Optimizing MediaTailor performance with CloudFront features

AWS Elemental MediaTailor performance with Amazon CloudFront can be enhanced through additional features beyond basic configuration. After setting up your basic CloudFront configuration with MediaTailor, you can implement additional features to enhance performance, reliability, and customization options. These optimizations help deliver a better viewing experience. They also reduce costs and origin load.

For performance optimization using dynamic routing and parameter handling, see MediaTailor dynamic ad variables for ADS requests. For query parameter optimization strategies, see MediaTailor manifest query parameters.

Reducing origin load with Origin Shield

Origin Shield adds a caching layer between CloudFront edge locations and your origin server. This feature is valuable for live streaming and popular VOD content. It helps when many viewers request the same content at the same time.

By consolidating requests from multiple edge locations, Origin Shield reduces the load on MediaTailor and your content origins.

To enable Origin Shield for your MediaTailor origin

1. Open the CloudFront console and navigate to your distribution.

2. Select the origin that points to your MediaTailor playback configuration.

3. Under Origin Shield, select Yes.

4. From the dropdown menu, select the AWS Region that's closest to your MediaTailor endpoint.

5. Save your changes.

For high-traffic events, Origin Shield significantly reduces request load on your origin and improves reliability. For detailed instructions, see Enabling Origin Shield in the CloudFront developer guide.

Customizing content delivery with CloudFront Functions

CloudFront Functions let you run lightweight JavaScript code at the edge to modify viewer requests and responses. You can use these functions for simple customizations like URL modifications, header manipulation, or basic authentication. For MediaTailor workflows, Functions help with tasks that don't require complex processing.

CloudFront Functions provide a lightweight way to customize content delivery at the edge. Here's how to implement them for your MediaTailor integration:

To implement CloudFront Functions for MediaTailor

1. In the CloudFront console, navigate to Functions.

2. Create a new function and select the appropriate purpose:

   • URL manipulation - To modify multivariant playlist, media playlist, and MPD request URLs before they reach MediaTailor

   • Header manipulation - To add or modify request headers

   • Simple authentication - To validate tokens or query parameters

3. Write your JavaScript function code.

4. Test your function with sample MediaTailor requests.

5. Publish and associate the function with your distribution's cache behavior.

Example Sample CloudFront Function for URL normalization

function handler(event) {
    var request = event.request;
    var uri = request.uri;
    
    // Normalize URLs to lowercase to improve cache hit ratio
    if (uri.includes('.m3u8') || uri.includes('.mpd')) {
        request.uri = uri.toLowerCase();
    }
    
    return request;
}
            

For more information and code examples, see Customize at the edge by using CloudFront Functions in the CloudFront developer guide.

Implementing advanced customizations with Lambda@Edge

When you need more complex processing capabilities than CloudFront Functions can provide, use Lambda@Edge. This service lets you run Node.js or Python functions at CloudFront edge locations.

Lambda@Edge functions can perform sophisticated operations like complex authentication, larger response modifications, or third-party API integrations.

For more complex customizations, use Lambda@Edge functions with your MediaTailor and CloudFront integration:

To implement Lambda@Edge with MediaTailor

1. Create a Lambda function in the US East (N. Virginia) Region.

2. Write your function code for one of these use cases:

   • URL manipulation - To modify multivariant playlist, media playlist, and MPD request URLs before they reach MediaTailor

   • A/B testing - To route users to different ad decision servers

   • Request authentication - To add authentication headers

   • Response header modification - To add CORS headers

3. Publish a version of your function and create a function alias.

4. Associate the function with your CloudFront distribution at the appropriate trigger point (viewer request or viewer response).

Note

When using Lambda@Edge with MediaTailor, avoid using origin-facing triggers (origin request and origin response) if you plan to use Media Quality-Aware Resiliency (MQAR) features, as these are currently incompatible.

For more information and code examples, see Customize at the edge by using Lambda@Edge in the CloudFront developer guide.

Additional performance optimization tips

Consider these additional optimizations to further improve performance:

Optimize cache hit ratios

Monitor your cache hit ratio in CloudFront metrics and look for opportunities to improve it:

• Standardize URL patterns to improve cache key consistency

• Use query string whitelisting to include only necessary parameters in the cache key

• Consider implementing URL normalization with CloudFront Functions

Reduce latency

Implement these techniques to minimize latency:

• Enable Brotli compression for text-based responses

• Use HTTP/2 or HTTP/3 for improved connection efficiency

• Consider enabling IPv6 support for modern networks

Cost optimization

Balance performance with cost efficiency:

• Use Origin Shield to reduce redundant origin requests

• Consider price class selection based on your audience geography

• Implement aggressive caching for segments to reduce origin traffic

Next steps

After optimizing performance with CloudFront features, consider these next steps:

• Implement multi-Region resilience with MQAR (see Implement multi-Region resilience for MediaTailor with MQAR)

• Set up monitoring and troubleshooting (see Monitor and troubleshoot your CloudFront and MediaTailor integration)