The authoritative server that holds the real data, behind any layer of CDN, edge, or cache.
An origin server is the authoritative source of truth for content, behind any caching, CDN, or edge layer. When a request can't be served from cache, the layers above forward it to the origin. The origin handles the cache-miss workload, including dynamic and personalized content; the cache layers absorb the static traffic. Sizing the origin for cache-miss load (not full traffic) is the cost-saving discipline of CDN architecture.
Cache-poisoning, cache-bust events, or a CDN misconfiguration can suddenly route the entire fleet's traffic to the origin. If the origin is sized for 5% of total traffic (the typical cache-miss rate), it falls over instantly, and recovery requires both fixing the cache layer and waiting for the origin to come back. Plan for cache-miss storms with rate limits and graceful-degradation paths at the origin.
See the part of the platform that handles origin server in production.