General F.A.Q.

What is a CDN?

A CDN (Content Delivery Network or Content Distribution Network), is a system of servers networked together across the Internet that cooperate to deliver content to end users, most often for the purpose of improving performance, scalability and cost efficiency.

What is TinyCDN?

TinyCDN is a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution that provides a user-friendly interface. TinyCDN makes it easy and economical for individuals and companies to distribute information over the Internet faster by using a CDN.

Why TinyCDN?

The founders of TinyCDN realized that most CDNs are relatively expensive and complex to use, making it almost impossible for individuals and small- to medium-sized businesses to benefit from their services. TinyCDN ensures that these challenges are removed and that all Internet users can benefit from a high performance CDN and can get their information quickly to users wherever they may be.

How does TinyCDN make my site faster?

Your site will become faster for two reasons. First, TinyCDN will optimize the files you distribute on the CDN. Optimized files (smaller files) are delivered much faster over the Internet. This is a TinyCDN differentiator. Most CDN vendors do not optimize the files since they make money on the amount of bandwidth they sell. Second, TinyCDN leverages the speed, scale and availability of Amazon Web Services. This truly global CDN will ensure that your content is distributed quickly to your customers all over the globe.

How do I sign up for a TinyCDN account?

You simply fill out the sign-up form. You will immediately receive an automated welcome e-mail from TinyCDN and you can begin uploading files immediately.

How do I know which package to choose?

Your package choice depends on your storage and transfer needs. We have created several standard packages that apply to a wide range of network sizes, but if you find that your needs are greater than our package sizes, you can contact us at 1-888-TINYCDN and we can provide you with a quote. If you have accurate storage and transfer data, pick the package that most closely fits your needs. Should your needs increase over time, you can upgrade to a larger package.

Can I get a package that offers more storage and/or bandwidth than the standard packages?

Yes you can. Should you be looking for larger packages, contact us and let us know how much storage and transfer you are expecting and we will provide you with a quote. TinyCDN aims at making the Internet faster and more economical for everyone.

How do I connect TinyCDN to my Web site once I sign-up?

Once you have created your account with TinyCDN, you can begin uploading your website files to your account. There are several ways to do this, and you can view training videos in our learning center.

What kind of content can be uploaded using TinyCDN?

Ideally speaking, you should upload optimized files (no worries, TinyCDN optimizes your files for you). Videos, pictures, microsites, Flash files, and audio files can all be uploaded and distributed on the CDN.

What happens if I go above my allotted bandwidth?

TinyCDN was designed to make it easy for customers to distribute information around the world. Should you get close to your allotted bandwidth, TinyCDN will warn you and give you an opportunity to upgrade your package. If you have upgraded your package and find you need to downgrade the next month, you can just come to the site and downgrade the package manually for the next billing period.

Do I have to sign a contract?

No. In the spirit of speed and nimbleness, you will not have to sign a contract with TinyCDN. You will simply need to read and agree to the terms of services and you will be ready to distribute your files.

How will I be billed?

You will be billed monthly for the package you select. Should you get close to your maximum storage or transfer rate, TinyCDN will inform you in advance and give you the opportunity to upgrade your package.

What type of support is available?

We really enjoy speaking to our customers. Should you have some feedback or technical questions, please contact us and we will be back in touch with you within 24 hours or sooner.

Will I be able to use my own domain name?

Yes, you simply point your domain name to TinyCDN in "My Account." Click on the "Account Information" tab, and under the "Change Your Information" heading, enter your domain name in the CNAME alias box. This will map your website information on TinyCDN to your domain name.

What is TinyCDN's mission?

TinyCDN, as a company, is fanatical about speed. Our mission is to make your sites faster by optimizing and simplifying the Internet as an information delivery source. Through the smart development of integrated tools, we aim at making it easier for everyone to harness the power of the Web.

Technical F.A.Q.

Should all files be gzipped?

No, only the files that have text based content should be gzipped. This includes:

• CSS
• Javascript (.js)
• XML
• TXT
• HMTL
• and other text based files.

As a guideline you should avoid gzipping files such as images, videos, audio etc.

What is an Expires Header and what date should I assign to my files?

Excellent question. Here is some info taken from the gurus of speed over at Yahoo! (developer.yahoo.com):

"Web page designs are getting richer and richer, which means more scripts, stylesheets, images, and Flash in the page. A first-time visitor to your page may have to make several HTTP requests, but by using the Expires Header you make those components cacheable. This avoids unnecessary HTTP requests on subsequent page views. Expires Headers are most often used with images, but they should be used on all components including scripts, stylesheets, and Flash components.

Browsers (and proxies) use a cache to reduce the number and size of HTTP requests, making web pages load faster. A web server uses the Expires Header in the HTTP response to tell the client how long a component can be cached. This is a far future Expires Header, telling the browser that this response won't be stale until April 15, 2010.

Using a far future Expires header affects page views only after a user has already visited your site. It has no effect on the number of HTTP requests when a user visits your site for the first time and the browser's cache is empty. Therefore the impact of this performance improvement depends on how often users hit your pages with a primed cache. (A "primed cache" already contains all of the components in the page.) We measured this at Yahoo! and found the number of page views with a primed cache is 75-85%. By using a far future Expires Header, you increase the number of components that are cached by the browser and re-used on subsequent page views without sending a single byte over the user's Internet connection."

What is the CDNScore?

TinyCDN came up with the idea of a CDNScore to help people know when they can do more to optimize the file for use on the internet and be faster. At the end of the day, serving files from a CDN can make things faster but many times there are still ways to get more out of it. The CDNScore is generated by evaluating the files as they are uploaded. We test them for the amount of benefit for gzip, expires headers, and other important factors. The CDNScore is meant to be a guide to let you know if something can be faster.

What does it mean to have "owner privileges"?

The Account Owner is typically the person who signed up for the account. As the Owner, you can access all parts of the system giving you the ability to edit account information, add/remove users (known as "members"), change your network information, upgrade your package, and/or update the credit card used for payment. An Owner also has the benefit of viewing reports such as recent system logins and a list of past invoices.

What does it mean to have "member privileges"?

A "member" can only be added to an account if they are invited by an account owner. Members only have the ability to manage files and update their account information which includes name, email address and password. Members do not have the ability to add other members to an account or modify payment information as these actions can only be completed by the Account Owner

Why would I want to "invite users" to join my account?

It is important to know that at times you might need an agency or other 3rd party to access your network of files. If you invite someone to your network they can enter the system, update files and make changes without accessing any account information. When they are done you can disable their system access. The goal is to make granted access easy and painless.

What does the "distributed" status mean?

We love this status. It means that the files you have uploaded are sitting on servers around the world and are ready for your end users to start pulling them. The status will change to distributed after you have uploaded something new or made a change to a file that required some processing by the system.

My network says it's distributing to the cloud. What does this mean?

When you see this message above your files list, it means we're letting all of the edge servers (the cloud) know about your network so they can get ready to serve files. You can still work with your network like normal. Typically, you will see this message after creating a new network. You may also see this after you change any settings directly affecting the CDN (such as CNAME alias). During this time, your files may not be accessible from the web. Don't worry, it should only take approximately 5-10 minutes.