If you run an online business, you‘re well aware of the growing threats to websites today – everything from DDoS attacks to data breaches. This is why solutions like SUCURI, which offer website security and acceleration, are becoming invaluable.
In this 2800+ word guide, I will be sharing detailed test results to evaluate the performance gains you can achieve by enabling the SUCURI content delivery network (CDN).
As an experienced cybersecurity professional catering to small businesses and tech startups, performance and speed optimization are key focus areas for me in addition to just security. My goal through this extensive evaluation is to provide you data-backed insights on:
- Quantitative performance benefits of using SUCURI‘s CDN
- How it compares to alternative CDNs like Cloudflare
- Best practices to configure SUCURI CDN for optimal speed gains
So let‘s get started, shall we?
Why CDNs Matter for Performance
To understand why SUCURI‘s CDN offering is relevant, let me provide some context first.
As a site owner, two key issues you perpetually grapple with are:
- Ensuring maximum uptime and security against growing threats
- Optimizing for faster page loads because Google now factors speed in rankings
This is where content delivery networks (CDNs) come into the picture.
In a nutshell, CDNs are distributed networks of servers that cache and serve your static content globally. So how do they help?
- Your site content gets served from a location closest to the visitor – thus faster page loads
- Offloads heavy traffic from your origin server – better uptime
- Enhances security by absorbing DDoS attacks
SUCURI offers a CDN solution bundled by default with all their website security offerings. But how much of a real-world difference does it make? Let‘s benchmark!
Key Factors Impacting CDN Performance
Before I dive into the actual test results, it‘s important I share what key parameters determine the speed gains achieved by a CDN. Please pay close attention here!
1. Number and Location of Edge Servers
CDNs work by distributing traffic across a network of edge servers. So the location and reach of these servers play a vital role.
- SUCURI CDN locations: Europe – London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam etc | Americas – San Jose, Washington, Chicago etc | Asia – Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney etc
Ideally you‘d want presence closer to your site visitors for faster data transfers.
2. Caching Rules and Configuration
Smart caching ensures critical page components are stored at edge locations for faster retrieval. This includes:
- Static assets – CSS, JS, images
- Dynamic content
- HTTP caching headers like cache lifetime settings
Proper configuration minimizes trips back to the origin server.
3. Compression and Protocol Support
To optimize bandwidth usage, CDNs use:
- GZIP compression – reduces file sizes
- HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 – faster loading and transfers
These translate to visible performance gains for end-users.
Now that you understand the key levers, let‘s benchmark SUCURI!
Testing Methodology
I set out to evaluate the SUCURI CDN from a real-world perspective. Below is an overview of how I designed the test environment:
Test Site
- Self-hosted WordPress site
- Running on a SiteGround shared hosting plan
- No additional caching plugins enabled
Tools Used
- Pingdom
- WebPageTest
- Lighthouse
Metrics Tracked
- First Contentful Paint
- Time to Interactive
- Overall page load time
- Lighthouse performance scores
I simulated tests from 4 geographic regions – New York, London, Sydney and Mumbai. This gave me a rounded perspective on improvements.
Let‘s look at the baseline performance first without SUCURI enabled.
Initial Results (Without SUCURI)
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