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AWS WAF vs ModSecurity

AWS WAF

aws.amazon.com

ModSecurity

modsecurity.org

Side by side

FigureAWS WAFModSecurity
Price from—Free
Free plan—Yes
Free trial——
Open source——
WebYes—
Windows—Yes
macOS—Yes
Linux—Yes
APIYes—
Self-hosted—Yes
Plans published11
Spec score · Web Application Firewall Software7.5 (#14)7.5 (#15)
Spec score · Website Security Software7.5 (#12)7.6 (#10)
PurposeAWS WAF protects web applications from common exploits.ModSecurity is an open-source, rule-based web application firewall that analyzes incoming traffic and helps block malicious requests before they reach an application.

Plans

AWS WAF

  • Usage-based AWS WAFPrice not published

AWS WAF pricing →

ModSecurity

  • ModSecurityFree

ModSecurity pricing →

In their own words

AWS WAF

AWS WAF has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.

Visit aws.amazon.com

ModSecurity

ModSecurity is an open-source web application firewall that examines incoming HTTP(S) traffic and can block malicious requests before they reach an application. It runs inside Apache, Nginx or IIS as a module, not as a separate appliance or proxy. The project provides traffic visibility, a rules language and an API for implementing protections. ModSecurity can run alone or with the OWASP Core Rule Set, which the FAQ says provides broad coverage against common web attacks. Listed uses include real-time security monitoring and access control, HTTP traffic logging, passive security assessment and web application hardening. It supports Linux, Unix-like systems, Windows and macOS when paired with a compatible web server. Installation guidance recommends starting in detection-only mode, reviewing and tuning events, then enabling blocking. Inspecting every request can have a small performance impact, and tuning rules can help manage it. OWASP maintains the project with community contributors, with Slack and GitHub listed for community activity. The plan costs nothing; managed rule sets are not included.

Visit modsecurity.org