Two Exciting Updates to FastEdge, Including Optimized CDN Communication

July 22, 2024 2 min read

We’re excited to announce significant updates to our Gcore CDN and FastEdge integration. These improvements simplify the setup process, optimize communication between CDN resources and FastEdge applications, and enhance the Gcore Customer Portal for a more intuitive experience. Read on to discover the latest updates to FastEdge.

Proxy-wasm Replaces HTTP

We have replaced the traditional HTTP protocol with Proxy-wasm for communication between CDN applications and FastEdge functions. Proxy-wasm is a low-level protocol designed for efficient communication with Wasm-based applications. It streamlines interactions between FastEdge and Gcore CDN.

How FastEdge and Gcore CDN previously communicated using HTTP — Figure 1. Previous HTTP-based communication

Updated communication protocol between Gcore CDN and FastEdge using Proxy-wasm — Figure 2. New Proxy-wasm protocol

The reason for this change is simple: Using a network protocol for applications hosted on the same server is redundant. In this environment, applications can communicate faster using low-level protocols.

This change brings two key benefits:

Faster interaction between applications. Our tests show a 96% increase in throughput for simple apps, such as JWT-based authentication, compared to HTTP.
Simplified architecture for product communication with the origin. With the new protocol, FastEdge delegates all origin interactions to the CDN, reducing the complexity of edge applications by eliminating unnecessary code.

UI Improvements

We updated the Gcore Customer Portal to reflect the changes above. The FastEdge area now has a new tab called “CDN Applications” where you can create scripts specifically for your CDN needs. These applications will communicate with your CDN resources using the Proxy-wasm protocol.

Gcore Customer Portal showing the new FastEdge area — Figure 3. Gcore Customer Portal updates

You can also select the FastEdge apps you’ve created from within Resource settings.

Resource settings page in Gcore Customer Portal showing the option to add a FastEdge application — Figure 4. Option to select a FastEdge application within Resource settings

These Gcore Customer Portal changes simplify the setup of edge computing applications on your CDN resources.

Experience FastEdge Free

FastEdge, the latest addition to Gcore Edge Network, will continue to be upgraded to improve its effectiveness and efficiency. We’ve got more exciting updates planned for Q3 2024 and beyond.

All the features in this update are available on the FastEdge free plan. Give it a try today!