The Secret Setting That Fixes Bilibili Buffering

Bilibili buffering overseas? DNS and VPN tricks are a coin toss, because the real problem is the slow CDN node Bilibili assigns you. Install one extension to lock videos onto the fastest node, plus what to use on Android and TV.

Cover: almost nobody knows this, the secret setting for lag-free Bilibili

The extension's Chrome Web Store page with the Add to Desktop install button highlighted in yellow

The extension's node speed test, with the two fastest nodes highlighted in yellow

Is Bilibili buffering like crazy for you too?

TL;DR: install the browser extension

TL;DR: install this in your browser (if you've got a Tampermonkey/Violentmonkey script that does the same thing, remove it first)

Chrome: BiBoost - Overseas Video Speedup for bilibili
Firefox: BiBoost - Overseas Video Speedup for bilibili
Edge: BiBoost - Overseas Video Speedup for bilibili

Before and after

Before

Extension off: the video comes from the Akamai node Bilibili assigned (cdn=…akamaized.net) at 66 kB/s

After

Extension on: the same video now comes from the 08ct node, 1080P+ at 3.3 MB/s

If you still want the details

Why DNS and VPN tricks are hit or miss

When Bilibili buffers outside China, the usual advice online is "use a VPN", "switch your DNS to 8.8.8.8" and so on. None of that is guaranteed to work.

The real reason is that Bilibili hands you a slow CDN node. All those tricks basically just raise your odds of landing a good node, they don't actually fix anything. That's why it's hit or miss: works for some people, does nothing for others.

If you want to know what a CDN actually is, I wrote a technical blog post about it: How to Actually Fix Bilibili Buffering for Good

The real fix: lock onto the fastest node

To really fix it, you need to know which node is the best one where you live, and then lock it in.

So I built this extension. If you mostly watch in a desktop browser, install the extension above and it forces videos onto the fastest node.

What about Android and TV?

On Android, skip the official app and use PiliNara, a third-party APK (way better, no ads)
https://github.com/Starfallan/PiliNara/releases

On a TV box or smart TV, skip the official TV app (it's straight-up trash) and use blbl
https://github.com/roge4444/blblRogerMod/releases

Same idea for all of them: these apps have a built-in speed test and let you lock the CDN node.

A few last words

This comes from 3+ years of stepping on every landmine myself. Not sponsored.

I built the extension for my own use, and it's free forever. Hope it helps whoever needs it. Feature requests or bug reports: leave a comment or DM me.

If it works for you, a 5-star review would mean a lot. Or drop a star on the GitHub repo:
https://github.com/a0972199950/bilibili-cdn-switcher?utm_source=lazy_cv&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=secret_setting_article&utm_content=en