Company snapshot
| Category | BelugaCDN | Incapsula |
|---|---|---|
| Status | active | active |
| Founded | — | — |
| Headquarters | — | — |
| Website | — | — |
| Docs | — | — |
Overview
BelugaCDN is a content delivery network (CDN) provider founded in 2014, designed to accelerate website content delivery globally at a low cost. It operates a dual-stack IPv4 and IPv6 network, focusing on delivering static content like images and videos to users across various devices. The service is utilized by small to medium-sized businesses, e-commerce platforms, and media sites seeking affordable CDN solutions. BelugaCDN emphasizes straightforward caching, real-time analytics, and easy integration with existing web infrastructure. The company is headquartered in Miami, Florida, and operates as a subsidiary of Xcitium following its acquisition in 2018.
Incapsula, now integrated under Imperva, is a cloud-based CDN platform focused on web application security, DDoS mitigation, and performance optimization. Founded in 2009 as a spin-off from Imperva, it provides services like web application firewalls (WAF), bot mitigation, and load balancing. The platform serves businesses of varying sizes, including high-traffic websites and enterprises like Wix and Siemens. Incapsula’s global network enhances site speed and security, leveraging intelligent caching and content optimization. It operates as a full proxy, sitting between the website and its host to deliver robust security and performance features.
Network & Architecture
BelugaCDN maintains 28 points of presence (POPs) across five continents, with 9 high-capacity “SuperPOPs” in key locations such as New York, Miami, Dallas, San Jose, Seattle, Chicago, London, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt. Its network is optimized for North America and Europe, with smaller-capacity POPs in Asia, Latin America, and Oceania, including São Paulo, Bangalore, Singapore, and Sydney. The provider uses proxy-based authorization and a private high-speed global network to ensure low-latency content delivery. Plans to upgrade Bangalore and Singapore POPs to SuperPOPs were noted in 2017, but no recent updates confirm completion. Limitations include limited presence in China and the Middle East, which may impact performance for users in those regions.
Incapsula operates a global CDN with points of presence (PoPs) across the Americas (e.g., Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles), Europe (e.g., Amsterdam, London, Frankfurt), and Asia-Pacific (e.g., Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo). The network includes recent expansions in India (New Delhi, Mumbai). It uses intelligent caching, TCP optimization, and frequency analysis to prioritize frequently accessed files, reducing latency. Routing and peering details are not fully public, but the platform emphasizes high-capacity scrubbing centers (100+ Gbps per Behemoth scrubber) for DDoS mitigation. It performs well globally but has a stronger presence in North America and EMEA, with growing coverage in APAC and India.
Feature comparison
| Feature | BelugaCDN | Incapsula |
|---|---|---|
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
BelugaCDN operates on a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model with no long-term contracts, starting at $5 per month for 500 GB of traffic at $0.01 per GB for North America and Europe. Higher-volume plans reduce costs to $0.005 per GB, with special pricing for enterprise users exceeding 10 TB monthly. A free trial of the Pro Plan is available. Request overages cost $0.0035 per 10,000 requests, and ingress costs are not charged. Full pricing details are available at https://www.belugacdn.com/pricing/.
Incapsula offers a free tier for up to 10 pages, including CDN, IPv6 support, and basic bot protection. Paid plans start at $59/month (Pro) and $299/month (Business) per site, with enterprise plans customized. Pricing is pay-as-you-go (PAYG) with committed options for enterprises. DDoS protection significantly increases costs on higher tiers. Full details are at https://www.imperva.com/pricing/.
Integrations & DevEx
BelugaCDN offers a RESTful API for managing properties, purging content, and accessing analytics, making it developer-friendly. Real-time logs can be exported to Elastic Search or Redis, with 10 million requests per month included free. The Grafana App provides usage metrics visualization. No public documentation confirms Terraform or CI/CD integrations, nor specific migration tools from other CDNs. The intuitive UI simplifies setup and management for non-technical users.
Incapsula supports API-first integrations for configuration and monitoring, with real-time logs and log push for analytics. It lacks Terraform support or dedicated SDKs for CI/CD pipelines. The platform provides a dashboard for bot traffic and WAF alerts, but migration tools are limited, requiring manual configuration or support from Imperva for complex setups.
When it fits
- Small to medium-sized businesses needing an affordable CDN with PAYG pricing and no long-term commitments.
- Websites with traffic primarily in North America and Europe, leveraging BelugaCDN’s SuperPOPs for low-latency delivery.
- Developers seeking API-first access and real-time analytics for straightforward content delivery.
- Businesses needing robust web security with CDN, especially for DDoS and bot mitigation.
- High-traffic sites requiring global performance with strong North American and EMEA presence.
- Enterprises seeking API-driven control and real-time monitoring for security events.
When it doesn’t
- Organizations requiring extensive presence in China or the Middle East, where BelugaCDN lacks POPs.
- Users needing advanced video features like HLS/DASH packaging or DRM, which are not supported.
- Enterprises needing robust edge compute or managed WAF solutions, as BelugaCDN focuses on basic caching and delivery.
- Sites focused on video streaming or live content, as video-specific features like VOD or HLS/DASH are absent.
- Small projects needing lightweight, developer-centric CDN without security overhead.
- Budget-conscious users, as premium security features increase costs significantly.
History & Notes
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