Welcome to the help guide for Optimizely Performance Edge
Optimizely Performance Edge is a faster way to deliver client-side web experiments. It works by using a streamlined "microsnippet" to perform targeting and variation assignment tasks at the CDN level.
If you've got Optimizely Web, you can add Performance Edge to your experimentation stack for a faster, better visitor experience, all using a subset of Web features you already know how to use. Keep reading for more details!
Get started with our SDKs:
Check out our developer documentation for full resources about our SDKs.
How Performance Edge works
Performance Edge moves the work of experimentation out of your visitors' browsers and into CDN edge servers. It combines three different components—the Edge Decider, microsnippet, and tracking snippet—to boost the speed and performance of your experiments and keep visitors engaged.
When to use Edge vs when to use Web
Not every situation is right for Performance Edge. Often, it makes more sense to use Web for your experiments. Here's how to tell the difference:
| Product | Where | Why |
| Performance Edge | Use it on entry pages, like your homepage, landing pages, or SEO pages | Performance Edge is extremely fast and is focused on A/B testing. It offers seamless redirects and limited support for Single Page Applications. |
| Web | Use it for pages within your site, like product pages, article pages, checkout pages, or subscription pages. | Web offers powerful targeting and adaptive recommendations. It’s configurable for PCI compliance, and it’s already set up to track conversions. |
What's included with Performance Edge?
Performance Edge uses a subset of features available in these areas of Optimizely Web. The documentation is the same for both Web and Edge, but each document will have specifics for each product.
And to find out more about how Edge integrates with Optimizely Full Stack, see our developer docs. 