Introduction
Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) are no longer just “extra protection” — for modern developers, they’re part of the deployment architecture. But the best WAF for you depends on your stack, scalability needs, and security priorities.
In this article, we compare SafeLine — a self-hosted WAF — with Bunny Shield — Bunny.net’s CDN-integrated WAF — through the lenses of deployment model, detection engine, DevOps integration, and pricing.
About the Solutions
SafeLine WAF
- Deployment: Reverse proxy
- Core Tech: Semantic analysis + AI logic
- Open Source: Community Edition on GitHub (17.3k+ stars)
- Best For: Developers, startups, and security-conscious teams wanting full control
Bunny Shield (Bunny.net WAF)
- Deployment: CDN-integrated edge security
- Core Tech: Rule-based + behavior heuristics + bot management
- Commercial: Part of Bunny.net paid plans
- Best For: Sites already using Bunny CDN or needing global edge protection
1. Deployment Model
SafeLine
- Runs as a reverse proxy in front of your application
- Works on bare metal, VMs, or Kubernetes
- Direct control over security logic and traffic routing
Bunny Shield
- Built into Bunny.net’s global CDN network
- Protects traffic before it even reaches your origin server
- No server setup, but requires routing DNS through Bunny.net
🆚 Takeaway: SafeLine = control & self-hosting flexibility. Bunny Shield = zero-maintenance global edge protection.
2. Detection Logic
SafeLine
- Uses semantic analysis to understand intent in HTTP payloads
- Extremely low false positive rate, even for complex APIs
- No traditional signature rules to maintain
Bunny Shield
- Relies on predefined WAF rules + anomaly detection
- Includes bot filtering, rate limiting, and IP blocking
- Easier to configure but less adaptive to novel threats
🆚 Takeaway: SafeLine is more adaptive; Bunny Shield is easier for quick deployment.
3. DevOps & Automation
SafeLine
- Full API control + YAML configs
- Open-source codebase for custom tuning
- Works in CI/CD pipelines for security-as-code
Bunny Shield
- Managed via Bunny.net dashboard & API
- Simplifies setup for non-security engineers
- No need to manage infrastructure
🆚 Takeaway: SafeLine fits teams with in-house DevSecOps workflows. Bunny Shield is better for minimal-ops environments.
4. Performance
SafeLine
- Adds ~1ms latency per request
- Performance depends on your hosting environment
Bunny Shield
- Runs entirely at the CDN edge
- Latency reduced due to caching & geo-distribution
🆚 Takeaway: Bunny Shield wins for global latency; SafeLine is still lightweight for self-hosted setups.
5. Pricing
SafeLine
- Free Community Edition + paid Pro version
- No traffic-based pricing
Bunny Shield
- Paid add-on to Bunny.net CDN plans
- Pricing based on bandwidth usage
🆚 Takeaway: SafeLine is budget-friendly for growing projects. Bunny Shield cost scales with traffic.
Conclusion
| Feature Area | SafeLine | Bunny Shield (Bunny.net) |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment Model | Reverse Proxy | CDN Edge WAF |
| Core Technology | Semantic AI Detection | Rule-Based + Heuristics |
| DevOps Integration | High (open source + API) | Moderate (managed) |
| Performance | Low Latency (self-hosted) | Global Edge Low Latency |
| Pricing | Free + Paid Pro | Paid (bandwidth-based) |
Choose SafeLine if…
- You want full control over WAF logic
- You like open-source tooling
- You’re running your own infrastructure
Choose Bunny Shield if…
- You’re already using Bunny.net CDN
- You want plug-and-play protection at the edge
- You don’t want to manage WAF servers
Top comments (1)
Nice comparison! đź‘Ź Looks like SafeLine is great if you want full control and customization, while Bunny Shield wins for simplicity and global reach. Definitely depends on how hands-on your team wants to be.