Company snapshot
| Category | Fastly | Vercara |
|---|---|---|
| Status | active | active |
| Founded | — | — |
| Headquarters | — | — |
| Website | — | — |
| Docs | — | — |
Overview
Fastly is a global content delivery network (CDN) and edge cloud platform founded in 2011, headquartered in San Francisco, USA. It focuses on delivering fast, secure, and customizable content delivery and edge computing services. Fastly serves a range of enterprise customers, including The New York Times, GitHub, Spotify, and Pinterest, with a developer-centric approach. Its platform emphasizes real-time control, analytics, and edge computing capabilities. Fastly went public in 2019 and remains active, though it has faced challenges with outages and industry slowdowns.
Vercara, formerly Neustar Security Services, is a cloud-based provider of CDN, DNS, and cybersecurity solutions, focusing on enterprise-grade services. It offers UltraDNS for managed authoritative DNS and UltraDDoS Protect, UltraWAF, UltraAPI, and UltraEdge for security and performance. Acquired by DigiCert in September 2024, Vercara serves over 2,000 enterprises, including Fortune 500 companies, across industries like finance, e-commerce, and healthcare. Its solutions emphasize uptime, security, and scalability for complex digital infrastructures. Vercara handles approximately 30% of global internet traffic, processing over 9 trillion DNS queries daily.
Network & Architecture
Fastly operates over 60 points of presence (POPs) globally, with a focus on major population centers for low-latency content delivery. Its global anycast network optimizes routing, but its smaller POP count compared to competitors like Akamai or Cloudflare may limit coverage in some regions. Fastly has strong peering agreements, enhancing performance for high-traffic sites. It excels in North America, EMEA, and APAC but has less presence in Africa and LatAm. The platform leverages WebAssembly for edge computing isolation and resiliency.
Vercara operates a global network with points of presence (POPs) across 16 regions, including a recently added node in Toronto. Its UltraDNS service ensures low-latency DNS resolution, and its DDoS mitigation network has a capacity exceeding 15 Tbps. The platform is designed for high availability, with a reported 100% uptime for DNS services. It has strong regional coverage in North America, EMEA, and APAC, serving global enterprises with hybrid cloud setups. Specific peering and routing details are not publicly disclosed, but Vercara’s infrastructure supports major hyperscalers and high-traffic verticals.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Fastly | Vercara |
|---|---|---|
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
Fastly uses a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model with pricing based on data transfer ($0.12–$0.19 per GB) and requests ($0.0075 per 10,000). Additional features like WAF or edge computing may incur extra costs. No free tier is offered, and pricing targets enterprise users. Full details are available at https://www.fastly.com/pricing.
Vercara operates on an enterprise-only model, with pricing tailored to customer needs and no public per-GB rates disclosed. It does not offer a free tier or pay-as-you-go options, focusing on committed contracts for large organizations. Specific pricing details are available only through direct sales consultation. No public pricing page is provided.
Integrations & DevEx
Fastly supports Terraform for infrastructure-as-code, with recent updates like the Terraform Provider 7.1.0 adding domain metadata and IPv6 preferences. It offers SDKs and APIs for custom integrations, CI/CD pipelines, and real-time analytics. Realtime logs and log-push capabilities integrate with monitoring tools like Splunk or Datadog. Migration tools are limited, but the API-first design simplifies configuration for developers.
Vercara supports Terraform for infrastructure automation, integrating with DevOps workflows. Its API-first design enables programmatic control of DNS and security services. Real-time logs are available for monitoring, though log push or streaming capabilities are not explicitly documented. Integration with HashiCorp Consul-Terraform-Sync enhances DNS management automation. Migration tools or specific SDKs are not publicly detailed, but Vercara’s enterprise focus suggests customized onboarding support.
When it fits
- Enterprises needing real-time control and analytics for dynamic content delivery.
- Developers requiring edge computing with Compute@Edge for serverless applications.
- Sites with high-traffic demands in North America, EMEA, or APAC regions.
- Large enterprises needing robust DNS and DDoS protection with 100% uptime guarantees.
- Organizations with hybrid cloud setups requiring integrated DNS and certificate management.
- High-traffic industries like finance or e-commerce needing scalable security solutions.
When it doesn’t
- Small businesses seeking free tiers or simpler, budget-friendly CDN options.
- Users needing extensive POP coverage in Africa or Latin America.
- Applications requiring advanced video streaming features like HLS/DASH packaging or DRM.
- Small businesses or startups seeking pay-as-you-go or free-tier CDN options.
- Users needing transparent pricing or self-service onboarding without sales consultation.
- Applications requiring advanced video streaming features like HLS/DASH packaging or DRM.
History & Notes
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