# Edge

Concept · [Cloud, hosting and security](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/cloud)

Also called: the edge, edge computing, edge network, edge location, at the edge

Running code and storing data in many locations close to users, instead of in one distant [data center](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/data-center), mainly so responses arrive faster. Vendors use the word in different ways.

**For example:** A visitor in Tulsa opens a site. A [server](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/server) in a nearby city answers, not one on another continent, so the page appears sooner.

## Connects to (5)

- [CDN](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/cdn): Content delivery network.
- [Serverless](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/serverless): A way to run code where the cloud provider sets up and looks after the servers.
- [Region](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/region): A geographic location where a cloud provider groups its data centers.
- [Data center](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/data-center): A building that houses the computers, storage and network equipment that run online services, along with the power and cooling they need.
- [Cloudflare](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/cloudflare): A company that runs a global network for websites and apps.

Map view: https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/edge