I rate Amazon CloudFront's pricing a five out of ten.

    What other advice do I have?

    Amazon CloudFront is not the most complex application for Amazon to set up, but some complexities could be improved to get the most of the power out of this service. However, the solution works perfectly when designed well by the architect.

    I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    RamaChandra Rao Vadranam - PeerSpot reviewer
    AWS Developer at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees
    Real User
    Top 5
    Boosts global reach with effective content delivery and cache management
    Pros and Cons
    • "The most beneficial feature is capturing the static data, which is crucial for our operations."
    • "There is a bit of a workaround required for custom domain management on CloudFront."

    What is our primary use case?

    I primarily use it to serve static content and to provide an additional call drive to the API Gateway.

    How has it helped my organization?

    It is very effective in enhancing our application's global reach with its distributed network across geographical locations. It has improved both the performance and reach of our applications.

    What is most valuable?

    The most beneficial feature is capturing the static data, which is crucial for our operations.

    What needs improvement?

    There is a bit of a workaround required for custom domain management on CloudFront. Mapping the domain involves some complexity with the domain provider, and it's tricky when doing it for the first time.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using CloudFront for five years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Stability is good. It does not face significant issues or break down.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Scalability is good, there are no issues observed.

    How are customer service and support?

    Customer support is rated six out of ten due to knowledge-related aspects.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Neutral

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is not straightforward and requires some prior knowledge and experience.

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

    CloudFront is relatively cheap and worth the money.

    What other advice do I have?

    One needs to be aware of how data caching works, especially when trying to refresh data, as it involves cache invalidation, which requires some management.

    I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
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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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    Updated: December 2024
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    Download our free Amazon CloudFront Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.