Overview

ChinaCache was founded in 1998, headquartered in Beijing, as one of China's earliest CDN acceleration providers and the first to obtain a CDN business license. ChinaCache once led China's CDN market, operating 80,000+ servers for major portals, video platforms, and large enterprises.

Its platform covers major Chinese cities and the three carrier backbones, with 25+ years of video delivery and live event experience, from the 2008 Beijing Olympics to major e-commerce traffic surges. As Aliyun, Tencent Cloud, and Huawei entered with low prices, ChinaCache's share has shrunk, yet it remains a notable choice for enterprise CDN, especially video delivery and government/enterprise services.

Key Strengths

  • Pioneer with 25+ years of technology: Self-developed traffic scheduling, cache engines, and log analytics spanning the dial-up to 5G eras.
  • Comprehensive domestic coverage: Hundreds of self-built nodes across all provinces and carrier backbones; BGP smart scheduling with 15-30ms TTFB and sub-0.1% peak packet loss.
  • Rich video delivery experience: Deep HLS/DASH/RTMP/SRT optimization with low-latency live (2-4s), adaptive bitrate, and time-shift; see video streaming CDN acceleration.
  • Deep government/enterprise experience: Dedicated nodes, private cache clusters, custom SLA, and 24/7 support meeting MLPS 2.0 and ISO 27001.
  • Proven extreme concurrency: Has carried CCTV Spring Festival Gala, Double 11, Olympics, and World Cup traffic with minute-level T-scale scaling.

Product Ecosystem

Domestic Node Coverage

Hundreds of self-built nodes across all provinces with BGP smart routing.

Video Delivery

HLS/DASH/RTMP/SRT optimization with low-latency live, adaptive bitrate, and time-shift.

API & Integration

RESTful API for config management, cache purge, log queries, and analytics.

Government Customization

Dedicated nodes, private clusters, and compliance audits.

Limitations

  • Declining market share: Down from a peak of 30%+ to under 5%, overtaken by Aliyun CDN, Tencent EdgeOne, and Wangsu; low awareness among startups.
  • Weaker innovation than cloud vendors: Edge computing, Serverless image processing, and AI traffic prediction are underdeveloped.
  • Limited international nodes: Mostly US West Coast, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong; near-zero emerging market coverage.
  • Weaker pricing: Peak bandwidth pricing 20%-40% above Aliyun CDN and Tencent EdgeOne, with no standard self-service plans.

Use Cases

  • Government/enterprise video delivery (★★★★★): Custom SLA and dedicated nodes for financial video conferencing, government live streams, and remote classes.
  • Large live events (★★★★★): T-scale bandwidth and smart scheduling for concerts, esports, and product launches.
  • VOD and OTT platforms (★★★★): HLS/DASH optimization, edge caching, and adaptive bitrate delivery.
  • Traditional enterprise sites and APIs (★★★): Adequate performance but higher pricing; compare with Wangsu.
  • Startup projects (★★): Enterprise pricing and onboarding don't fit startups; consider Aliyun CDN self-service plans.

Pricing

ChinaCache uses traditional enterprise quotes; contact sales for formal pricing.

Billing Reference Price Use Cases
Peak Bandwidth (95th percentile) Custom quote Stable bandwidth enterprises
Per Traffic ~RMB 0.30-0.80/GB Fluctuating traffic
Video Package Custom quote Live/VOD platforms
Enterprise Custom Plan Negotiation Government/enterprise

Enterprise customers consuming 100TB+/month on annual frameworks typically get 15%-30% discounts; see the CDN cost optimization guide.

FAQ

  • What is the core difference from Aliyun CDN? Aliyun CDN has the most nodes and highest self-service, ideal for cost-conscious internet users; ChinaCache excels in government customization and video delivery; see the CDN provider selection guide.
  • Is it still suitable for small sites? Not really; pricing and onboarding target mid-to-large enterprises; under 10TB/month small sites get poor value; see the CDN beginner's guide.
  • Does it support HTTPS and HTTP/2? Yes, custom and managed certificates, TLS 1.2/1.3, HTTP/2, and Brotli; see CDN SSL/TLS configuration best practices.
  • How is after-sales support? Well-regarded among government/enterprise clients, with 24/7 hotline and dedicated managers; faults typically resolved within 30 minutes; see the website CDN setup guide.
  • Is ICP filing required? Yes, as a mainland China CDN provider, all accelerated domains require ICP filing; see Aliyun CDN for the filing process.