What is a key difference between Availability Zones (AZ) and edge locations?

The key difference between Availability Zones (AZ) and edge locations lies in their primary functions and design purposes within the AWS architecture. Availability Zones are distinct geographical areas within a region, designed to provide high availability and fault tolerance for applications and services. They are physically isolated from each other to safeguard against unplanned failures that might affect an entire region. This design supports global resilience, allowing for robust disaster recovery and improved uptime.

On the other hand, edge locations are used primarily for content delivery through Amazon CloudFront, AWS’s content delivery network (CDN). These locations serve cached content closer to end users, which enhances the speed and performance of applications that rely on content distribution.

The distinction highlights that AZs are crucial for supporting high availability and operational integrity in an AWS region, focusing on scalable applications, whereas edge locations optimize the delivery of content, which is primarily about enhancing user experience and reducing latency. The choice emphasizes the roles these infrastructures play in the AWS ecosystem.