Company snapshot

CategoryIncapsulaIORiver
Statusactiveactive
Founded
Headquarters
Website
Docs

Overview

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.

IORiver is a MultiCDN platform that enables businesses to manage multiple CDN局

System: Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) simultaneously, ensuring high availability and performance without the complexity of managing each CDN separately. Founded in 2024 by former Akamai engineers Edward Tsinovoi and Michael Hakimi, IORiver is based in Tel Aviv, Israel, and serves industries like SaaS, online retail, streaming media, and finance. The platform handles over 100 petabytes of traffic monthly, offering a unified interface for configuring edge services like WAF, rate limiting, and edge computing across multiple providers. It integrates with major CDNs such as Cloudflare, Akamai, Fastly, Edgio, and Amazon CloudFront. IORiver focuses on simplifying MultiCDN adoption for businesses needing global content delivery with minimal operational overhead.

Network & Architecture

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.
IORiver does not operate its own CDN infrastructure but orchestrates traffic across multiple third-party CDNs, including Akamai, Cloudflare, Fastly, Edgio, Amazon CloudFront, G-Core, and Microsoft Azure. Its Virtual Edge solution routes traffic to optimal CDN providers based on geolocation, traffic type, or cost, achieving 99.999% availability. The platform supports global content delivery with no specific POP count disclosed, relying on the combined footprints of integrated CDNs. It uses a Multi-DNS approach for resilient routing, avoiding single points of failure. Regional strengths depend on the chosen CDN providers, with flexibility to include local CDNs for markets like India or China.

Feature comparison

FeatureIncapsulaIORiver
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

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/.
IORiver operates on a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model, with pricing based on traffic volume and bundled services like WAF and analytics. No public per-GB pricing is available, and costs vary depending on the mix of CDN providers used. IORiver negotiates wholesale agreements with CDNs to reduce costs, but specific pricing details are not disclosed on their website. Potential users should contact IORiver directly for quotes. No free tier or trial details are publicly listed.

Integrations & DevEx

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.
IORiver supports Terraform for infrastructure-as-code, enabling automated configuration of multi-CDN setups. It offers REST, Python, and Go APIs for programmatic control, integrating seamlessly with CI/CD pipelines. Real-time logs and analytics via GlobalView provide insights into traffic patterns and performance. Migration tools simplify switching CDNs by importing configurations and testing providers with minimal traffic initially. The platform supports integration with major CDNs like Akamai, Cloudflare, and Amazon CloudFront, reducing setup complexity.

When it fits

  • 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 fits

  • Businesses using multiple CDNs to optimize global performance, reliability, or cost, especially in SaaS, retail, or streaming.
  • Teams seeking a unified interface to manage complex multi-CDN setups without in-house tools.
  • Organizations needing advanced edge services like WAF, DDoS protection, or edge computing across vendors.
  • When it doesn’t

  • Small businesses or startups needing a single, simple CDN with minimal configuration overhead.
  • Companies locked into a single CDN provider due to long-term contracts or specific feature dependencies.
  • Users requiring transparent per-GB pricing without custom quotes or negotiations.

When it doesn’t

  • 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