Easily compare ChinaCache and Tata Communications for POP locations, products, pricing, features & support. We hope this helps you better understand the similarities and differences between these content delivery networks.
Company
| Company | ChinaCache | Tata Communications |
|---|---|---|
| Short profile | Founded in 1998, publicly traded on NASDAQ (CCIH), ChinaCache is the first CDN in China and generally considered to be one of the better CDNs for China delivery because of their network, knowledge and experience from working with (enterprise) multinational customers. The ChinaCache network and services are not limited to mainland China and ChinaCache has been growing steadily outside China in the past years. | Tata Communications is a full service, carrier grade, global CDN that has been in operation since their acquisition of BitGravity in 2012. The CDN rides on Tata’s global infrastructure which is the largest Tier 1 network in the world. Tata’s ownership of the network and peering relationships enable it to be very competitive when it comes to price. |
Products
| Product | ChinaCache | Tata Communications |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic content deliveryNon-cacheable content delivery. User login, shopping cart ... | Dynamic Content Acceleration | Dynamic Site Acceleration |
| Small file deliveryStatic object delivery; caching of small files (file size <1 MB) | Static Content Acceleration | Whole Site Acceleration |
| Large file deliveryStatic object delivery; caching of large files (file size >1 MB) | Download Acceleration | Large Object Rapid Delivery |
| Live videoDelivery of live video. RTMP? Transcoding/transmuxing? | Media Acceleration | Live Streaming |
| Video on demandDelivery of on demand video | Media Acceleration | Video On Demand |
| Image OptimizationAutomatic image transformation/compression/optimization | ||
| DNSAuthoritative DNS for customer domain | ||
| WAFWeb Application Firewall | CDN Security | |
| Anti-DDoSDDoS attack protection. Specific product(s) for this. | CDN Security | |
| Private CDNDedicated edge resources & custom configs | ||
| Edge ComputeRun your code on CDN edge servers |
Network
How many POP locations do ChinaCache and Tata Communications have in different parts of the world?
| Region | ChinaCache | Tata Communications |
|---|---|---|
| North America | 8 | 8 |
| Latin America | 1 | 0 |
| Europe | 3 | 4 |
| Russia & CIS | 0 | 0 |
| Asia excl. China | 10 | 10 |
| China | 400 | 0 |
| Oceania | 0 | 1 |
| Middle East | 1 | 1 |
| Africa | 1 | 0 |
Pricing
| Pricing & contract duration | ChinaCache | Tata Communications |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum contract term | 12 months | Unknown |
| Minimum monthly costs | Unknown | Unknown |
| Requests costsCustomers pay for client to CDN requests | None | Unknown |
| Ingress costsCustomers pay for origin-to-CDN bytes transferred | Unknown | Unknown |
| NA/EU traffic (low volume) | Unknown | Unknown |
| APAC traffic (low volume) | Unknown | Unknown |
| LATAM traffic (low volume) | Unknown | Unknown |
Features
| Web acceleration | ChinaCache | Tata Communications |
|---|---|---|
| Instant setupSign up, configure, start testing. | ||
| Change propagation delayHow fast do config changes propagate to all POPs? | <5 minutes | <10 minutes |
Apex/root domain OK  No performance degradation when using http(s)://domain.com |
Non-Anycasted network |
Global Anycasted network
Tata recommends against root domain though, as they may make changes in DNS at any time
|
| HTTP/2 | End of 2017 | |
| HTTP/3 | ||
| WebSockets | ||
| IPv6Do the edge servers have IPv6? | At customer request | |
| Compression Reduce file size for faster delivery |
Resend from origin
Always fetch compressed from origin
|
|
| Origin pull - protocolHTTP only or HTTPS possible too? | HTTP and HTTPS | HTTP and HTTPS |
| Origin pull - Host headerUse client > edge value? Set specific value? |
Configure specific other Host header
CDN can also forward client request Host header to origin
|
Can't configure specific other Host header |
| Origin ShieldOne POP pulls from origin, other POPs pull from the shield POP |
Tiered architecture, not single POP shield
Tata support is needed to enable/configure this
|
|
| Waiting RoomDuring peak traffic, route users to a virtual waiting room | ||
| Push / uploadStore your content directly on CDN, no customer origin | ||
| Cache control - CDN caching |
CDN can honor origin headers
Custom rules can be set by CDN support team
|
Full and granular control |
| Cache control - client caching | Full and granular control | |
| Serve Stale CDN serves cached but expired content in case origin is in trouble |
||
| Purge Invalidate or delete cached objects on CDN |
<3 minutes delay | No longer than 2 mins, often much faster |
| Purge - capabilities | Purge all, purge by directory | Purge all, purge by directory, not by tag or header |
| Analytics |
Many metrics in the UI
2 seconds refresh ('instant') possible at extra charge
|
|
| Log files | Logs are daily or hourly |
Refreshed every 24h. Available via FTP
15m refresh possible at extra charge
|
| API | Purge, analytics, billing. Not configuration | Purge, configuration. Not analytics |
| HTTPS & Content Protection | ChinaCache | Tata Communications |
|---|---|---|
| CDN domain HTTPSUse the CDN's domain, like cloudfront.net | Only for testing | |
| Customer domain HTTPSYour domain in the CDN's certificate | ||
| Customer cert HTTPSYour certificate on the CDN |
SNI. Pricing is custom.
Update cert via UI or API
|
|
| Token authentication | ||
| Geo blocking | ||
| Hotlink protectionThird parties cannot deeplink to your content | Their support team is needed | |
| Basic authenticationUser logs in on the CDN to get content | ||
| IP white/blacklisting |
White or black listing. IP addresses and CIDR blocks
Customer can configure self in UI
|
Support
| Customer support | ChinaCache | Tata Communications |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation | Yes, but not public. | Some documentation, not public |
| Humans | Different levels of support are available. | All customers get 24/7 email and phone support. |