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AWS Shield vs CloudFlare: What are the differences?

Introduction

AWS Shield and CloudFlare are both cybersecurity services designed to protect websites and web applications from various cyber threats. While they share a similar goal, there are key differences between the two in terms of features, pricing, and integration options.

  1. Integrated Platform vs. Third-Party Service: One of the main differences between AWS Shield and CloudFlare is their integration approach. AWS Shield is an integrated service offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), which means it is tightly integrated with other AWS services such as Amazon EC2, Elastic Load Balancing, and Amazon Route 53. On the other hand, CloudFlare is a third-party service that requires separate configuration and integration with your existing infrastructure.

  2. Focused on DDoS vs. Comprehensive Security: AWS Shield primarily focuses on protecting against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. It offers automatic protection against DDoS attacks, with features like traffic engineering and mitigation techniques. CloudFlare, on the other hand, offers a more comprehensive security solution, including protection against various types of DDoS attacks, Web Application Firewall (WAF) capabilities, and content delivery network (CDN) services.

  3. Pricing Model: AWS Shield is a part of the AWS security services portfolio and is billed separately based on the protection level and the volume of traffic. The pricing structure includes fixed monthly charges for basic protection and additional charges for advanced protection. CloudFlare, on the other hand, offers different pricing plans based on the level of protection and additional features required, including a free plan for basic protection.

  4. Scalability and Flexibility: AWS Shield is designed to seamlessly scale with your AWS infrastructure. It can handle large-scale traffic and provide rapid response times. It also integrates well with other AWS services, allowing for easy deployment and management. CloudFlare, on the other hand, offers global scalability with its extensive network of data centers, allowing for fast and efficient content delivery. It is also compatible with various hosting providers and can be easily integrated into existing infrastructure.

  5. Global Network and CDN: CloudFlare has an extensive global network of data centers, which enables it to provide faster content delivery and reduce latency. It acts as a CDN, caching content closer to the end-users and reducing the load on the origin server. AWS Shield does not offer CDN capabilities and focuses mainly on DDoS protection.

  6. Managed Service vs. Self-Service: AWS Shield is a fully managed service provided by AWS. It is designed to automatically detect and mitigate DDoS attacks without user intervention. CloudFlare, on the other hand, provides a self-service platform where users can configure and manage their security settings. While it offers advanced automation and intelligence, it also requires more user involvement in configuring and monitoring the security settings.

In summary, AWS Shield is an integrated service offered by AWS, primarily focusing on DDoS protection and tightly integrated with other AWS services, while CloudFlare is a third-party service offering comprehensive security solutions, including DDoS protection, WAF capabilities, and CDN services. AWS Shield offers a more managed approach with seamless scalability within the AWS ecosystem, while CloudFlare provides a global network with extensive CDN capabilities and offers more flexibility in terms of integration options.

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Pros of AWS Shield
Pros of CloudFlare
    Be the first to leave a pro
    • 423
      Easy setup, great cdn
    • 277
      Free ssl
    • 199
      Easy setup
    • 190
      Security
    • 180
      Ssl
    • 98
      Great cdn
    • 77
      Optimizer
    • 71
      Simple
    • 44
      Great UI
    • 28
      Great js cdn
    • 12
      Apps
    • 12
      HTTP/2 Support
    • 12
      DNS Analytics
    • 12
      AutoMinify
    • 9
      Rocket Loader
    • 9
      Ipv6
    • 9
      Easy
    • 8
      IPv6 "One Click"
    • 8
      Fantastic CDN service
    • 7
      DNSSEC
    • 7
      Nice DNS
    • 7
      SSHFP
    • 7
      Free GeoIP
    • 7
      Amazing performance
    • 7
      API
    • 7
      Cheapest SSL
    • 6
      SPDY
    • 6
      Free and reliable, Faster then anyone else
    • 5
      Ubuntu
    • 5
      Asynchronous resource loading
    • 4
      Global Load Balancing
    • 4
      Performance
    • 4
      Easy Use
    • 3
      CDN
    • 2
      Registrar
    • 2
      Support for SSHFP records
    • 1
      Web3
    • 1
      Прохси
    • 1
      HTTPS3/Quic

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    Cons of AWS Shield
    Cons of CloudFlare
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      • 2
        No support for SSHFP records
      • 2
        Expensive when you exceed their fair usage limits

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      What is AWS Shield?

      AWS Shield is a managed Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection service that safeguards web applications running on AWS. AWS Shield provides always-on detection and automatic inline mitigations that minimize application downtime and latency, so there is no need to engage AWS Support to benefit from DDoS protection.

      What is CloudFlare?

      Cloudflare speeds up and protects millions of websites, APIs, SaaS services, and other properties connected to the Internet.

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      What companies use AWS Shield?
      What companies use CloudFlare?
      See which teams inside your own company are using AWS Shield or CloudFlare.
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      What tools integrate with AWS Shield?
      What tools integrate with CloudFlare?

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      What are some alternatives to AWS Shield and CloudFlare?
      AWS WAF
      AWS WAF is a web application firewall that helps protect your web applications from common web exploits that could affect application availability, compromise security, or consume excessive resources.
      Akamai
      If you've ever shopped online, downloaded music, watched a web video or connected to work remotely, you've probably used Akamai's cloud platform. Akamai helps businesses connect the hyperconnected, empowering them to transform and reinvent their business online. We remove the complexities of technology, so you can focus on driving your business faster forward.
      Incapsula
      Through an application-aware, global content delivery network (CDN), Incapsula provides any website and web application with best-of-breed security, DDoS protection, load balancing and failover solutions.
      OpenSSL
      It is a robust, commercial-grade, and full-featured toolkit for the Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocols. It is also a general-purpose cryptography library.
      Let's Encrypt
      It is a free, automated, and open certificate authority brought to you by the non-profit Internet Security Research Group (ISRG).
      See all alternatives