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ButterCMS is hosted on infrastructure provided by AWS and Heroku. The data centers where the content is stored are ISO 27001 certified, a standard recognized globally.

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Cloud infrastructure

ButterCMS’s infrastructure runs on Heroku and Amazon Web Services (AWS). The data centers used for storage are certified for compliance with the ISO 27001 standard. This enterprise-grade infrastructure provides:
  • High availability and fault tolerance
  • Geographic redundancy
  • Auto-scaling capabilities
  • Enterprise-level security controls

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Infrastructure components

ComponentProviderPurpose
Application PlatformHerokuApplication hosting and scaling
Cloud ServicesAWSCore infrastructure and services
Content DeliveryFastly CDNAPI and content delivery
Media DeliveryAmazon CloudFrontImages, videos, and asset delivery
Data StorageAWSEncrypted database storage
Backup StorageAWS S3Daily backup storage

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Global content delivery network (CDN)

The content API traffic is served through Fastly, a reliable and quick content delivery platform (CDN). Your media assets are stored and delivered via Amazon CloudFront, a low-latency CDN. ButterCMS uses SOC2 Type 2 and SOC3-compliant AWS data centers and a globally cached API to deliver high scalability, availability, and performance levels.

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CDN architecture

Fastly CDN

Powers the Content API with global edge caching for fast response times

CloudFront CDN

Delivers media assets from edge locations worldwide

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CDN benefits

  • Global Edge Network - Content served from locations closest to your users
  • Automatic Caching - Reduces latency and improves response times
  • DDoS Protection - Built-in protection against distributed attacks
  • SSL/TLS Termination - Secure connections at the edge
  • High Availability - Multiple points of presence for redundancy
The globally cached API means your content is stored at edge locations around the world, ensuring fast delivery regardless of where your users are located.

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Hosting & scaling

ButterCMS handles hosting and scaling for you. The infrastructure runs on the reliable platforms of Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Heroku. State-of-the-art fault tolerance and load balancing features are used to maximize availability. The globally cached API and content empowers you to achieve high levels of scalability, performance, and availability. As you grow, the platform grows with you. ButterCMS has served more than a billion requests.

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Auto-scaling capabilities

ButterCMS automatically scales to handle traffic spikes:
ScenarioHow ButterCMS Handles It
Traffic SpikeAuto-scaling adds capacity instantly
High ConcurrencyLoad balancing distributes requests
Global TrafficCDN serves content from nearest edge
Large PayloadsOptimized delivery for media assets

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Performance at scale

  • Billions of requests served - Proven track record at enterprise scale
  • Sub-second response times - Fast API responses globally
  • No scaling configuration needed - We handle all scaling operations

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Data centers

AWS data centers meet a broad range of industry compliance standards. See Compliance Certifications for the full list.

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Data center certifications

CertificationDescription
ISO 27001Information security management standard
SOC 1Internal controls over financial reporting
SOC 2/SSAESecurity, availability, and confidentiality controls
PCI Level 1Payment card industry data security
FISMA ModerateUS federal information security requirements
SOXSarbanes-Oxley financial compliance

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Physical security

AWS data centers provide enterprise-grade physical security:
  • 24/7 Security Personnel - Trained security staff on-site
  • Multi-factor Access Controls - Biometric and credential-based access
  • Video Surveillance - Comprehensive monitoring systems
  • Environmental Controls - Fire suppression, climate control, power backup
  • Secure Perimeter - Fencing, barriers, and controlled entry points

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High availability

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Redundancy architecture

ButterCMS is built for high availability with multiple layers of redundancy:

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Fault tolerance features

FeatureDescription
High AvailabilityDatabase hosted on Heroku with automatic failover
Automatic FailoverTraffic rerouted on component failure
Health MonitoringContinuous service health checks
Self-HealingAutomatic restart of failed services
Graceful DegradationMaintain core functionality during partial outages

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Monitoring & observability

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24/7 infrastructure monitoring

ButterCMS continuously monitors all infrastructure components:
  • System Health - CPU, memory, disk, network metrics
  • Application Performance - Response times, error rates, throughput
  • Security Events - Intrusion detection, anomaly detection
  • Availability - Uptime monitoring across all services
  • Capacity - Resource utilization and scaling triggers

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Disaster recovery

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Backup & recovery

ButterCMS implements comprehensive backup and recovery procedures, including daily encrypted database backups with 30+ day retention and continuous media asset redundancy via Amazon S3.

Data Backup & Recovery

See full backup schedules, retention policies, and recovery capabilities

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Network security

Modern security controls, including web application firewalls, AWS security groups, HTTP Strict Transport Security, single sign-on (SSO), and rate limits for brute-force protection are used to protect your systems and data from unauthorized access.

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Network protection layers

LayerProtection
EdgeDDoS mitigation, WAF rules
TransportTLS 1.2+, HSTS
ApplicationRate limiting, input validation
NetworkVPC isolation, security groups

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DDoS protection

  • Automatic Mitigation - CDN provides DDoS protection at the edge
  • Traffic Scrubbing - Malicious traffic filtered before reaching origin
  • Rate Limiting - Prevents brute force and abuse
  • Geographic Filtering - Optional country-level access controls