Delivering video in a content delivery network

A method in a first server of a plurality of servers in a content delivery network (CDN) for distributing video in the CDN, comprising:

• receiving, from a client device, a request for a web page of a domain handled by an origin server;
• retrieving the requested web page, wherein the web page references a video;
• transmitting a response to the client device that includes the web page;
• retrieving a file that indicates a list of a plurality of locations of the domain in which a plurality of segments of the video are located;
• responsive to retrieving the file, fetching at least an initial portion of the plurality of segments prior to receiving a request from the client device for the initial portion of the plurality of segments, wherein the fetching includes:
• transmitting a request for the at least the initial portion of the plurality of segments to a different one of the plurality of servers, and
• receiving a response from the different one of the plurality of servers that includes the at least the initial portion of the plurality of segments;
• receiving, from the client device, a request for the initial portion of the plurality of segments of the video from the client device;
• transmitting a response to the client device that includes at least the initial portion of the plurality of segments;
• receiving, from the client device, a request for a subsequent portion of the plurality of segments of the video;
• and
• transmitting a response to the client device that instructs the client device to transmit the request for the subsequent portion of the plurality of segments of the video to a second server of the plurality of servers, wherein a first connection from the client device to the second server is slower than a second connection from the client device to the first server, and wherein the second server is expected to deliver the subsequent portion of the plurality of segments of the video to the client device over the first connection without user experience degradation.

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium that provides instructions that, when executed by a processor of a client device, cause said processor to perform operations comprising:

• receiving a request to play a video;
• receiving a first portion of the video from a first server, wherein the first portion is an initial portion of the video, and wherein the first portion of the video is received from the first server through a push from the first server without the client device first requesting the first portion of the video;
• playing the video starting at the first portion of the video;
• during playback of the first portion of the video and responsive to a client network application of the client device determining that a second portion of the video can be received from a second server at an expected rate that would not cause interruption or degradation of playback of the video,
• receiving the second portion of the video from the second server and not the first server, wherein the second portion of the video is a subsequent portion of the initial portion of the video;
• continuing playback of the video including the second portion of the video;
• and
• during playback of the second portion of the video,
• receiving a request to play a third portion of the video that is not included in a buffer of the client device;
• and
• responsive to receiving the request to play the third portion of the video that is not included in the buffer of the client device, receiving the third portion of the video from the first server and not the second server.

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium that provides instructions that, when executed by a processor of a first server of a plurality of servers in a content delivery network (CDN), cause said processor to perform operations for distributing video in the CDN comprising:

• receiving, from a client device, a request for a web page of a domain handled by an origin server;
• retrieving the requested web page, wherein the web page references a video;
• transmitting a response to the client device that includes the web page;
• retrieving a file that indicates a list of a plurality of locations of the domain in which a plurality of segments of the video are located;
• responsive to retrieving the file, fetching at least an initial portion of the plurality of segments prior to receiving a request from the client device for the initial portion of the plurality of segments, wherein the fetching includes:
• transmitting a request for the at least the initial portion of the plurality of segments to a different one of the plurality of servers, and
• receiving a response from the different one of the plurality of servers that includes the at least the initial portion of the plurality of segments;
• receiving, from the client device, a request for the initial portion of the plurality of segments of the video from the client device;
• transmitting a response to the client device that includes at least the initial portion of the plurality of segments;
• receiving, from the client device, a request for a subsequent portion of the plurality of segments of the video;
• and
• transmitting a response to the client device that instructs the client device to transmit the request for the subsequent portion of the plurality of segments of the video to a second server of the plurality of servers, wherein a first connection from the client device to the second server is slower than a second connection from the client device to the first server, and wherein the second server is expected to deliver the subsequent portion of the plurality of segments of the video to the client device over the first connection without user experience degradation.