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  5. Cloudflare WAF vs pfSense

Cloudflare WAF vs pfSense

OverviewComparisonAlternatives

Overview

pfSense
pfSense
Stacks110
Followers95
Votes0
Cloudflare WAF
Cloudflare WAF
Stacks34
Followers53
Votes0

Cloudflare WAF vs pfSense: What are the differences?

Introduction

Cloudflare WAF and pfSense are both web application firewalls (WAFs) that provide security for web applications. However, there are several key differences between the two:

  1. Deployment: Cloudflare WAF is a cloud-based solution, meaning it can be easily implemented by simply pointing the website's DNS to Cloudflare. On the other hand, pfSense is a software-based firewall that needs to be installed on dedicated hardware or a virtual machine.

  2. Scalability: Cloudflare WAF is highly scalable, capable of handling large volumes of traffic across multiple data centers around the world. It leverages Cloudflare's global infrastructure to protect websites from various threats. In contrast, pfSense is limited to the capacity of the hardware it runs on, making it less suitable for handling high traffic loads.

  3. Ease of Use: Cloudflare WAF offers a user-friendly web interface that allows easy configuration and management of security rules. It provides a range of pre-configured rulesets for common threats and allows custom rules to be added. pfSense, on the other hand, requires more technical expertise to set up and manage, as it primarily relies on configuration files and command-line interfaces.

  4. Cost: Cloudflare WAF has both free and paid plans available, depending on the desired level of security and performance. The free plan provides basic protection, while the paid plans offer advanced features and support. pfSense, on the other hand, is an open-source firewall solution that is free to use, but may require additional hardware costs for deployment.

  5. Integration: Cloudflare WAF seamlessly integrates with other Cloudflare services, such as CDN and DNS management, providing a unified security and performance solution. It also offers APIs for programmatic integration with other applications. pfSense, on the other hand, can integrate with various third-party services and plugins but may require additional configuration and setup.

  6. Support: Cloudflare WAF offers support through their customer support channels, including their knowledge base and community forums. Paid plans come with enhanced support options. pfSense, being an open-source project, primarily relies on community support through forums and documentation. However, there are commercial support options available for those who require professional assistance.

In summary, Cloudflare WAF and pfSense have significant differences in terms of deployment, scalability, ease of use, cost, integration capabilities, and support options.

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Detailed Comparison

pfSense
pfSense
Cloudflare WAF
Cloudflare WAF

It is an open source firewall/router computer software distribution based on FreeBSD. It is installed on a physical computer or a virtual machine to make a dedicated firewall/router for a network.

An intelligent, integrated and scalable solution to protect your business-critical web applications from malicious attacks, with no changes to your existing infrastructure.

Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI); GeoIP blocking
Intuitive dashboard; Terraform integration; Threat intelligence
Statistics
Stacks
110
Stacks
34
Followers
95
Followers
53
Votes
0
Votes
0
Integrations
Squid
Squid
OpenVPN
OpenVPN
OpenLDAP
OpenLDAP
Terraform
Terraform

What are some alternatives to pfSense, Cloudflare WAF?

Let's Encrypt

Let's Encrypt

It is a free, automated, and open certificate authority brought to you by the non-profit Internet Security Research Group (ISRG).

Sqreen

Sqreen

Sqreen is a security platform that helps engineering team protect their web applications, API and micro-services in real-time. The solution installs with a simple application library and doesn't require engineering resources to operate. Security anomalies triggered are reported with technical context to help engineers fix the code. Ops team can assess the impact of attacks and monitor suspicious user accounts involved.

Instant 2FA

Instant 2FA

Add a powerful, simple and flexible 2FA verification view to your login flow, without making any DB changes and just 3 API calls.

ORY Hydra

ORY Hydra

It is a self-managed server that secures access to your applications and APIs with OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect. It is OpenID Connect Certified and optimized for latency, high throughput, and low resource consumption.

Virgil Security

Virgil Security

Virgil consists of an open-source encryption library, which implements CMS and ECIES(including RSA schema), a Key Management API, and a cloud-based Key Management Service.

ExpeditedSSL

ExpeditedSSL

Stop pouring through MAN pages and outdated blog posts that don't take into account new requirements. With our add-on, you can go from install to confirmed installation in as little as twenty minutes: using nothing but your browser.

Clef

Clef

Clef is secure two-factor — built for consumers. Easy to use, integrate, and pay for.

Wazuh

Wazuh

It is a free, open source and enterprise-ready security monitoring solution for threat detection, integrity monitoring, incident response and compliance.

Detectify

Detectify

Detectify is a web security service that simulates automated hacker attacks on your website, detecting critical security issues before real hackers do. We provide you with descriptive reports of the results so that you can continue to build safe products

SSLMate

SSLMate

SSLMate is the easiest way for developers and sysadmins to buy SSL certificates.

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