Patent ID: 8732309

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for request routing comprising: obtaining a DNS query from a client computing device at a first DNS nameserver, wherein the DNS query corresponds to a requested resource associated with an original resource identifier provided by a content provider, wherein the DNS query comprises at least part of the original resource identifier and specific content provider cost information, and wherein the first DNS nameserver corresponds to a content delivery network service provider that is different from the content provider; determining whether the first DNS nameserver is authoritative to the DNS query as a function of the specific content provider cost information included in the DNS query, wherein the specific content provider cost information includes a financial cost attributable to the content provider for delivery of resources on behalf of the content provider; obtaining an alternative resource identifier based on information associated with the client computing device and the content provider if the DNS nameserver is determined not to be authoritative, wherein the alternative resource identifier includes information for causing a DNS query to resolve to a domain corresponding to the content delivery service provider and additional routing information not included in the original resource identifier and wherein obtaining an alternative resource identifier further includes: identifying one or more alternative resource identifiers corresponding to a point of presence associated with a financial cost for providing the requested resource below a cost threshold, wherein the cost threshold is obtained from the specific content provider cost information included in the DNS query; and selecting an alternative resource identifier from the one or more resource identifiers based at least in part on the specific content provider cost information included in the DNS query; transmitting the alternative resource identifier to the client computing device; obtaining a subsequent DNS query from the client computing device at a second DNS nameserver, wherein the subsequent DNS query corresponds to the alternative resource identifier provided by the content delivery network service provider, and wherein the second DNS nameserver corresponds to the content delivery network service provider that is different from the content provider; determining whether the second DNS nameserver is authoritative to the subsequent DNS query; and selecting a cache component for providing content associated with the original resource request if the second DNS nameserver is authoritative to the second DNS query; and transmitting information identifying the selected cache component if the second DNS nameserver is determined to be authoritative.