Features, pricing, ratings, and pros and cons, compared head to head.
Array ASF Series Web Application Firewall is a commercial cloud web application and api protection tool by Array Networks. F5 BIG-IP Advanced WAF is a commercial cloud web application and api protection tool by F5. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best cloud web application and api protection fit for your security stack. Independent and vendor-neutral: we never sell rankings.
Based on our analysis of NIST CSF 2.0 coverage, core features, integrations, company size fit, here is our conclusion:
Array ASF Series Web Application Firewall
Mid-market and enterprise teams defending legacy and cloud applications simultaneously will get the most from Array ASF Series; its multiple deployment modes (bridge, routing, TAP) let you protect workloads across VMware, Hyper-V, and AWS without ripping out your infrastructure. The auto-learning algorithms and behavioral bot detection catch attacks that signature-based WAFs miss, and SSL offloading removes a real performance tax on busy application teams. Skip this if you're a startup looking for a lightweight cloud-native WAF or need deep API schema validation; Array prioritizes layer 7 attack prevention over API-specific threat modeling.
Enterprise and mid-market security teams protecting APIs and microservices should pick F5 BIG-IP Advanced WAF for its behavioral ML-based bot and Layer 7 DoS detection, which catches attacks that signature-based WAFs routinely miss. The tool covers all four major API protocols (GraphQL, REST, XML, GWT) with granular policies designed for distributed architectures, and deploys hybrid across AWS, Azure, and GCP without rip-and-replace. Skip this if your primary concern is CSPM or runtime container security; BIG-IP is application-focused and won't replace your infrastructure monitoring.
WAF protecting web apps from OWASP Top 10, DDoS, and zero-day attacks
WAF protecting apps and APIs from attacks, bots, and OWASP Top 10 threats
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Common questions about comparing Array ASF Series Web Application Firewall vs F5 BIG-IP Advanced WAF for your cloud web application and api protection needs.
Array ASF Series Web Application Firewall: WAF protecting web apps from OWASP Top 10, DDoS, and zero-day attacks. built by Array Networks. Core capabilities include OWASP Top 10 attack protection, Layer 7 DDoS defense, Zero-day attack detection and blocking..
F5 BIG-IP Advanced WAF: WAF protecting apps and APIs from attacks, bots, and OWASP Top 10 threats. built by F5. Core capabilities include Behavioral analytics and machine learning for L7 DoS detection and mitigation, API protocol security for GraphQL, REST/JSON, XML, and GWT, Application-layer encryption for sensitive data protection..
Both serve the Cloud Web Application and API Protection market but differ in approach, feature depth, and target audience.
Array ASF Series Web Application Firewall differentiates with OWASP Top 10 attack protection, Layer 7 DDoS defense, Zero-day attack detection and blocking. F5 BIG-IP Advanced WAF differentiates with Behavioral analytics and machine learning for L7 DoS detection and mitigation, API protocol security for GraphQL, REST/JSON, XML, and GWT, Application-layer encryption for sensitive data protection.
Array ASF Series Web Application Firewall is developed by Array Networks. F5 BIG-IP Advanced WAF is developed by F5. Vendor maturity, funding stage, and team size can be important factors when evaluating long-term viability and support quality.
Array ASF Series Web Application Firewall integrates with VMware, Hyper-V, KVM, AWS, Azure and 1 more. F5 BIG-IP Advanced WAF integrates with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft, Salesforce and 1 more. Check integration compatibility with your existing security stack before deciding.
Array ASF Series Web Application Firewall and F5 BIG-IP Advanced WAF serve similar Cloud Web Application and API Protection use cases: both are Cloud Web Application and API Protection tools, both cover DDOS, WAF. Review the feature comparison above to determine which fits your requirements.
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