As webmasters, we sometimes face difficult and important decisions, such as who to trust with the safety of our website. Which platform is better? Which application firewall offers the most benefits? Which one best suits my website’s needs? The truth is, there are many WAF (Web Application Firewall) software options out there—perhaps too many to choose from. That’s why we’ve taken on the task of narrowing down the list to the top three WAF software currently available. We’ll dive into their pros and cons, why you should consider their online security plans, and ultimately, help you decide which one is the best for your business.
1. Sucuri
Sucuri is a paid security plugin available for any website platform. It is a well-known Web Application Firewall that protects your webpage from attackers, hackers, and any other type of potential malfunction at any time. By using their services, you provide 24/7 online security to your website. Once you purchase their programs, Sucuri is installed on your website, acting as an antivirus for your website’s code, keeping it safe. It filters all HTTPS and HTTP traffic interacting with your website, only allowing approved traffic to access your webpage. This eliminates any negative or malicious traffic that doesn’t meet the pre-set rules.
Pros of Sucuri
Sucuri offers five major benefits through its three main features: the firewall, the CDN, and an active scanner. These features ensure your webpage’s security at all times. The five main benefits are:
- Detection: Identifies potential cyber threats through an advanced algorithm.
- Protection: Constantly safeguards your page using a cloud-based firewall.
- Performance: Improves website speed using their CDN feature, reducing bounce rates.
- Response: Responds quickly to any issues that arise.
- Backup: Provides backup options to recover your site if needed.
Cons of Sucuri
A significant downside is that Sucuri doesn’t offer monthly plans—all services are available only through yearly plans, which can be costly. Additionally, their CDN is slower compared to other WAF software.
2. Cloudflare
Cloudflare, like Sucuri, is a Web Application Firewall software designed to prevent virtual attacks and hackers from accessing your webpage. Just yesterday, Cloudflare detected over 444 million threats that triggered their system. Their high-quality firewall acts as a shield between your website and malicious traffic, protecting against cross-site scripting attacks, SQL injections, and DDOS attacks without altering your website’s code. Essentially, it provides invisible protection, continuously monitoring for threats or abnormal behavior.
Pros of Cloudflare
- Free Option: Unlike other WAF software, Cloudflare offers a free security plugin system suitable for personal or small websites. They also have affordable monthly plans, and a business plan for websites with high traffic.
- Content Delivery Network (CDN): Cloudflare’s free CDN service keeps your website running even under attack, specializing in DDOS protection, ensuring visitors can still access your site.
Cons of Cloudflare
Not all features are free. While their CDN services are free, accessing a robust WAF requires a monthly fee per domain. Additionally, Cloudflare doesn’t have an active scanner like Sucuri, meaning it cannot detect malware on its own.
3. Incapsula
Imperva Incapsula is another WAF software known for its fast, high-quality Content Delivery Network, providing top-notch security against DDOS attacks. Incapsula is renowned for its multi-layered security measures, which prevent major cyber-attacks and immediately identify irregular activity.
Pros of Incapsula
- Fast CDN: One of the fastest CDN services available, capable of keeping a website operational during a DDOS attack.
- Multi-layered Security: Includes blacklist checks, two-step verification, and bad bot mitigation. It is also a PCI-Verified Web Application Firewall.
- Affordable Plans: Monthly plans are available, similar to Cloudflare.
- Performance Improvement: Enhances website speed and overall performance.
Cons of Incapsula
Incapsula’s support system is lacking compared to Sucuri and Cloudflare, both of which offer comprehensive support in case of hacking attacks. There are also some interface issues, though not significant, that become evident when compared with other WAF software.
Conclusion
Each of these WAF software solutions—Sucuri, Cloudflare, and Incapsula—offers great features and benefits. Sucuri provides an all-in-one security system with an active scanner and CDN, while Cloudflare offers a free option for small to medium businesses but lacks an active scanner. Incapsula is known for its powerful CDN system but has room for improvement in support services.
The choice depends on your website’s specific needs and how these solutions align with those requirements.
