Do I need a CDN if my app only serves static assets and media?

Not always — but often yes, depending on your traffic and audience.

You may not need a CDN if:

• Your app has low traffic
• Most users are in one region
• You’re fine serving files directly from your origin server or object storage
• Your assets/media are small and infrequently accessed

A CDN is useful if:

• You have users in multiple geographic regions
• You serve large media files or lots of static assets
• You want faster load times via edge caching
• You want to reduce load on your origin
• You need better handling of traffic spikes
• You want built-in benefits like DDoS protection, TLS termination, or caching rules

For static assets and media specifically:

A CDN is often a strong fit because:

• Static files compress and cache well
• Media delivery benefits a lot from edge locations
• You can significantly cut bandwidth and latency costs at the origin

Rule of thumb:

• Small/internal app: probably no CDN needed
• Public app with users spread out: CDN is usually worth it
• Media-heavy app: CDN is usually highly recommended

If you want, I can also help you decide based on your traffic, file sizes, and where your users are.