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 effortlessly 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 has to be available from one or several origins. This origin can consist of one or more web servers from your infrastructure, a cloud service, or one of Azion’s Origin services.

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.
Customize origins and error pages.

Build your first edge application

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

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.
Load Balancer	Balance traffic between your origin servers and cloud providers to improve fault tolerance and avoid network congestion.
Tiered Cache	Add a cache layer between your users and the edge to keep objects in cache for longer periods of time.
WebSocket Proxy	Enable the WebSocket protocol to establish full-duplex communication channels over one TCP connection.

Advanced settings

Edge Application allows advanced configuration of origins, cache, functions, error pages, and more, optimizing content delivery for improved performance and user experience.

See the documentation for each available setting:

Setting	Description
Main Settings	Customize your application delivery with Azion’s range of protocol options including HTTP, HTTPS, and HTTP/3 support for a better user experience and secure your connection with TLS ciphers.
Origins	Modify your origin address, `Host` header, path, protocol policies, and HMAC authentication credentials.
Device Groups	Create groups to change your application’s cache and delivery behavior according to end-user devices.
Error Responses	Customize error response pages, their cache expiration time, and their origin.
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.

Domains

Azion Domains provides you with the flexibility to use automatically generated domains or your own custom domains, allowing you to manage and deliver content effectively through your edge applications with support for secure connections over HTTP and HTTPS.

Learn more about Domains

Digital Certificates

With Digital Certificates, you can enhance the security of your HTTPS applications by binding a custom TLS certificate to your edge application.

Learn more about Digital Certificates

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 Purge

Limits

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