A computer implemented method for handling content requests, the method comprising: receiving at a content delivery network rules specifications from a content provider network, the rules specifications setting forth rules for handling content requests; encoding at the content delivery network the rules specifications into rule-based business logic executable by a regional request authorization server computer to handle content requests according to the rules specifications, wherein the rule-based business logic implements a hierarchical decision tree; generating an Internet protocol, IP, address map that associates a plurality of IP addresses to respective sets of one or more semi-static attribute values; deploying the rule-based business logic and the IP address map to a plurality of regional request authorization servers, each one of said regional request authorization servers associated with a respective edge server of the content delivery network; upon receipt of a content request at an edge server from a specified IP address, the request comprising the specified IP address and further comprising a set of one or more real-time attribute values, performing at the respective regional request authorization server regional: determining a set of one or more semi-static attribute values from the IP address map based on the specified IP address; applying the rule-based business logic to at least the determined set of one or more semi-static attribute values and the set of one or more real-time attribute values to render a handling decision indicating how to respond to the content request. receiving at a content delivery network rules specifications from a content provider network, the rules specifications setting forth rules for handling content requests; encoding at the content delivery network the rules specifications into rule-based business logic executable by a regional request authorization server computer to handle content requests according to the rules specifications, wherein the rule-based business logic implements a hierarchical decision tree; generating an Internet protocol, IP, address map that associates a plurality of IP addresses to respective sets of one or more semi-static attribute values; deploying the rule-based business logic and the IP address map to a plurality of regional request authorization servers, each one of said regional request authorization servers associated with a respective edge server of the content delivery network; upon receipt of a content request at an edge server from a specified IP address, the request comprising the specified IP address and further comprising a set of one or more real-time attribute values, performing at the respective regional request authorization server regional: determining a set of one or more semi-static attribute values from the IP address map based on the specified IP address; applying the rule-based business logic to at least the determined set of one or more semi-static attribute values and the set of one or more real-time attribute values to render a handling decision indicating how to respond to the content request. determining a set of one or more semi-static attribute values from the IP address map based on the specified IP address; applying the rule-based business logic to at least the determined set of one or more semi-static attribute values and the set of one or more real-time attribute values to render a handling decision indicating how to respond to the content request.