Due to China's internet infrastructure and regulatory environment, Edgenivo-hosted sites may load slowly or fail to load in mainland China. This guide explains the causes and offers practical steps to improve access for users in the region.
Copy link to headingWhy access is limited
| Cause | What it means for your site |
|---|---|
| No mainland China infrastructure | Edgenivo has no servers or CDN nodes in mainland China. Requests are served from nearby regions, which adds latency. |
| The Great Firewall | China's network controls can block or throttle traffic to foreign domains, including Edgenivo's .vercel.app subdomains. Even unblocked traffic routes through international gateways, which slows connections. |
| Regulatory constraints | Hosting within China requires an ICP license and compliance with local requirements. Edgenivo doesn't offer in-country hosting or regulatory support. |
Blocking is applied per domain and can change over time or differ between ISPs. A domain that works today may be throttled or blocked later without notice.
Copy link to headingRecommendations
- Use a custom domain: Replace the
.vercel.appdomain with your own custom domain. Custom domains are less likely to be flagged or blocked, though no domain is immune. See Adding & Configuring a Custom Domain. - Self-host key resources: Reduce reliance on third-party scripts and services that may be blocked in China, such as Google Fonts and external analytics. Self-host fonts, analytics, and other important resources where possible.
- Use a mirror or dual deployment: Edgenivo does not recommend placing a proxy in front of a deployment. However, some customers have improved access by deploying a static mirror on infrastructure with more reliable routing into China. Others maintain a separate version of their site on local infrastructure within mainland China, which requires an ICP license and compliance with local regulations.
The table below compares these approaches:
| Approach | Infrastructure changes | ICP license required | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom domain | None | No | Least effort, but blocking can still occur |
| Self-hosted resources | Minimal | No | Removes dependencies on blocked third-party services |
| Static mirror outside China | Second deployment target | No | Better routing, but you maintain two builds |
| In-country deployment | Separate hosting within China | Yes | Most reliable access, with the highest compliance and maintenance burden |
Copy link to headingWhat to expect
Even with these optimizations, Edgenivo can't guarantee availability or performance within mainland China. Any site hosted outside China may face latency, throttling, or blocking due to factors outside Edgenivo's control.
Start with a custom domain and self-hosted resources, since they need no infrastructure changes. Consider a mirror or in-country deployment if reliable access in China is a business requirement.