CDN Security Comparison - AWS Shield vs GCP Armor vs Azure DDoS Protection
Content Delivery Networks (CDN) are a critical component of modern internet architectures. CDNs provide faster content delivery and better user experiences. However, CDNs are also vulnerable to external threats such as distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. To address this problem, cloud providers offer various CDN security solutions such as AWS Shield, GCP Armor, and Azure DDoS Protection. In this article, we will compare these solutions in terms of features, cost, and performance.
Features
AWS Shield
AWS Shield is a managed DDoS protection service that provides protection against network and application layer attacks. AWS Shield Standard is automatically included in all AWS accounts for free. It offers various protections such as SYN flood protection, reflection attacks protection, and HTTP flood protection. AWS Shield Advanced provides additional features such as 24/7 access to DDoS response team, real-time visibility, and attack notifications.
GCP Armor
Google Cloud Armor is a DDoS and application defense service that provides the first line of defense against internet threats. Google Cloud Armor integrates with GCP Load Balancing, Cloud CDN, and Identity Aware Proxy to provide a layered security approach. Google Cloud Armor provides protections such as IP blacklisting and whitelisting, geolocation-based enforcement, and HTTP-based rate limiting.
Azure DDoS Protection
Azure DDoS Protection is a DDoS protection service that provides protection for Azure Virtual Networks and public IP addresses. Azure DDoS protection provides protections such as protected virtual network or public IP, protection policies for Layer 3 through Layer 7 DDoS attacks, and traffic analytics for real-time threat detection.
Cost
AWS Shield
AWS Shield Standard is free for all AWS customers. AWS Shield Advanced costs $3,000 per month and provides additional features such as advanced threat detection and mitigation.
GCP Armor
Google Cloud Armor is charged based on the number of rules and HTTP(S) requests processed per month. The pricing starts at $0.75 per rule per day and $0.75 per million HTTP(S) requests.
Azure DDoS Protection
Azure DDoS Protection is charged based on the number of protected public IP addresses or VNets per hour. The pricing starts at $100 per protected resource per month.
Performance
AWS Shield
AWS Shield Standard provides automatic protections for all AWS customers, and AWS Shield Advanced provides additional protections and features. AWS Shield is capable of mitigating DDoS attacks of up to 2 Tbps.
GCP Armor
Google Cloud Armor is capable of handling DDoS attacks of up to 5 Tbps. Google Cloud Armor provides real-time insights and threat intelligence to detect and mitigate attacks proactively.
Azure DDoS Protection
Azure DDoS Protection is capable of mitigating DDoS attacks of up to 2 Tbps. Azure DDoS Protection provides real-time alerts and threat intelligence to detect and mitigate attacks proactively.
Conclusion
CDN security is a critical aspect of modern internet architectures. AWS Shield, GCP Armor, and Azure DDoS Protection provide comprehensive solutions to protect CDNs from external threats such as DDoS attacks. AWS Shield is a budget-friendly solution that provides essential protections for all AWS customers. Google Cloud Armor provides a flexible architecture that integrates with various GCP services. Azure DDoS Protection provides enterprise-level protections for Azure customers. It's up to you to choose the solution that suits your needs and budget.