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AWS WAF vs Cloud WAF for beginners

【Table of contents】

  1. 1. Introduction
  2. 2. AWS WAF vs Cloud WAF
  3. 3. Conclusion

  • 1. Introduction

    In this blog, we will describe the differences between AWS WAF and Cloud WAF. Although they are both products for security measures, there are some significant differences. Let's take a look at it.

    • a) What is WAF?

      First of all, both AWS WAF and Cloud WAF are security tools called "WAF", which stands for "Web Application Firewall". It is mainly used to protect websites from attacks on web applications. In the OSI reference model, it protects the 7th layer (application layer) and defends web services from attacks such as the following.

      　・SQL injection attacks
      　・Cross-site scripting attacks
      　・OS command injection attacks
      　・DDoS attacks

      Any of these attacks can lead to the leakage of user information or the loss of service. If user information is leaked, the company will not only just lose its trust, there is a possibility that the company will suffer a serious financial loss. And the only way to prevent these attacks is to build web applications with secure programming or deploy a WAF solution. Secure programming requires a highly skilled workforce and a mechanism to continuously improve the application at the same time. Therefore, defending against web application attacks with WAF is now more common. In short, WAF can be said to be the key to protecting modern web applications from security attacks.

    • b) What is AWS WAF?

      AWS WAF is a SaaS type WAF provided by AWS (Amazon Web Services), a cloud service provided by Amazon. AWS has many data centers around the world, and AWS WAF operates in those data centers. Also, the services that can be protected are basically applications built on AWS.

    • c) What is Cloud WAF?

      Cloud WAFs are SaaS-type WAFs offered by security vendors and network equipment companies. It runs on data centers and servers managed by companies that provide the cloud WAF. The services that can be protected include web applications built on the cloud, such as AWS, as well as web applications built on company-managed on-premises servers.

  • 2. AWS WAF vs Cloud WAF

    Let's take a detailed look at the similarities and differences between AWS WAF and Cloud WAF.

    • a) Similarities and differences in fees

      Here's what AWS WAF and Cloud WAFs have in common when it comes to the pricing. Both AWS WAF and cloud WAFs are often less expensive than on-premise WAFs. The initial cost for on-premise WAF is huge, and in some cases it can cost up to tens of thousands of dollars. However, even with AWS WAF and Cloud WAF, if you don't understand the fee structure correctly, you will end up receiving an unexpectedly high bill, so you need to understand the fee structure properly.

      Next, let's see the differences between AWS WAF and Cloud WAF in terms of pricing, as AWS WAF is often much cheaper than Cloud WAF. First of all, AWS WAF has no initial cost. Also, running costs are cheap and it is available from as little as $20 per month. On the other hand, some cloud WAF products do not have an initial cost, but there may be a license fee to install them. Running costs also come in a variety of fee forms. For example, you may be charged on your web request basis, or depending on your support level. However, in any case, AWS WAF is often cheaper to use in general.

    • b) Similarities and differences in implementation methods and procedures

      Here's what AWS WAF and Cloud WAFs have in common when it comes to the deployment methods and procedures. Compared to on-premise WAFs, both AWS WAF and Cloud WAF require fewer implementation steps and can be implemented in a short period of time (from a few minutes to several days).

      Next, let’s see the differences between AWS WAF and Cloud WAF in terms of implementation methods and procedures. AWS WAF has overwhelmingly fewer steps of implementation procedure than Cloud WAF and can be implemented easily. It can be deployed in just a few minutes. However, it is basically limited to services that are built on AWS. On the other hand, although not as fast as AWS WAF implementation, most cloud WAFs can be deployed within a few minutes to a few days. In addition, the major difference from AWS WAF is that it can be flexibly supported, such as it can be deployed to web application services built in an on-premise environment.

    • c) Similarities and differences in operation

      Here's what AWS WAF and Cloud WAFs have in common when it comes to the operation. As both AWS WAF and Cloud WAF are SaaS-type, no device operation is required. The actual device is in the data center managed by the service provider such as AWS, so it is easy to operate. However, the performance and signature (the rules for blocking attacks) operation need to be considered. For example, if you use a cloud WAF to protect your web application in an on-premise environment, the communication will come a long way from the service provider's data center to your own data center. Therefore, sufficient performance testing is required.

      Next, let’s see the operational difference between AWS WAF and Cloud WAF. AWS WAF requires you to set your own rules to block attacks and requires advanced security knowledge to operate. However, by using "managed rules" provided by security vendors, it is possible to operate with little security knowledge. Cloud WAFs are often well-equipped for operation. Various functions are provided to make operation easier depending on the product, such as the interruption report and the interrupted IP list as a report, etc. Also, it is often much easier to operate compared to AWS WAF, as the rules for blocking attacks are operated automatically.

  • 3. Conclusion

    This table summarizes the differences between AWS WAF and Cloud WAF.

    AWS WAF Cloud WAF
    Pricing Cheap A little expensive compared to AWS WAF
    Introduction procedure Very easy. It can be implemented in a few minutes. However, it only protects services built on AWS. In most cases, it takes a little longer than AWS WAF, but offer a flexible design, making it possible to protect services built on-premise.
    Operation It is a bit difficult, but you can use managed rules to make it easier to operate. Compared to AWS WAF, it has a variety of functions and is often easier to operate.

    As you can see, AWS WAF and Cloud WAF have their own characteristics. Understand the differences between the two and decide which one is better suited to protect your web service.

 

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