Content replication workflow in content delivery networks

A method for populating edge servers within a content delivery network (CDN) having a plurality of points of presence (POPs), the method comprising:

• performing, by one or more processors, a first function that gathers popularity information for a content object;
• determining, by the one or more processors, a popularity trend for the popularity information through analysis of historical popularity information, the popularity trend characterizing a difference between a value of popularity variable of the content object at a first time period and value of the popularity variable of the content object at a second time period;
• determining a policy for the content object through analysis of a URL for the content object;
• mapping the policy to a tag that identifies a geographic spread;
• determining, by the one or more processors, a number of copies of the content object for each POP of a subset of the plurality of POPs;
• determining, by the one or more processors, the subset of the plurality of POPs according to the tag that identifies the geographic spread;
• passing, from the one or more processors, the number as a variable to a second function;
• and
• performing the second function that adds or deletes copies of the content object for each POP of the subset of the plurality of POPs having the tag that identifies the geographic spread as a function of the popularity trend and the number.