ModSecurity vs AWS WAF
A detailed comparison to help you choose between ModSecurity and AWS WAF.
Quick Verdict
4.0/5
ModSecurity
250 reviews
4.9/5
AWS WAF
8 reviews
AWS WAF is rated higher (4.9 vs 4.0). ModSecurity is a free WAF engine that detects and blocks malicious HTTP requests. Operates as a module for major web servers to protect against OWASP Top 10 attacks and custom threats. AWS WAF is Amazon's web application firewall that can be attached to CloudFront, ALB, or API Gateway. Pay per rule ($1/rule/month) and per million requests ($0.60). Integrates with AWS Shield.
ModSecurity Open-source web application firewall for Apache, Nginx, and IIS |  AWS WAF Amazon WAF integrated with CloudFront and ALB | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 4.0 (250 reviews) | 4.9 (8 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | free | usage-based |
| Starting price | Free✓ | From €5/mo |
| Best for | DevOps teams and system administrators running self-managed web servers who need application-layer protection without managed WAF costs. | AWS-invested applications that need WAF tightly integrated with their existing CloudFront or ALB setup |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tieropen sourceself hostable | api accessus datacentereu datacenterapac datacenter |
| Visit ModSecurity → | Visit AWS WAF → | |
ModSecurity
Pros
- + Deploy on-premises with full control and visibility
- + Use industry-standard OWASP Core Rule Set or create custom rules
- + Inspect request/response payloads, headers, and cookies in real-time
- + Free and open-source with active community support
Cons
- - Requires server-level integration and maintenance expertise
- - Rule tuning needed to avoid false positives in production
- - No built-in DDoS rate-limiting or volumetric attack mitigation
AWS WAF
Pros
- + Deep AWS integration
- + Per-rule pricing — cost-effective for simple use
- + Works with CloudFront, ALB, API Gateway
Cons
- - Complex rule management
- - Requires AWS expertise to use effectively
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