Introducing CDNetworks WAAP: AI-powered Web Application and API Protection

Web applications and APIs are at the heart of modern digital business, yet they operate in an environment of constant change. New technologies, evolving user behaviors, and increasingly sophisticated automation are reshaping both opportunities and risks for enterprises.

In such a landscape, effective web application and API protection (WAAP) demands advanced functionality and automated solutions that enhance security while reducing management overhead.

Gartner’s April 2025 Market Guide for Cloud Web Application and API Protection emphasizes that organizations should prioritize WAAP platforms that bring AI and machine learning for behavioral analysis, automated response, and first-class API protection rather than relying on legacy, signature-driven defenses.

At CDNetworks, we continuously innovate to meet the evolving challenges of WAAP in today’s digital ecosystem. In this post, we’ll explore the key capabilities of the CDNetworks WAAP solution and how it can strengthen an organization’s security architecture.

What is CDNetworks WAAP？

CDNetworks Cloud Security 2.0 is a cloud WAAP solution that protects your websites, applications, and APIs from a broad array of network and application-layer threats, including L7 DDoS, automated bots, OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities, API-based exploits, and more.

It represents an evolution from traditional WAFs. By combining WAAP technologies with automation and intelligence at scale, Cloud Security 2.0 delivers a unified approach to securing assets against sophisticated security threats.

Moreover, Cloud Security 2.0 employs adaptive security, powered by AI and machine learning, to continuously learns from global traffic patterns and emerging threats, ensuring defenses remain up-to-date against the constantly evolving cybersecurity landscape.

The Five Core Capabilities of CDNetworks Cloud Security 2.0

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  Advanced DDoS Protection : Defends against volumetric, protocol, and application-layer attacks with adaptive protection, behavioral analytics, and 20+ Tbps of scrubbing capacity.

Web Application Firewall (WAF) : Stops OWASP Top 10 threats using 1,000+ pre-configured signatures and fully customizable rules tailored to your business needs.

Bot Management : Distinguishes legitimate users from good and bad bots to prevent fraud, account takeovers, and data scraping, using advanced techniques such as TLS fingerprinting.

API Shield : Secures APIs with continuous discovery, live vulnerability detection, and proactive defense against exploitation before threats reach your systems.

Professional Security Services : Supports operations with tailored security services, such as major event support, vulnerability scanning, rapid incident response, and more.

Why Choose CDNetworks WAAP?

In the 2025 IDC China WAAP Vendor Technology Assessment report, CDNetworks WAAP outperforms the industry average with top-tier performance across Web Application Firewall, LLM-Firewall collaboration, API protection and monitoring, bot traffic management, threat intelligence, application-layer DDoS protection, and industry-specific applications.

This recognition highlights our multi-dimensional strengths that equip organizations with intelligent, adaptive defenses against emerging threats, providing comprehensive protection for websites and APIs.

🏆 Key reasons organizations trust CDNetworks WAAP:

Broader Protection

CDNetworks WAAP delivers multi-layered security by combining WAF, bot management, DDoS protection, and API security. This holistic approach ensures all aspects of web applications and APIs are protected against evolving cyber threats.

AI-powered Threat Detection

Our AI Engine continuously learns from traffic patterns and emerging threats, autonomously detecting and mitigating attacks without manual intervention. This self-learning capability ensures high accuracy while reducing false positives, keeping your applications protected with minimal operational overhead.

Minimize the API Attack Surface

We provide comprehensive API security to reduce vulnerabilities and prevent unauthorized access. Continuous monitoring and automated protections help ensure APIs stay safe while supporting your business operations.

First Line of Defense

Threats are intercepted and mitigated before reaching your origin servers. By filtering malicious traffic at the edge, exposure is reduced and attacks are prevented from impacting core infrastructure.

Closed-loop Risk Management

Organizations can enjoy continuous protection throughout every phase of an attack.

Before an attack, proactive measures such as vulnerability scanning and asset monitoring help reduce risk. During an attack, real-time support and mitigation minimize potential losses. After an attack, detailed analysis and tailored recommendations strengthen defenses and enhance overall security posture.

24/7/365 Support

Our dedicated security experts are available around the clock to assist with incident response, monitoring, and guidance, ensuring uninterrupted protection and rapid threat resolution.

Ease of Use and Real-time Visibility

A unified security console provides full visibility across WAF, DDoS, Bot, and API protections, with real-time alerts and granular controls, enabling rapid threat detection and response.

Global Reach and Performance

With our expansive global network of over 2,800 PoPs worldwide, traffic is intelligently distributed to maintain low latency and ensure services remain resilient under attack.

Secure Your Websites and APIs with CDNetworks WAAP

CDNetworks WAAP weaves together multiple layers of protection, keeping your websites and APIs secure while running smoothly. With our platform, organizations can fortify their digital environment, deliver seamless user experiences, and safeguard critical data against ever-changing threats.

Reach out to our sales team today to discover how CDNetworks WAAP can protect your business with confidence.

Web App and API Protection FAQs

1. What is WAAP?

WAAP stands for Web Application and API Protection. It is a modern security solution that protects both web applications and APIs from cyber threats such as DDoS attacks, bot traffic, and data breaches.

WAAP combines traditional web application firewall (WAF) capabilities with advanced API protection and behavioral analytics.

2. WAAP vs. WAF: What’s the difference?

The main difference between WAAP and WAF lies in the scope of protection.

• A WAF focuses primarily on securing web applications by filtering and monitoring HTTP traffic.
• In contrast, WAAP expands this protection to include APIs, offering a more comprehensive defense against modern web and API-based attacks.

Essentially, WAAP is the evolution of WAF to meet today’s complex application and API security challenges.

3. What types of attacks does CDNetworks WAAP protect against?

CDNetworks Cloud Security 2.0 provides comprehensive protection for web applications and APIs against a wide range of common threats, including automated botnets, L7 DDoS attacks, API-based attacks, injection, and OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities.

Beyond these, our AI Engine continuously learns and adapts, automatically detecting and blocking emerging attacks to provide ongoing protection.

4. How does CDNetworks WAAP leverage AI for real-time threat detection?

CDNetworks Cloud Security 2.0 leverages an advanced AI Engine to provide adaptive, intelligent protection for businesses.

It begins by profiling your website’s traffic and building a baseline of normal behavior. As live traffic flows in, the AI continuously compares it against that baseline to detect unusual patterns that could signal an attack, then automatically triggers mitigation within seconds.

For a deeper look into how CDNetworks’ AI-powered security works, please read here.

5. Do I need to purchase CDNetworks CDN before using WAAP?

Yes. CDNetworks Cloud Security 2.0 requires an active CDN service before enabling WAAP. The WAAP protection layer is built to integrate with the CDN network, ensuring optimized content delivery and stronger edge-level security for web applications and APIs.

6. Is there a free trial available for CDNetworks WAAP?

Yes. CDNetworks Cloud Security 2.0 offers a 14-day free trial. During the trial period, you can explore its robust features and understand how CDNetworks keeps your web applications and APIs secure against emerging attacks.