Cloud CDN & Media CDN Guide (2026)

GCP offers two CDN services — Cloud CDN (general-purpose web/API acceleration) and Media CDN (purpose-built for video streaming, running on YouTube's infrastructure). This article walks through their differences, configuration, pricing, and how they stack up against AWS CloudFront and Cloudflare.

Cloud CDN vs Media CDN

Item	Cloud CDN	Media CDN
Primary use	Web / API / images	Video streaming
Infrastructure	Google Edge	YouTube infrastructure
Load balancer integration	Required (Global External HTTPS LB)	Standalone service
Billing unit	GB + requests	GB (strong volume discounts)
Video-specific features	—	HLS / DASH passthrough, manifest editing
QUIC / HTTP/3	Yes	Yes

Cloud CDN Key Features

Integrated with the Global External HTTPS LB (enabled on a Backend Service or Backend Bucket)
Supports both static and dynamic content
Customizable cache key (URL / query / header / cookie)
Cache Modes: USE_ORIGIN_HEADERS / CACHE_ALL_STATIC / FORCE_CACHE_ALL
Signed URL / Signed Cookie
Cache invalidation (near-instant)
Negative caching (caches errors such as 404)
Origins: GCS / Cloud Run / GKE / external HTTPS

Cloud CDN Configuration Example

# Enable CDN on the backend service
gcloud compute backend-services update my-backend \
  --enable-cdn \
  --cache-mode=CACHE_ALL_STATIC \
  --default-ttl=3600 \
  --max-ttl=86400 \
  --negative-caching \
  --serve-while-stale=86400 \
  --global

# Cache Invalidation
gcloud compute url-maps invalidate-cdn-cache my-lb \
  --path "/static/*" --global

Cloud CDN Pricing (US, 2026)

Item	Price
Cache Egress (US/EU)	$0.08/GB (first 10 TB)
Cache Egress (APAC)	$0.20/GB
Cache Fill (Origin → CDN)	$0.04/GB
Cache Lookup Request	$0.0075/10K
Cache Invalidation	$0.005/Invalidation

Media CDN Key Features

Transparent HLS / DASH streaming
Manifest editing (dynamic rewrite at the CDN edge)
Low-Latency HLS (LL-HLS) support
Origin Shield (reduces origin load)
Live and VOD delivery
YouTube-grade edge PoPs (100+ worldwide)
Signed URL / Signed Cookie
WebSocket / WebRTC TURN relay

Media CDN Pricing (Volume Discounts)

Monthly transfer	Price (US, $/GB)
0-10 TB	$0.04
10-500 TB	$0.03
500 TB-5 PB	$0.025
Over 5 PB	Custom

Comparison with Other CDNs

Item	Cloud CDN	Media CDN	CloudFront	Cloudflare
PoP count	100+	200+ (YouTube)	600+	320+ (largest)
HTTP/3	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Edge Compute	—	—	Lambda@Edge	Workers
WAF	Cloud Armor integration	Cloud Armor integration	AWS WAF	Cloudflare WAF
Price (US/EU)	From $0.08/GB	From $0.04/GB	From $0.085/GB	Free tier available

Typical Use Cases

Cloud CDN

Static sites backed by GCS
SaaS image and JS/CSS delivery
API response caching
Region-specific e-commerce sites

Media CDN

Video streaming platforms (Netflix-style)
Live streaming (sports, events)
Video-based education services
Large-scale WebRTC applications

What is the difference between Cloud CDN and Media CDN?

Cloud CDN is a general-purpose web/API cache integrated with the HTTPS Load Balancer. Media CDN is purpose-built for video streaming and runs on YouTube's infrastructure. For large-scale video delivery, Media CDN has a decisive advantage.

Can Cloud CDN be used standalone?

No. You enable it on a Backend Bucket or Backend Service of a Global External HTTPS Load Balancer, so a load balancer is required. Origins can be GCS, Cloud Run, GKE, or an external HTTPS endpoint.

How is pricing structured?

Cloud CDN charges for cache fill ($0.04-0.20/GB), cache egress ($0.02-0.20/GB), and per-request fees. Media CDN offers volume discounts for large traffic, starting at $0.04/GB on the Standard tier.

How do you configure the cache key?

You can pick URL plus query string, headers, and cookies as cache key components. Careful design is critical to avoid duplicate cache entries for the same content.

How does cache invalidation work?

You invalidate by URL pattern from the console, API, or gcloud. The limit is 100 invalidations per minute and changes propagate within a few seconds.

How does it relate to Cloud Armor?

The request path is HTTPS LB → Cloud Armor (WAF) → Cloud CDN (cache) → Origin. Combining both gives you security and performance at the same time.

Are Signed URLs and Signed Cookies supported?

Both are supported. You can enforce time-limited access, geo restrictions, and user-auth integration directly at the edge.

How does it compare to AWS CloudFront and Cloudflare?

CloudFront brings deep AWS integration and Lambda@Edge. Cloudflare has the largest global PoP footprint. Cloud CDN gives you 100+ Google PoPs with bundled pricing. For video, Media CDN's YouTube-grade infrastructure is in a class of its own.

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NicheeLab Editorial Team

NicheeLab editorial team focused on data engineering and cloud certification learning. Content is structured around practical study needs and official exam domains.

Cloud CDN & Media CDN Complete Guide: Caching, Video Delivery, CloudFront Comparison