Company snapshot
| Category | AT&T | Cloudflare |
|---|---|---|
| Status | active | active |
| Founded | — | — |
| Headquarters | — | — |
| Website | — | — |
| Docs | — | — |
Overview
AT&T operates a content delivery network (CDN) as part of its telecommunications portfolio, leveraging its global network infrastructure to deliver content for enterprise and media customers. The CDN focuses on video streaming, live events, and secure content delivery, utilizing AT&T’s extensive fiber and 5G networks. It serves large organizations, including broadcasters and businesses requiring high-bandwidth applications. The service integrates with AT&T’s broader connectivity offerings, such as private networking and cloud solutions. As of 2025, AT&T continues to expand its fiber footprint, aiming to reach over 50 million locations by 2029.
Cloudflare, founded in 2009, is a San Francisco-based company offering a global content delivery network (CDN), DDoS mitigation, and web security services. Its network accelerates content delivery and protects websites and applications from cyber threats. Cloudflare serves a wide range of customers, from small businesses to enterprises like Shopify, Medium, and IBM. The platform is known for its developer-friendly tools, including serverless edge computing and comprehensive security features. It provides a free tier alongside paid plans, catering to diverse user needs. Cloudflare’s services sit between end users and origin servers, acting as a reverse proxy to enhance performance and reliability.
Network & Architecture
AT&T’s CDN operates across 38 data centers globally, with points of presence (POPs) in North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM. It leverages the company’s telecom backbone, including its fiber-optic and 5G networks, for low-latency content delivery. The network is optimized for video streaming and live events, with strong peering agreements with major ISPs. Its North American presence is particularly robust, though its coverage in emerging markets like Africa and parts of Asia is less extensive compared to competitors like Cloudflare or Akamai. The architecture emphasizes integration with AT&T’s private network services for enterprise clients.
Cloudflare operates over 200 points of presence (PoPs) globally, spanning regions like North America, EMEA, APAC, Latin America, Africa, India, China, and the Middle East. Its Anycast network ensures low-latency content delivery by routing traffic to the nearest data center. The company has strong peering agreements, enhancing connectivity and reducing latency. Regional strengths include robust coverage in North America and Europe, with growing presence in APAC and Latin America. However, performance in certain African and Middle Eastern regions may vary due to fewer PoPs or local network constraints. Cloudflare’s architecture supports dynamic content acceleration and integrates with its security and edge computing services.
Feature comparison
| Feature | AT&T | Cloudflare |
|---|---|---|
waf | ✓ | ✓ |
bot_mitigation | ✗ | ✓ |
ddos | ✓ | ✓ |
rate_limit | ✗ | ✓ |
http3_quic | ✗ | ✓ |
tls13 | ✗ | ✓ |
tiered_cache | ✗ | ✓ |
origin_shield | ✗ | ✗ |
instant_purge | ✓ | ✓ |
stale_while_revalidate | ✗ | ✓ |
stale_if_error | ✗ | ✓ |
image_optimization | ✗ | ✓ |
video_vod | ✓ | ✓ |
video_live | ✓ | ✓ |
drm | ✗ | ✗ |
hls_dash_packaging | ✗ | ✗ |
websockets | ✗ | ✓ |
signed_urls | ✗ | ✓ |
edge_compute | ✗ | ✓ |
functions | ✗ | ✓ |
kv_storage | ✗ | ✓ |
api_first | ✓ | ✓ |
realtime_logs | ✓ | ✓ |
log_push | ✗ | ✓ |
terraform | ✗ | ✓ |
Legend: ✓ = Supported, ✗ = Not supported, — = Not listed
Pricing
AT&T’s CDN pricing is enterprise-only, with custom contracts based on bandwidth, storage, and service level agreements. No public per-GB pricing is available, and there is no free tier or pay-as-you-go option. Pricing details require direct contact with AT&T’s sales team, as no dedicated pricing page is publicly accessible.
Cloudflare offers a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model, a free tier, and enterprise plans. The free tier includes basic CDN, DDoS protection, and an SSL certificate, suitable for small sites. Paid plans (Pro, Business, Enterprise) add advanced features like WAF, bot mitigation, and analytics, with pricing starting at $20/month for Pro plans. Enterprise pricing is customized, often requiring committed contracts. Data transfer and HTTP/HTTPS requests are included in subscription plans, with additional costs for features like edge computing or advanced WAF rules. Full details are available at https://www.cloudflare.com/plans/.
Integrations & DevEx
AT&T’s CDN offers an API-first interface for configuration and monitoring, with real-time log access for analytics. Documentation is available but lacks support for Terraform or other infrastructure-as-code tools. SDKs are limited, and there’s no mention of CI/CD integrations or migration tools. The focus is on enterprise workflows, with less emphasis on developer-centric features compared to providers like Fastly or Cloudflare.
Cloudflare supports Terraform for infrastructure-as-code (IaC), enabling automated configuration management. SDKs and APIs facilitate integration with CI/CD pipelines and custom applications. Real-time logs (Logpush) and analytics (Cloudflare Analytics) provide actionable insights, with RUM support for end-user performance monitoring. Migration tools, like the Cloudflare Dashboard and DNS import features, simplify onboarding from other providers. The developer platform, including Cloudflare Workers and Pages, supports building and deploying serverless applications and static sites, enhancing developer experience.
When it fits
- Enterprises needing a telecom-backed CDN integrated with private networking or 5G for secure, high-bandwidth content delivery.
- Media companies requiring robust video-on-demand and live streaming with global reach and DDoS protection.
- Organizations already using AT&T’s connectivity services, seeking seamless CDN integration.
- Small businesses or developers needing a free or low-cost CDN with basic security and SSL support.
- Enterprises requiring robust DDoS protection, WAF, and global content delivery with strong developer tools.
- Teams leveraging edge computing for serverless applications or dynamic content acceleration.
When it doesn’t
- Small businesses or developers looking for pay-as-you-go pricing or a free tier, as AT&T targets enterprise clients.
- Users needing advanced edge compute, image optimization, or developer-centric tools like Terraform support.
- Customers prioritizing extensive POP coverage in Africa or smaller APAC markets, where AT&T’s presence is limited.
- Organizations needing specialized video features like HLS/DASH packaging, DRM, or RTMP ingest for advanced streaming use cases.
- Users in regions with limited PoPs (e.g., parts of Africa or the Middle East) where latency may be higher.
- Scenarios requiring origin shield for enhanced caching, which Cloudflare does not natively support.
History & Notes
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