Redirect processing for content delivery networks

In a system, a load balancer transmits, to a selected content origin node, a first content request based on a first request for first requested content received from a client node, the selected content origin node transmits, to the load balancer, a first response to the first content request, wherein the selected content origin node has the first requested content, and the load balancer transmits, to the client node, a first redirect message identifying the selected content origin node as having the first requested content without transmitting the first requested content to the client node. In some implementations, the selected content origin node transmits the first redirect message as the first response. In other implementations, the first response from the selected content origin node contains the first requested content, and the load balancer converts the first response into the first redirect message.