CloudFlare vs Cloudflare Spectrum: What are the differences?

Key Differences between CloudFlare and Cloudflare Spectrum

CloudFlare and Cloudflare Spectrum are both products offered by Cloudflare, but they serve different purposes and have distinct features. Here are the key differences between the two:

1. CloudFlare: CloudFlare is a comprehensive content delivery network (CDN) and distributed DNS service. It provides various features like DDoS protection, CDN caching, and SSL/TLS encryption. CloudFlare acts as a reverse proxy for websites, routing traffic through its global network, which improves website performance and security.

2. Cloudflare Spectrum: Cloudflare Spectrum, on the other hand, is a service specifically designed to protect non-web traffic. It extends Cloudflare's DDoS protection and other security features to other TCP/UDP-based services, such as gaming servers, email servers, and IoT devices. Spectrum enables businesses to secure and protect their non-web services by leveraging Cloudflare's vast network.

3. DDoS Protection: Both CloudFlare and Cloudflare Spectrum provide DDoS protection, but whereas CloudFlare focuses on protecting web applications from layer 7 (application layer) attacks, Spectrum extends that protection to non-web services. Spectrum offers protection against volumetric attacks on gaming servers, for example, while allowing legitimate traffic to pass through.

4. Load Balancing: CloudFlare includes load balancing capabilities, allowing you to distribute traffic across multiple servers to optimize performance and reliability for your web applications. Spectrum, on the other hand, does not provide load balancing functionality. It is primarily focused on protecting non-web TCP/UDP-based services rather than distributing traffic.

5. SSL/TLS Encryption: CloudFlare provides SSL/TLS encryption for web applications, ensuring secure communication between the users and the server. It offers options for both flexible and full SSL/TLS configurations. In comparison, Spectrum does not directly handle SSL/TLS encryption for non-web services. However, if SSL/TLS termination is required for those services, it can be achieved by placing a separate SSL/TLS termination layer in front of Spectrum.

6. Pricing: CloudFlare has a tiered pricing structure based on the features and services required, with free and paid plans available. On the other hand, Spectrum is an add-on offering to Cloudflare's Enterprise plan. This means that in order to utilize Cloudflare Spectrum, you need to subscribe to Cloudflare's Enterprise plan in addition to paying for the Spectrum service itself.

In summary, the key differences between CloudFlare and Cloudflare Spectrum lie in their primary features and focus. CloudFlare is a comprehensive CDN and DNS service with a broad range of features for web applications, while Spectrum is specifically designed to protect and secure non-web TCP/UDP-based services, extending Cloudflare's protection beyond web traffic.