When it comes to modern web protection, choosing the right Web Application Firewall (WAF) can make a big difference. In this post, we’ll compare SafeLine, an intelligent, self-hosted WAF by Chaitin Tech, and Reblaze, a fully managed cloud-native WAF known for its traffic filtering and bot mitigation.
Here’s how they stack up:
Deployment: Cloud vs Self-Hosted
Reblaze
- Fully managed, cloud-based WAF
- Requires DNS redirection to Reblaze’s cloud
- Easy to deploy but introduces vendor lock-in
- No direct server access
SafeLine
- Self-hosted (Docker/K8s/native install)
- You keep full control of data and deployment
- Perfect for those who need flexibility or operate in restricted environments
Detection Engine: Traditional vs Semantic-Based
Reblaze
- Combines rules and behavioral profiling
- Uses machine learning for bot detection
- Relies heavily on cloud infrastructure
SafeLine
- Powered by a semantic analysis engine (no traditional rules)
- Excels at detecting unknown attacks (e.g. 0days)
- Built to reduce false positives and bypasses
Control and Customization
Reblaze
- Minimal configuration needed
- Focused on simplicity over customization
- Good for teams that prefer hands-off protection
SafeLine
- Offers fine-grained rule customization
- Web dashboard, black/whitelists, IP reputation, etc.
- Designed for users who want transparency and tuning options
Performance and Traffic Handling
Reblaze
- Scales automatically via cloud
- Limited visibility into how traffic is processed
SafeLine
- Built on high-performance Tengine
- Millisecond-level detection latency
- 2000+ TPS per core — highly scalable with hardware
Use Case Fit
| Scenario | Better Choice |
|---|---|
| Need full control | SafeLine |
| Fast deployment, no ops needed | Reblaze |
| Protect internal/private apps | SafeLine |
| Hosted public-facing websites | Reblaze |
| Want deep customization | SafeLine |
| Prefer hands-off management | Reblaze |
Verdict
Both SafeLine and Reblaze offer robust web protection, but they serve different audiences.
- Choose SafeLine if you want full control, strong semantic-based detection, and are comfortable managing your own infra.
- Choose Reblaze if you prefer a plug-and-play cloud service with minimal ops involvement.
More info
- SafeLine GitHub: https://github.com/chaitin/SafeLine
- SafeLine Docs: https://docs.waf.chaitin.com/en/GetStarted/Deploy
- SafeLine Community: https://discord.gg/dy3JT7dkmY
- Reblaze WAF: https://waap.docs.link11.com/v2.16/introduction-to-reblaze
Top comments (1)
Reblaze wins in modern WAF intelligence with stronger AI real time traffic analysis and better bot mitigation. SafeLine is simpler but less advanced.