F5 sells "every app, anywhere" with a portfolio that still runs all over the place.
BIG-IP, NGINX, Shape, and Volterra were born separately and still carry different technologies.
Azion delivers a single platform to run every application. No appliances. No patchwork. No decades of legacy.
A logo doesn't turn four architectures into one platform.
One architecture, not four
BIG-IP, NGINX, and Volterra came from different generations and acquisitions. On Azion, compute, security, delivery, and observability share one architecture.
One toolset for every team
Each F5 product line needs its own tools and skills. On Azion, Console, API, CLI, and Terraform share one model for every team.
Modernize without carrying the past
F5 still has to preserve a huge appliance base. Your iRules logic moves to Rules Engine and Functions, built for modern apps and APIs.
No appliances to buy or replace
Hardware, licenses, and professional services add cost at every stage. Azion is a managed service, with no appliances to install or upgrade.
Budget without a licensing matrix
F5 budgets depend on licensing model, bundle, and capacity. Azion publishes on-demand rates, with Reserved Capacity and Savings Plans for commitments.
Move one application at a time
Put Azion in front of the apps BIG-IP serves today, validate them, then shift traffic in stages.
"Azion shielded us from sophisticated cyberattacks and empowered us to modernize our infrastructure, reduce costs, and deliver the best shopping experiences to millions of customers."
Allan Monteiro
CISO & Head of Technology
Map F5 workloads to Azion
BIG-IP LTM virtual servers and pools map to Applications and Load Balancer, iRules to Rules Engine and Functions, and Advanced WAF and Distributed Cloud WAAP to Firewall and WAF. BIG-IP DNS maps to Edge DNS.Platform documentation
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Azion a good F5 alternative?
Yes. Azion is a strong F5 alternative for teams that want to replace appliances and a multi-product portfolio with one managed platform. Load balancing, programmable request logic, WAF, bot management, DDoS protection, DNS, and observability run on the same architecture across 100+ data centers, with published on-demand rates and $300 in free credits to evaluate the switch.
How is Azion's architecture different from F5's?
BIG-IP started as an appliance, NGINX as software, and Volterra as distributed SaaS, so F5's hardware, virtual appliances, software, cloud, and SaaS share a logo but not an architecture. Azion is a single distributed, software-defined platform with integrated compute, security, delivery, and observability, and one operating model for every team.
How do BIG-IP load balancing and iRules map to Azion?
BIG-IP LTM virtual servers, pools, and health monitors map to Applications and Load Balancer. iRules logic for redirects, header changes, and routing maps to Rules Engine, and logic that needs code maps to Functions, written in JavaScript or TypeScript instead of TCL.
What replaces BIG-IP Advanced WAF, NGINX App Protect, and F5 Distributed Cloud WAAP?
They map to Azion Firewall: Web Application Firewall for application and API attacks, Bot Manager for automated traffic, and DDoS Protection and Network Shield for volumetric and network-layer attacks. Firewall processes every request first, in the same flow as the application. Start WAF rules in Learning mode to tune exceptions before you enforce them.
How do BIG-IP DNS and global traffic management map to Azion?
BIG-IP DNS zones and wide IPs map to Edge DNS, and global traffic steering and failover map to Load Balancer. Load balancing and failover are included on every plan.
Do I need to buy or run appliances on Azion?
No. Azion is a managed service across 100+ data centers. There is no hardware or virtual appliance to buy, install, size, upgrade, or replace, and capacity scales with traffic instead of with licenses.
How does Azion pricing compare with F5?
F5 offers perpetual, subscription, and utility licensing, and the budget depends on the deployment model, product bundle, and capacity. Azion offers published on-demand rates, plans with included usage, and commitment discounts through Reserved Capacity and Savings Plans, with every product on every plan.
Can I keep F5 while I move to Azion?
Yes. Put Azion in front of applications that BIG-IP or NGINX serve today, validate delivery, WAF policies, and routing on Azion, and shift traffic in stages. Keep F5 where it still fits until each application is ready to cut over.
What should I validate before cutover?
Validate origin routing and health checks, TLS certificates, translated iRules behavior, WAF and bot policies, DNS records and failover, and log delivery to your monitoring tools before you move production traffic.
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