Azure WAF vs Cloudflare

June 13, 2023 | Author: Michael Stromann
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Azure WAF
Azure Web Application Firewall is a cloud-native service that protects web apps from common web-hacking techniques such as SQL injection and security vulnerabilities such as cross-site scripting.
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Cloudflare
Cloudflare is a global network designed to make everything you connect to the Internet secure, private, fast, and reliable. Secure your websites, APIs, ...
Azure Web Application Firewall (WAF) and Cloudflare are both popular web application firewall solutions, but they have key differences in terms of deployment, network infrastructure, pricing, and additional features.

Azure WAF is a cloud-based web application firewall provided by Microsoft Azure. It is designed specifically for protecting web applications hosted on the Azure platform. Azure WAF offers protection against common web vulnerabilities using pre-configured rule sets and threat intelligence. It integrates seamlessly with other Azure services and provides centralized management and monitoring through the Azure portal. Azure WAF is tightly integrated with the Azure network infrastructure, allowing traffic to be routed directly to the WAF without additional DNS changes.

Cloudflare, on the other hand, is a global content delivery network (CDN) provider that offers a wide range of security and performance features, including a web application firewall. Cloudflare's network spans across multiple data centers worldwide, allowing for optimized content delivery and DDoS protection. Cloudflare's WAF provides protection against web attacks and malicious traffic using customizable rule sets. Cloudflare also offers additional features like CDN caching, SSL/TLS encryption, and DNS management.

In terms of pricing, Azure WAF is typically billed based on the amount of data processed by the firewall, while Cloudflare offers different pricing tiers based on the features and level of service required.

Another notable difference is the network infrastructure. Azure WAF operates within the Microsoft Azure ecosystem and leverages Microsoft's global network infrastructure, while Cloudflare operates its own global network of data centers.

See also: Top 10 Website Security platforms
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Cloudflare, a leading cloud services provider, is introducing a suite of innovative products and applications designed to assist users in creating, deploying, and operating artificial intelligence (AI) models at the network edge. Among the new offerings is Workers AI, allowing customers to utilize geographically proximate GPUs hosted by Cloudflare partners for on-demand AI model execution. Additionally, Vectorize offers a vector database for storing mathematical representations (vector embeddings) generated by Workers AI models, while AI Gateway provides metrics to enhance cost management for running AI applications. These advancements signify Cloudflare's commitment to facilitating efficient AI integration and management for its clientele.

Author: Michael Stromann
Michael is an expert in IT Service Management, IT Security and software development. With his extensive experience as a software developer and active involvement in multiple ERP implementation projects, Michael brings a wealth of practical knowledge to his writings. Having previously worked at SAP, he has honed his expertise and gained a deep understanding of software development and implementation processes. Currently, as a freelance developer, Michael continues to contribute to the IT community by sharing his insights through guest articles published on several IT portals. You can contact Michael by email stromann@liventerprise.com