Cdnjs vs Gandi

What Cdnjs is

cdnjs is a free, community-run CDN for open-source web-library assets, delivered through Cloudflare. Consumers select a library, exact version and file, then reference its public URL; the service also exposes library metadata through an API. Example markup published by Cloudflare uses a versioned URL and Subresource Integrity attributes. cdnjs' code repository is MIT-licensed, but each distributed library keeps its own license. It is a dependency-delivery service rather than private storage, a package-security review or a contractual availability guarantee.

What Gandi is

Gandi is an ICANN-oriented domain registrar with a large TLD catalog plus Anycast LiveDNS, DNSSEC, web and email forwarding, WHOIS privacy where registries permit it, an API, SSL and separate email/hosting products. Domain cost is not flat: creation, transfer, renewal, owner change and post-expiry restore differ by extension, country, currency, tax and promotional period. A low first-year price can therefore be far below the recurring renewal price.

What Cdnjs is built to do

Library catalog

Indexes versioned files from supported open-source JavaScript and CSS libraries.

Cloudflare delivery

Serves cached public assets through Cloudflare's network.

API access

Exposes library, version and file metadata for discovery and tooling.

Integrity-ready snippets

Provides examples and hashes that can be used with browser SRI and crossorigin attributes.

What Gandi is built to do

Domain lifecycle

Registers, transfers, renews, changes ownership and restores supported extensions.

LiveDNS

Hosts Anycast DNS with DNSSEC, templates, bulk operations and managed record changes.

Privacy and security

Offers registry-dependent WHOIS masking, account MFA and domain activity controls.

API and delegation

Automates domain/DNS work and delegates scoped permissions through organizations and teams.

Choose Cdnjs if

• Static sites loading a well-known public library at an exact reviewed version
• Documentation and prototypes where a third-party CDN is permitted
• Teams that enforce CSP, verify SRI hashes and retain a self-hosted fallback for critical assets

Skip Cdnjs if

• Assets are private, proprietary or outside the cdnjs library catalog
• Policy forbids third-party asset requests or requires a contractual SLA
• The team cannot review the package license and code or pin an immutable version

Choose Gandi if

• Domain portfolios needing API-driven DNS, templates and delegated administration
• Registrants who compare registration, renewal, transfer and restore cost for each exact TLD
• Teams wanting registrar, DNS, forwarding and optional email/hosting in one account

Skip Gandi if

• The decision uses only a first-year promotion and ignores recurring renewal or restore fees
• The required TLD does not permit the expected privacy, transfer or ownership workflow
• Domain access, recovery contacts, MFA and off-provider DNS exports are not governed

Cdnjs: pros & cons

• No-cost public delivery: Supported open-source library assets are served globally through Cloudflare.
• Versioned paths: URLs can identify an exact library release and file for reproducible front-end loading.
• Integrity metadata: Published examples support browser Subresource Integrity checks when the correct hash is used.
• Open project and API: Public repositories and metadata endpoints make the catalog inspectable and automatable.
• Catalog scope is narrow: It is not private asset storage or a general-purpose origin/CDN product.
• Package trust remains external: CDN availability does not prove that a library release or transitive code is safe.
• Third-party dependency: Page delivery, privacy posture and CSP must account for requests to an external domain.
• Licenses vary: The cdnjs repository license does not replace the license of each hosted library.

Gandi: pros & cons

• Published lifecycle pricing: Gandi exposes creation, transfer, renewal, owner-change and restore prices by TLD.
• Included DNS tooling: LiveDNS provides Anycast nameservers, DNSSEC, templates and record history/rollback capabilities.
• Domain automation: A public API and bulk configuration tools support portfolio administration.
• Privacy controls: WHOIS masking is enabled by default where registry rules allow it, with WebAuthn account MFA available.
• Renewal can dwarf registration: The reviewed .com example was €11 to register and €31.98 to renew before tax in France.
• Promotions are temporary: Registry campaigns, exchange rates and country pricing can change both availability and cost.
• Privacy is not universal: Registry policy, registrant type and jurisdiction can prevent complete WHOIS masking.
• Bundled services have boundaries: Free SSL is described as first-year and hosting/mail products require their own entitlement review.