Depending on your use case and the type of content you want to refresh, you may use different purging mechanisms.

Fast purge

Fast purge processes updates across the ​Akamai​ edge network in just seconds. You can also automate your fast purge requests with the Fast purge API.

• If you have thousands of individual objects and want to remove them from the edge servers in batches, purge your content by URL or ARL.

  Purge by ARL comes in handy when you can't use the URL criteria due to the metadata altering the cache key.

• If you want to refresh all content on your site or have more than 10,000 objects to remove, consider purging by CP code.

• If you want to update a large number of related objects—for example, in online retail—or purge content across many clients, use cache tags.

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Refresh your origin

Whenever you use any of the purging mechanisms, make sure you update the content on your origin server before submitting the request. Refresh instructions reach the edge servers within seconds even though the final confirmation of completion takes time to arrive.

Enhanced purge (ECCU)

If you want to purge by a directory or extension, use wildcards, or build customizable rules, use Enhanced Content Control Utility. You can also automate your enhanced purge requests with the ECCU API.

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Enhanced purge takes longer to complete

This advanced option may take up to 40 minutes to process.