open-appsec vs Tempesta FW

open-appsec

Model: Free open source, managed cloud SaaS available

Free Tier Available View full pricing →

Tempesta FW

Model: Free (open source) + professional services

Free Tier Available View full pricing →

open-appsec

• ML-Based Detection

  Pre-trained machine learning engine detects threats based on context and intent, not signatures. No rule tuning required.

• Automatic Learning

  Continuously learns application-specific traffic patterns in production, reducing false positives over time without manual intervention.

• Native Proxy Integration

  Runs as a module inside NGINX, Kong, or Envoy rather than as a separate proxy, eliminating additional network hops and latency.

• Kubernetes Ingress

  Functions as a Kubernetes Ingress Controller with built-in WAF, providing security at the ingress layer without sidecars or service mesh.

• API Protection

  Protects REST APIs against OWASP API Top 10 threats using the same ML engine, with automatic API discovery and schema enforcement.

• Anti-Bot

  Detects and mitigates automated attacks, credential stuffing, and web scraping using behavioral analysis.

Tempesta FW

• Kernel-Level Performance

  Built directly into Linux TCP/IP stack, processing up to 1.8M HTTP requests per second - 3x faster than Nginx or HAProxy.

• Multi-Layer DDoS Protection

  Integrated protection against volumetric and application-layer DDoS attacks with rate limiting, JavaScript challenges, and adaptive QoS.

• HTTP Tables

  Extends Linux iptables/nftables for application-layer filtering, enabling rules that combine IP addresses with HTTP headers and content.

• Intelligent Load Balancing

  Machine learning-powered load balancing with persistent sessions, weighted round-robin, and rendezvous hashing strategies.

• Web Acceleration

  Built-in caching using Tempesta DB, an ultra-fast in-memory database with NUMA-aware distribution and SIMD optimizations.

• High-Performance TLS

  Tempesta TLS is 40-80% faster than Nginx/OpenSSL with 4x lower latency for TLS handshakes.

• Bot Protection (WebShield)

  Open-source automated bot protection via WebShield — detects and blocks DDoS bots, scrapers, shopping bots, and booking bots using TLS and HTTP fingerprint analysis on access logs stored in ClickHouse.

• Volumetric DDoS Protection

  Upcoming open-source volumetric DDoS protection solution, completing a full L3-L7 DDoS and bot mitigation stack when combined with Tempesta FW's application-layer defences and WebShield.

• Native XDP Integration

  Uses Linux XDP (eXpress Data Path) for early packet dropping, enabling efficient mitigation of volumetric attacks.