AWS WAF vs Akamai: What are the differences?

Key Differences between AWS WAF and Akamai

1. Pricing and Billing Models: AWS WAF operates on a pay-as-you-go model, where users are charged based on the number of Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules, rulesets, and web ACLs deployed. Alternatively, Akamai offers pricing that is based on a subscription model, where users pay for a certain level of protection for a specified period.

2. Deployment Options and Infrastructure: AWS WAF is a cloud-native service that is tightly integrated with other Amazon Web Services, enabling seamless deployment within the AWS ecosystem. On the other hand, Akamai provides a network of globally-distributed servers known as Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), allowing for deployment both on-premises and in the cloud.

3. Management and Configuration Flexibility: With AWS WAF, users have the flexibility to manage and configure their application security policies through an API, command-line interface (CLI), or a web console. Akamai, meanwhile, offers a web-based user interface (UI) for managing and configuring security policies, allowing users to easily customize settings.

4. Scalability and Performance: AWS WAF provides automatic scalability and load balancing, ensuring that the service performs optimally even during high traffic periods. Akamai's distributed network also offers scalability and high-performance capabilities through a large number of edge servers strategically placed around the globe.

5. Geographical Coverage: Amazon's AWS WAF has a broad global coverage with multiple data centers scattered across regions throughout the world, enabling users to easily deploy protection for their applications in various geographical locations. Akamai, as a global CDN provider, has an extensive network of edge servers covering a wide range of regions, offering a similar global reach.

6. Integration with other Services and Ecosystems: AWS WAF seamlessly integrates with various Amazon Web Services such as Amazon CloudFront, AWS Application Load Balancer, and AWS Lambda, allowing users to build a comprehensive security solution. Akamai also offers integration capabilities with other services and tools but has a wider range of partnerships with third-party security vendors and tools.

In Summary, AWS WAF and Akamai differ in their pricing models, deployment options, management flexibility, scalability, geographical coverage, and integration capabilities.