Company snapshot
| Category | Highwinds | Ngenix |
|---|---|---|
| Status | defunct | active |
| Founded | — | — |
| Headquarters | — | — |
| Website | — | — |
| Docs | — | — |
Overview
Highwinds Network Group, Inc., founded in 2002, provided content delivery network (CDN) services, cloud storage, IP transit, and colocation, serving clients like Blip.TV, Hudl, Valve, and CCP Games. Its RollingThunder network supported video streaming and gaming content delivery. Acquired by StackPath in 2017, Highwinds CDN was integrated into StackPath’s offerings but was discontinued in November 2023 as StackPath exited the CDN business. The service is now defunct, with no active operations.
Ngenix is a Russian provider of CDN and cloud infrastructure services, focusing on web resource acceleration, DDoS protection, and video content delivery. Founded in 2007, it serves businesses primarily in Russia and CIS countries, offering solutions for e-commerce, media, and gaming industries. Its platform emphasizes high availability and security for web and streaming services. Customers include regional enterprises seeking localized CDN solutions with robust video streaming capabilities. Ngenix operates a public status page for real-time service monitoring.
Network & Architecture
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Ngenix operates points of presence (PoPs) across Russia, including Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Krasnoyarsk, and Vladivostok, as well as select locations in Europe (Germany, Belarus, Armenia) and Asia (Kazakhstan). Its network is optimized for the Russian market, with strong regional coverage in the Central, Siberian, and Far East Federal Districts. The architecture supports content caching, load balancing, and DDoS mitigation. Limited global reach may restrict performance for users outside Russia and CIS regions.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Highwinds | Ngenix |
|---|---|---|
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
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Ngenix uses an enterprise-only pricing model with custom contracts based on traffic and service needs. No public per-GB pricing is available, and there is no free tier or pay-as-you-go option. Pricing details require contacting their sales team. For more information, visit https://ngenix.net/pricing/.
Integrations & DevEx
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Ngenix provides APIs for content routing, reporting, and partner integration (NGENIX Platform API, NGENIX Reports API). Real-time logs support monitoring, but there is no public support for Terraform or other IaC tools. SDKs and CI/CD integrations are not documented. The NGENIX Multidesk portal aids developers with service management, and a public status page (https://status.ngenix.net/) offers outage alerts.
When it fits
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- Businesses targeting Russia and CIS markets needing localized CDN and video streaming.
- Enterprises requiring robust DDoS protection and web application firewall for regional traffic.
- Media companies seeking video-on-demand and live streaming with HLS/DASH and RTMP support.
When it doesn’t
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- Companies needing global CDN coverage beyond Russia and CIS regions.
- Small businesses or startups looking for pay-as-you-go or free-tier pricing models.
- Developers requiring extensive IaC support like Terraform or broad SDK ecosystems.
History & Notes
Highwinds operated a global network with over 70 points of presence across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, known as RollingThunder. It secured significant funding, including $55 million in 2008 and $205 million in 2013, to expand its CDN infrastructure. After its 2017 acquisition by StackPath, Highwinds’ services were merged but faced integration challenges. Customer feedback on StackPath’s CDN, including Highwinds, highlighted declining support and price increases. Akamai acquired approximately 100 enterprise accounts from StackPath in 2023, but smaller customers needed to find alternatives independently.
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