What does 'Edge' mean to you?

[MarjorieFreeman]

At this point, I think everyone knows what Edge means, but few know of actual edge use cases. 

How would you describe Edge technology in layman's terms? 

For instance, Chick Fil A deploys Kubernetes at the Edge to run its internet-independent applications. Many people have had Chick Fil A or at least been through a drive-thru or two in their day!  

What are some everyday use cases of it that people may not think about? 

[Saad_SID]

Edge has a different meanning to different users  but really one definition that stands out is the "Continumm" between user and the Application in a Cloud environment .

This definition is right that it can cover almost all definitions from many OSC's like fog edge , device edge , user edge , network edge and may be CDN edge etc 

To add more perspective we should also understand Edge in contxt of 5G as a fully distributed infrastructure woven by Pseudo wires of speedy 5G connectivity , to some it also means new internet era as we all know internet as we know today was concieved in ARPANET by Robert Kahn and commercialized using web model of Tim bernar lee but this is an architecture based on DC's not designed for a distributed era .

It means Edge by its very mewans will redefine the internet as for 20's and for 6G era . 

[MarjorieFreeman]

"Edge: the continuum between user and application in a cloud environment" sounds like an excellent headline and, as a non-technical person, makes perfect sense.

So, what you're essentially saying is the Internet of today as we all know it is Edge? 

[Eusebiu]

For me "edge" could be a sensor or a webcam on the highway, is very far, low connectivity

[MarjorieFreeman]

Thanks to everyone who replied to this question! I'm working on an article that includes many of the great definitions shared in this post!!

Never new Edge could be defined in so many different ways  

[NoorBasit]

Edge Location is used for client to access the data with Low Latency.

[MarjorieFreeman]

Short, sweet, and to the point! Thank you!

[davidmasonctr]

Branding and current product names aside, "edge" traditionally refers to the outermost layer of an organization's network, such as an owned edge router that faces the Internet. It could also refer to the layer between fully managed infrastructure and a less controlled, lower-security network, so that an organization's edge router faces the Internet, while edge switches service end users and all of their potential bad decisions.

Apart from that, it would appear that there are lots of new brands and product or project names that build on this definition to wrap that basic meaning up into a label for user-facing services.

[MarjorieFreeman]

This is a great definition. I think you answered my question better than I even thought to ask it (if that makes any sense, haha) -- (wrapping) the basic meaning up into a label for "user-facing services" -- because that is how edge technology is consumed by the everyday person (through services). 

Thanks for commenting!

[MartinZlatev]

Edge computing is a networking philosophy focused on bringing computing as close to the source of data as possible in order to reduce latency and bandwidth use. In simpler terms, edge computing means running fewer processes in the cloud and moving those processes to local places, such as on a user’s computer, an IoT device, or an edge server. Bringing computation to the network’s edge minimizes the amount of long-distance communication that has to happen between a client and server.

[MarjorieFreeman]

Beautiful definition! I've never heard of it referred to as a "networking philosophy," but that seems to make a lot more sense than referring to it as a "technology," which is a bit vague.