x.com/cloneofsimo/status/2103022295099093480
2 corrections found
Not like they are using CDNs for this
This is incorrect: arXiv has said publicly that it uses content delivery network services from Fastly.
Full reasoning
arXiv’s own 2023 annual report directly says the service does use a CDN. In the section on technical modernization, arXiv states that after moving browsing and article downloads to the cloud, it continues to serve users with "content delivery network services from Fastly." That directly contradicts the claim that arXiv is “not ... using CDNs.”
Because this statement comes from arXiv’s official annual report, it is strong primary-source evidence about the platform’s current delivery infrastructure.
1 source
- arXiv Annual Report 2023
In 2023, the arXiv development team reached its goal of serving all browsing and article downloads from the cloud, and, with a generous in-kind donation of content delivery network services from Fastly, arXiv continues to improve the speed at which researchers across the globe can access arXiv’s entire corpus.
its exact same website that didnt change for 20 years?
This overstates things: arXiv has documented multiple website and infrastructure changes in recent years, including a new search system, a rebuilt abstract page, branding changes on the site, and cloud modernization.
Full reasoning
The claim says arXiv is maintaining the “exact same website” and that it “didnt change for 20 years.” arXiv’s own records contradict that.
Examples from arXiv/Cornell primary sources:
- The 2018 arXiv Roadmap says arXiv replaced parts of the old site with new services, including a new abstract page application and a replacement for the legacy search interface, whose first version was released in April 2018.
- arXiv’s 2022 annual report says “2022 saw the adoption of arXiv’s logo on the website itself,” which is a visible website change.
- arXiv’s official blog later said the platform had begun cloud migration and code modernization, showing substantial backend changes as well.
So while arXiv has kept a familiar visual style, it is not accurate to say the site is the exact same website or that it hasn’t changed for 20 years. arXiv has publicly documented both interface and infrastructure updates.
3 sources
- 2018 arXiv Roadmap
Abstract page: a new Flask application running on the existing CUL web servers replaces the abs view, with minimal design changes. ... Replace legacy search: reimplementation of the existing search views (/find), including advanced search functionality, in a new search service backed by Elasticsearch. Status: Complete. First version released April 2018; ongoing improvements in progress.
- arXiv Annual Report 2022
2022 saw the adoption of arXiv’s logo on the website itself, and the expanded use of our identity in materials for events, presentations, and at our conference booth.
- arXiv blog – News from arXiv.org
We are pleased to announce that Schmidt Sciences and NASA have generously awarded arXiv $7 million ... arXiv began its cloud migration and code modernization ...