If you operate any internet-facing systems these days, odds are cybercriminals have you in their crosshairs. Web applications have become lucrative targets with nearly 70% of attacks aimed at the application layer in recent years.
With dire vulnerabilities like Log4Shell exploiting common software, a quality web application firewall (WAF) is now mandatory to business continuity. This exhaustive guide will outline the top WAF solutions available and simplify your buying decision.
Why Web Apps Demand Specialized Protection
Traditional network firewalls filtering ports and protocols are ineffective at securing today’s diverse web applications. Modern web apps involve many interconnected components and third-party dependencies:
- Frontend code written in JavaScript/TypeScript
- Backend APIs in Node, Python, Java
- Cloud storage like AWS S3 or Azure Blob
- Embedded media libraries and advertising
- External service integrations via REST or GraphQL
This complex architecture offers countless surfaces vulnerable to attack. According to a 2022 Imperva report, 39% of applications contain at least one serious security flaw.
Common examples like cross-site scripting, injection attacks, broken authentication, and misconfigurations can all lead to data breaches or service outages.
While patching known bugs is crucial, new attack techniques and zero days continually emerge. For reliable security, a specialized web application firewall provides:
- Layer 7 inspection of all HTTP/S traffic
- Virtual patching to block new attack vectors
- Bot protection against scraping, injection, and volumetric floods
- Anomaly detection identifying deviations from normal behavior
- Continuous security updates as vulnerabilities are discovered
Next we’ll cover leading options across both cloud and on-premise deployment.
Top Cloud Web Application Firewalls
Cloud-based WAF services offer convenience and flexibility unmatched by hardware appliances locked inside your data center. Scaling protection globally can be achieved in minutes with cloud.
Cloudflare
The most popular WAF worldwide, Cloudflare boasts excellent DDoS mitigation and OWASP Top 10 coverage:
- Over 75 Tbps network capacity
- Filters based on IPs, headers, payloads, cookies
- WAF analytics shows blocked threats
- Easy API integration
- Free tier for small sites
With innovative serverless deployment and a wealth of complementary solutions like managed DNS protection, Cloudflare should be your first consideration for cloud WAF.
Akamai Kona
A longstanding leader in content delivery networks, Akamai’s Kona WAF leverages a massive global edge presence to accelerate and protect web apps:
- Over 270,000 servers in 135 countries
- OWASP Top 10 and zero-day safeguards
- Sophisticated bot identification
- PCI DSS compliance tools
- Site acceleration built-in
However, Akamai carries high minimum fees, with custom pricing starting around $8,500/month. Thus it remains viable mainly for Fortune 500 organizations.
AWS Web Application Firewall
If your company is invested in Amazon Web Services, integrating the AWS WAF service with cloud resources like load balancers and CloudFront CDN makes securing web apps straightforward:
- Deploy protection globally in minutes
- Consistent security automation through Infrastructure as Code
- Detailed log analysis with services like Athena
- Pay only for traffic you process
- Starting at $1/month
For AWS-native organizations running microservices, serverless functions, and APIs, the native AWS WAF likely suffices.
Imperva
Delivering over 20 years of web app security expertise, Imperva WAF combines virtual patching, DDoS filtering, bot detection, and actionable analytics:
- Cloud-native deployment or on-prem appliances
- Monitors traffic for compliance with regulations like PCI DSS and HIPAA
- Blocks polymorphic malware leaks
- Integration with Imperva application security scanners
- Pricing starts around $1,500/month
This robust cloud WAF strikes an admirable balance between advanced protections and ease-of-use for streamlined administration.
Top On-Premise Web Application Firewalls
While cloud WAF solutions simplify operations, some applications demand the ultra-low latency and high throughput of a local hardware appliance. Financial services and healthcare sectors often reject cloud due to strict data residency and security policies.
F5 BIG-IP ASM
The longtime market leader in dedicated WAF appliances, F5 BIG-IP ASM offers unmatched performance thanks to specialized hardware like field programmable gate arrays:
- Over 280 million concurrent connections
- Up to 320 Gbps throughput
- Stops dangerous app attacks within seconds
- Accepts virtual and cloud deployments
- Behavioral analysis spots anomalies
Pricing for the BIG-IP ASM starts around $6,000. No competitor comes close to F5 for on-prem WAF scale and speed.
Citrix Web App Firewall
A serious contender to F5, Citrix WAF combines robust denial-of-service protection with intelligent load balancing:
- 80 Gbps maximum throughput
- QoS prioritizes essential traffic
- Simplified workflows and policies
- Integrates with other Citrix application delivery capabilities
- Virtual editions for private cloud available
With long proven hardware appliances starting around $6,000 and straightforward management, Citrix positions itself as an easy all-in-one WAF and load balancer solution.
Barracuda WAF
Delivering enterprise-grade security at an affordable price point, Barracuda WAF minimizes deployment headaches:
- Secures apps hosted anywhere
- Centralized management for large deployments
- WAF directly installable on Kubernetes infrastructure
- REST API integration
- Starting under $2,000/year
For cost-conscious SMBs still requiring robust WAF protections, Barracuda hits a sweet spot in the market.
Key Capabilities to Evaluate in a WAF
When researching options for your company’s web application security, focus evaluations across these critical dimensions:
Deployment Flexibility – Match models like hardware appliances, cloud services, or API gateways to your infrastructure strategy.
Detection Accuracy – Balance blocking threats effectively while minimizing false positives that might break applications for users.
Performance & Scalability – Meet internal stakeholders’ uptime expectations under peak loads and possible denial-of-service conditions.
Ease of Use – Reduce administrative overhead by easily creating policies, automating maintenance, and customizing rules.
Total Cost of Ownership – Weigh upfront expenses vs ongoing management fees depending on application longevity and refresh cycles.
Analytics & Reporting – Gain visibility into attack trends and fine-tune defenses by learning from incident forensic data.
Final Thoughts
With web applications representing the front door to your business, ensuring their security and availability against modern threats is an imperative investment.
Sophisticated attackers are constantly probing for weak points using evasive techniques and exploiting newly reported vulnerabilities. By implementing a robust web application firewall tailored to your tech stack, you can automate protection against these risks before they turn into headline-grabbing breaches.
Among the vendors above, Cloudflare and Imperva deliver excellent all-around cloud solutions while F5 and Barracuda lead for on-premises and hybrid environments.
Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions as you evaluate options to lock down your web apps! I‘m always happy to offer specific recommendations based on your use case and risk profile from my experience successfully securing organizations across industries.
