Edge Application
Edge Application is an Azion product that allows you to build applications that run in Azion’s edge network. By reducing latency and enhancing throughput, Edge Application optimizes your end-user experience by bringing your application closer to them.
By operating on a reverse proxy architecture, Edge Application allows you to create applications on the edge and direct traffic from your domain to Azion. Through this process, your users can access your application via a highly distributed global network of edge nodes. Then, Azion selects which edge node closest to the user can handle the request.
Your content or application must be served from one or more origins. An origin, also called your applications backend, can be made up of one or more web servers in your infrastructure, a cloud service, or Edge Storage. Edge Connector is used to connect to these origin sources. For more information, see the Edge Connector reference. With Edge Application, you can:
- Define how your content will be cached.
- Execute functions at the edge.
- Bring your business rules for any request or response.
- Optimize content and image delivery for your users.
You can create and manage edge applications using:
Implementation
| Scope | Resource |
|---|---|
| Edge Application first steps | First steps |
| Clone an edge application | How to clone an edge application |
| Delete an edge application | How to delete an edge application |
| Edge Application Main Settings | Main Settings |
| Edge Application Cache Settings | Cache Settings |
| Get to know Edge Functions | Edge Functions Instances |
| Get to know Device Groups | Device Groups |
| Get to know Workloads | Workloads |
| Get to know Edge Connector | Edge Connector |
| Get to know Real-Time Purge | Real-Time Purge |
| Rules Engine for Edge Application | Rules Engine |
Modules
Modules can complement your implementation of Edge Application. You can enable or disable modules in the Main Settings tab of your application, provided your account supports them and there are no existing dependencies upon deactivation.
See the documentation for each module:
| Module | Description |
|---|---|
| Application Accelerator | Optimize API protocols and manage dynamic content delivery to accelerate applications and APIs. |
| Edge Cache | Configure cache settings to speed up the delivery of static and dynamic content. |
| Edge Functions | Build ultra-low latency applications and customize content delivery. |
| Image Processor | Optimize image processing for various devices, browsers, and screen resolutions. |
| Tiered Cache | Add a cache layer between your users and the edge to keep objects in cache for longer periods of time. |
Advanced settings
Edge Application lets you manage caching, functions, and other settings. These capabilities help you optimize content delivery for better performance and user experience.
See the documentation for each available setting:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Main Settings | Manage modules like Application Accelerator and Image Processor |
| Device Groups | Create groups to change your application’s cache and delivery behavior according to end-user devices. |
| Cache Settings | Configure your application’s browser and edge cache expiration time, large file optimization, and advanced cache behavior based on cookies or query strings. |
| Functions | Instantiate functions created with Edge Functions. |
| Rules Engine | Automate the execution of behaviors based on specific parameters for your edge application. |
Real-Time Purge
Use Real-Time Purge to clear cached content from Azion’s edge or from the [tiered cache layer]](/en/documentation/products/build/edge-application/tiered-cache/) to maintain content accuracy, reduce outdated content delivery, and deliver an optimal user experience on your edge application.
Learn more about Real-Time PurgeLimits
These are the default limits:
| Scope | Limit |
|---|---|
| Minimum CDN cache TTL | 60 seconds For the Application Accelerator module: 0 seconds |
| Debug Rules log size | 1.5 kB |
| Edge-client keepalive connection¹ | 10 to 15 minutes |
| Single object size in cache | 10 GB |
¹ Azion enforces a keepalive connection duration limit between users and edge applications. To avoid the termination of active connections that require more time to complete, consider implementing file slicing or file compression for large files to improve data transfer speeds.
These are the default limits for each Service Plan:
| Scope | Developer | Business | Enterprise | Mission Critical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edge applications per account | 10 | 50 | 200 | Customizable |