The Most Popular Web Application Firewall, Ranked

Choose the web application firewall you think is the most popular!

Author: Gregor Krambs
Updated on Apr 30, 2024 06:53
In the ever-changing landscape of internet security, determining which web application firewall stands out as the most effective can be a daunting task. As cyber threats become more sophisticated, the need for robust protection is more critical than ever. This ranking helps users like you to identify which tools are currently leading the pack, based on community votes and insights. By participating in this live ranking, not only do you contribute to a pool of real-world data, but you also gain insight into what other users are favoring in the realm of web security. This dynamic list adjusts as new votes are cast, ensuring that the rankings reflect the most up-to-date user preferences and experiences. Your vote matters, and here, it directly influences the collective security intelligence.

What Is the Most Popular Web Application Firewall?

  1. 1
    46
    votes
    ModSecurity is one of the most popular web application firewalls because it is open-source, highly configurable, and supports a wide range of web servers and programming languages. It also has a large community of contributors, making it a reliable and well-supported option.
    ModSecurity is a widely-used open-source web application firewall (WAF) that provides protection against a wide range of attacks and vulnerabilities. It operates as an Apache module and can be used to help secure web applications and protect against unauthorized access, brute force attacks, injection attacks, and other common web-based threats.
    • Supported Platforms: ModSecurity supports Windows, Linux, and other popular Unix-like operating systems.
    • Integration: It integrates with popular web servers like Apache, Nginx, and IIS.
    • Rule Language: ModSecurity uses its rule language to define security policies and customize protection for specific applications.
    • Logging and Monitoring: It provides extensive logging and monitoring capabilities for analyzing and responding to security events.
    • Performance: ModSecurity is designed to be highly efficient and has been optimized to deliver high-performance security for web applications.
  2. 2
    44
    votes
    Cloudflare is a cloud-based web application firewall that is popular for its easy setup and management. It offers a range of security features, including DDoS protection, bot mitigation, and SSL/TLS encryption. Cloudflare is also known for its performance optimization capabilities, which can improve site speed and reduce server load.
    Cloudflare is a popular web application firewall that offers reliable protection against malicious attacks and helps improve website performance. It acts as a reverse proxy server and sits between a website and its visitors, filtering incoming traffic and blocking threats. Cloudflare protects against common attacks like DDoS, SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and other OWASP top 10 vulnerabilities.
    • Scalability: Can handle high volume traffic with global data centers.
    • Performance: Caches static content and optimizes delivery.
    • Security: Offers SSL/TLS encryption and protects against known security vulnerabilities.
    • DNS Management: Provides DNS services with fast resolution and load balancing.
    • Firewall Rules: Allows customized rules for traffic filtering and access control.
  3. 3
    18
    votes

    Barracuda WAF

    Barracuda Networks
    Barracuda WAF is a highly scalable web application firewall that offers advanced threat protection, including bot mitigation, SQL injection prevention, and cross-site scripting (XSS) protection. It also includes a range of reporting and analytics tools to help organizations monitor and analyze their web traffic.
    Barracuda WAF (Web Application Firewall) is a popular security solution designed to protect web applications and websites against potential cyber threats. It provides advanced security features to help organizations secure their digital assets, prevent data breaches, and ensure application availability. Barracuda WAF is developed by Barracuda Networks, a leading provider of cybersecurity and data protection solutions.
    • Threat Detection and Prevention: Offers real-time protection against known and unknown web application attacks such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and DDoS attacks.
    • Advanced Bot Protection: Utilizes machine learning algorithms and behavioral analytics to differentiate between benign and malicious bot traffic, offering protection against automated threats.
    • Web Scraping and Credential Stuffing Protection: Includes mechanisms to detect and block scraping activities and credential stuffing attempts, safeguarding sensitive information.
    • High Performance: Designed to handle high traffic volumes with minimal latency impact on web application performance.
    • SSL Offloading and Inspection: Supports SSL offloading to optimize resource utilization and allows deep inspection of encrypted traffic to uncover potential threats.
  4. 4
    15
    votes

    F5 BIG-IP

    F5 Networks
    F5 BIG-IP is a web application firewall and load balancer that offers advanced security features, including deep content inspection, SSL/TLS offloading, and IP reputation filtering. It is highly scalable and can handle large amounts of traffic, making it popular with large enterprises and service providers.
    F5 BIG-IP is a widely used web application firewall (WAF) that provides advanced protection for web applications against various cyber threats. It is designed to defend against common application vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. BIG-IP WAF integrates with F5's comprehensive application delivery controller (ADC) platform, offering a complete solution for application security and performance optimization.
    • Detection and prevention: Ability to detect and prevent common web application attacks.
    • Traffic inspection: Deep packet inspection (DPI) capabilities for thorough analysis of incoming and outgoing traffic.
    • Vulnerability protection: Protection against known application vulnerabilities, with regular updates for emerging threats.
    • Application-layer visibility: Insight into application traffic patterns, user behavior, and security events for improved visibility.
    • Intelligent bot defense: Advanced techniques to identify and block malicious bots attempting to exploit applications.
  5. 5
    10
    votes
    Imperva is a cloud-based web application firewall that offers advanced threat protection, including bot detection, DDoS mitigation, and application-layer protection. It also includes a range of reporting and analytics tools to help organizations monitor and analyze their web traffic.
    Imperva is a highly popular web application firewall (WAF) that provides enhanced security for web applications. It uses advanced threat intelligence and machine learning techniques to protect against a wide range of attacks.
    • Adaptive Security: Automatically adjusts security policies based on current threat landscape.
    • Real-time Monitoring: Continuously monitors web traffic and detects attacks in real-time.
    • Attack Mitigation: Efficiently mitigates known and zero-day attacks.
    • Imperva Threat Intelligence: Access to a vast security network and threat intelligence data.
    • Application Layer Protection: Protects web applications at the application layer, including HTTP and HTTPS traffic.
  6. 6
    15
    votes

    Akamai Kona Site Defender

    Akamai Technologies
    Akamai Kona Site Defender is a cloud-based web application firewall that offers advanced threat protection, including DDoS mitigation, bot detection, and application-layer protection. It is highly scalable and can handle large amounts of traffic, making it popular with large enterprises and service providers.
    Akamai Kona Site Defender is a popular web application firewall (WAF) developed by Akamai Technologies. It provides advanced protection against web application-level attacks, helping businesses secure their websites and applications from various threats.
    • Cloud-based WAF: Delivers protection without additional on-premises hardware or software.
    • DDoS mitigation: Includes built-in DDoS protection to defend against volumetric attacks.
    • Real-time monitoring: Monitors incoming traffic and blocks malicious requests in real-time.
    • Advanced threat intelligence: Leverages Akamai's extensive threat intelligence network to identify and block new and emerging threats.
    • API protection: Offers API-level security to safeguard against attacks targeting web APIs.
  7. 7
    10
    votes
    Sucuri is a cloud-based web application firewall that offers advanced threat protection, including DDoS mitigation, malware scanning, and brute force protection. It is known for its user-friendly interface and easy setup process, making it popular with small businesses and website owners.
    Sucuri is a popular web application firewall (WAF) that provides security solutions for websites. It was created by Sucuri Inc., a cybersecurity company founded in 2010. Sucuri helps protect websites from various online threats and attacks, including malware infections, DDoS attacks, OWASP top 10 vulnerabilities, and website defacement.
    • Malware Detection: Sucuri provides real-time scanning for malware detection and removal.
    • DDoS Protection: Sucuri offers advanced DDoS protection to mitigate and prevent large scale attacks.
    • Virtual Patching: Sucuri provides virtual patching to address vulnerabilities in web applications until official patches are available.
    • Website Firewall: Sucuri acts as a web application firewall by filtering and blocking malicious traffic before it reaches the website.
    • Monitoring and Notifications: Sucuri monitors website security status and provides real-time notifications in case of any security issues or breaches.
  8. 8
    9
    votes
    Fortinet FortiWeb is a web application firewall that offers advanced security features, including bot mitigation, SQL injection prevention, and cross-site scripting (XSS) protection. It also includes a range of reporting and analytics tools to help organizations monitor and analyze their web traffic.
    Fortinet FortiWeb is a popular web application firewall (WAF) that offers advanced protection against web-based threats. It helps organizations secure their web applications from various attacks, such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and session hijacking. The FortiWeb WAF uses a combination of machine learning, signature-based detection, and behavioral analytics to provide effective security for web applications.
    • Advanced Threat Protection: Provides comprehensive security against web-based attacks
    • Web Application Security: Includes OWASP Top 10 protection, web scraping prevention, and bot mitigation
    • DDoS Protection: Defends against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks
    • SSL Inspection: Enables secure traffic inspection to identify and block malicious activities
    • Vulnerability Scanner: Scans web applications for potential vulnerabilities and provides remediation recommendations
  9. 9
    7
    votes

    Sophos XG Firewall

    Sophos Ltd.
    Sophos XG Firewall is a web application firewall and network security appliance that offers advanced threat protection, including bot detection, DDoS mitigation, and application-layer protection. It is highly configurable and can be integrated with a range of other security tools, making it popular with large enterprises and service providers.
    The Sophos XG Firewall is a next-generation firewall solution that provides advanced network protection to organizations of all sizes. It offers comprehensive security features with an emphasis on simplicity and ease of use. The firewall is designed to protect networks from various threats, including malware, ransomware, and advanced persistent threats (APTs). It also includes advanced features like application control, web filtering, and intrusion prevention to ensure network security.
    • Throughput: Up to 140 Gbps
    • Firewall rules: Unlimited
    • VPN Tunnels: Up to 10,000
    • Concurrent connections: Up to 50 million+
    • Web Protection: Advanced Web Application Firewall (WAF)
  10. 10
    9
    votes

    Radware AppWall

    Radware
    Radware AppWall is a web application firewall that offers advanced security features, including bot detection, SQL injection prevention, and cross-site scripting (XSS) protection. It also includes a range of reporting and analytics tools to help organizations monitor and analyze their web traffic. Radware AppWall is known for its ease of deployment and management, making it popular with small and medium-sized businesses.
    Radware AppWall is a popular web application firewall (WAF) designed to protect web applications from various cyber threats, including OWASP top 10 vulnerabilities. It intelligently analyzes application traffic and applies real-time security policies to detect and mitigate application layer attacks.
    • Layer 7 DDoS Protection: Provides advanced protection against DDoS attacks targeting application layer vulnerabilities.
    • Behavioral-based Detection: Leverages machine learning algorithms to identify and block anomalies in application traffic.
    • Web Scraping Protection: Prevents automatic data extraction by detecting and blocking scraping activities on the application.
    • Compliance Support: Helps in meeting regulatory compliance requirements, such as PCI DSS and GDPR.
    • API Protection: Secures APIs by monitoring and filtering API requests based on security policies.

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About this ranking

This is a community-based ranking of the most popular web application firewall. We do our best to provide fair voting, but it is not intended to be exhaustive. So if you notice something or firewall is missing, feel free to help improve the ranking!

Statistics

  • 1291 views
  • 182 votes
  • 10 ranked items

Voting Rules

A participant may cast an up or down vote for each firewall once every 24 hours. The rank of each firewall is then calculated from the weighted sum of all up and down votes.

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More information on most popular web application firewall

Web application firewalls (WAFs) are an essential component of modern cybersecurity, providing a vital layer of protection for web applications against malicious attacks. A WAF is designed to inspect and filter incoming traffic to identify and block potential threats such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and other web-based attacks. With the rise of cybercrime and the increasing sophistication of attackers, choosing the right WAF has become more critical than ever. In this article, we explore the most popular web application firewalls and their key features, helping you make an informed decision when it comes to securing your web applications.

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