Cloudflare

What it is

Cloudflare operates a global connectivity cloud that combines content delivery, DNS and security services at the network edge. For security teams it is commonly used as a web application firewall (WAF), DDoS mitigation layer, bot management platform and Zero Trust access broker (including Cloudflare Access), alongside performance and developer services on the same network.

What it helps with

- Protecting public websites and APIs with managed and custom WAF rules at the edge.
- Absorbing and mitigating volumetric and application-layer DDoS attacks on Cloudflare’s anycast network.
- Replacing or reducing VPN reliance with identity-aware Zero Trust access to internal applications.
- Adding TLS, rate limiting, bot scoring and related controls without deploying customer-premises appliances.
- Observing traffic and security events through dashboards, analytics and log integrations.
- Starting on free or lower tiers and expanding into Pro, Business or Enterprise security features as needed.

Who it's for

Web and platform engineers, security teams and organisations that need edge-delivered application security, DDoS protection and Zero Trust access without operating their own global scrubbing or proxy fleet.

Worth knowing

Cloudflare offers free and paid plans; advanced WAF, bot and Zero Trust features often require higher tiers or add-ons. Official documentation and product pages are on cloudflare.com. This listing emphasises security capabilities (WAF, DDoS, Zero Trust) within the broader connectivity cloud. Attribution: framing from Cloudflare security, WAF and Access product pages.