Company snapshot
| Category | Highwinds | Viblast |
|---|---|---|
| Status | defunct | defunct |
| 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.
Viblast was a Bulgaria-based company founded in 2013 that specialized in peer-to-peer (P2P) video streaming solutions, offering Viblast PDN and Viblast Player for live and on-demand video delivery. It served broadcasters, content providers, and CDNs, leveraging WebRTC and HTML5 to enable plugin-free HLS and MPEG-DASH playback. The company aimed to reduce bandwidth costs and improve stream quality for high-concurrency live streams. As of 2023, Viblast is reported as out of business, with no active services or official website available.
Network & Architecture
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Feature comparison
| Feature | Highwinds | Viblast |
|---|---|---|
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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Integrations & DevEx
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When it fits
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When it doesn’t
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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.
Viblast was recognized for its innovative use of WebRTC for P2P video streaming, winning awards like the Streaming Media European Readers’ Choice for Delivery Network in 2014. Its technology was particularly suited for large-scale live streaming, claiming up to 90% bandwidth savings. No official EOL announcement was found, but PitchBook data confirms the company ceased operations by March 2023. No evidence of asset sales or successor entities exists, and its website (viblast.com) is no longer active.