jsDelivr Technology Intelligence

What is jsDelivr?

jsDelivr is a free, open-source CDN that serves any file from npm packages and GitHub repositories. Unlike traditional CDNs hosting curated libraries, jsDelivr provides instant CDN access to all 2+ million npm packages—no submission process required. Publish to npm, immediately available on jsDelivr.

Founded by Dmitriy Akulov in 2012, jsDelivr handles 150+ billion requests monthly. The infrastructure spans multiple CDN providers (Cloudflare, Fastly, Bunny CDN, and others) with automatic failover. If one provider has issues, traffic routes to alternatives instantly.

jsDelivr's npm integration makes it the go-to choice for modern JavaScript projects. React, Vue, Angular, and countless npm packages are accessible via URL without maintaining separate CDN submissions. GitHub integration serves any repository's files.

jsDelivr Features

npm Integration: Every npm package available at cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/{package}@{version}/{file}. Automatic file discovery. Package.json main field respected.

GitHub Integration: Serve any GitHub repo file: cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/{user}/{repo}@{tag}/{file}. Use commits, tags, or branches as versions.

Version Aliasing: Use semver ranges: @^1.0.0, @~1.2.3, or @latest. Resolve to appropriate version automatically. Pin with exact versions for production.

File Combining: Combine multiple files: cdn.jsdelivr.net/combine/npm/jquery,npm/lodash. Reduce HTTP requests. Automatic minification.

ESM Support: ES module builds at esm.run/{package}. Import directly in browsers supporting ES modules. Tree-shaking friendly.

Multi-CDN: Traffic load-balanced across Cloudflare, Fastly, and others. Automatic failover provides 100% uptime even during provider outages.

jsDelivr Use Cases

npm Package Delivery: Production sites serve npm packages without self-hosting. No bundler required. Direct browser access to any npm module.

GitHub Releases: Serve releases directly from GitHub repos. CSS frameworks, fonts, or assets from any public repository.

ES Module Imports: Modern browsers import from jsDelivr's esm.run. Deno and browser-native ES modules without bundlers.

WordPress Integration: Themes and plugins load dependencies from jsDelivr. Reliable delivery without bundling assets into plugin packages.

Microsite/Landing Pages: Quick pages needing a few libraries. No build process. Direct script tags to jsDelivr URLs.

Open Source Documentation: Library docs link to jsDelivr for CDN examples. Guaranteed working URLs matching npm versions.

jsDelivr Examples

npm Packages

<!-- Specific version -->
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/vue.global.min.js"></script>

<!-- Latest minor version (auto-update patches) -->
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/lodash@^4.17.0/lodash.min.js"></script>

<!-- Default file from package.json main -->
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/axios"></script>

GitHub Repositories

<!-- From specific release tag -->
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/twbs/[email protected]/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css">

<!-- From commit SHA -->
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/user/repo@abc1234/dist/bundle.js"></script>

ES Modules in Browser

<script type="module">
import confetti from 'https://esm.run/[email protected]';
confetti({ particleCount: 100, spread: 70 });
</script>

jsDelivr Advantages

Universal npm Access: Every npm package instantly available. No submission, no approval, no waiting. Publish to npm, serve from jsDelivr.

Multi-CDN Reliability: Not dependent on single provider. Cloudflare down? Traffic routes to Fastly. Achieves 100% uptime through redundancy.

Semver Ranges: Use @^1.0.0 for automatic minor updates. Balance between latest features and stability. Exact versions for production lockdown.

File Combining: Merge multiple files into single request. Reduce connection overhead. Combined files are cached separately and together.

GitHub Integration: Serve any public repo. No npm publish required. Great for fonts, images, or pre-built assets.

Free Forever: No accounts, limits, or premium tiers. Sponsored by Cloudflare, Fastly, and community. Sustainable open-source project.

esm.run: Native ES module support. Browser-native imports without bundlers. Future-forward JavaScript delivery.