AWS WAF vs Incapsula: What are the differences?

Introduction:

In this article, we will compare the key differences between AWS WAF and Incapsula, two popular web application firewall solutions.

1. Scalability: The first major difference between AWS WAF and Incapsula is in terms of scalability. AWS WAF is a cloud-based service provided by Amazon Web Services, offering virtually unlimited scalability. It leverages the AWS infrastructure to automatically scale its resources based on demand, ensuring uninterrupted protection for your web applications. On the other hand, Incapsula is also a cloud-based solution, but it may have certain limitations on scalability depending on the specific plan chosen.

2. Integration with AWS Services: Another significant difference is the integration with other AWS services. AWS WAF seamlessly integrates with other AWS services like Amazon CloudFront, AWS Application Load Balancer, and Amazon API Gateway, making it easier to protect applications running on these services. Incapsula, while offering various integration options, may not have the same level of integration with AWS services, requiring additional configuration and setup.

3. Advanced Threat Intelligence: AWS WAF provides integration with AWS CloudWatch, allowing you to monitor and analyze traffic patterns and security events. It also offers integration with AWS Firewall Manager, providing centralized management and control across multiple AWS accounts. Incapsula, on the other hand, offers its own advanced threat intelligence capabilities, providing real-time monitoring and protection against common and emerging threats.

4. Pricing Model: AWS WAF follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model, where you are billed based on the number of web requests and the rules deployed. This provides flexibility and cost-effectiveness, especially for applications with varying traffic patterns. Incapsula, on the other hand, offers different pricing plans based on the desired level of protection and features, which may involve fixed monthly costs regardless of the actual traffic volume.

5. Customization and Flexibility: AWS WAF offers a high level of customization and flexibility through its rule builder and rule groups, allowing you to create custom rules tailored to your specific application requirements. It also supports the creation of rate-based rules for protection against excessive requests. Incapsula also provides customization options, but the level of flexibility may vary depending on the specific plan chosen.

6. Managed Rule Sets: AWS WAF offers AWS Managed Rules, which are pre-configured rule sets created and maintained by AWS security experts, covering common vulnerabilities and threats. These managed rule sets can be easily applied to your web application for immediate protection. Incapsula provides its own set of rule sets and security features, but they may differ in terms of coverage and updates compared to AWS Managed Rules.

In Summary, AWS WAF and Incapsula differ in terms of scalability, integration with AWS services, advanced threat intelligence capabilities, pricing model, customization and flexibility, and availability of managed rule sets.