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Head-to-head · Content Delivery Networks

Amazon CloudFront vs Apache Traffic Server

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Amazon CloudFront #1 in Content Delivery Networks 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 5 features Visit CloudFront
Apache Traffic Server #7 in Content Delivery Networks 7.9/10 Open source ✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Traffic Server

Amazon CloudFront leads on 0 checks, Apache Traffic Server on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreAmazon CloudFront · 9.2/10
  • Free planonly Amazon CloudFront
  • Most featuresAmazon CloudFront · 3 of 5

Amazon CloudFront scores higher on our rubric for content delivery networks: 9.2 against 7.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #7.

Amazon CloudFront is the better fit for AWS-centric teams needing a full-featured CDN. Apache Traffic Server is the better fit for teams operating a self-hosted proxy CDN.

  • Amazon CloudFront fits best

    AWS-centric teams needing a full-featured CDN

  • Apache Traffic Server fits best

    Teams operating a self-hosted proxy CDN

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Side by side

Feature Amazon CloudFront 9.2/10 Visit ↗ Apache Traffic Server 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 7.9
Ranking #1 in Content Delivery Networks #7 in Content Delivery Networks
Best for AWS-centric teams needing a full-featured CDN Teams operating a self-hosted proxy CDN
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free
Starting price Free plan Open source
Free plan ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud Self-hosted
Platforms Web macOS, Linux
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Amazon CloudFront 3/5 · Apache Traffic Server 0/5
Image optimization Not checked yet Not checked yet
Video delivery ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Origin shield ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Edge compute ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Real-time logs Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Edge locations Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • 750 edge locations with global content caching
  • Edge compute through CloudFront Functions and Lambda@Edge
  • Origin failover, streaming, logging, and AWS integrations
  • Supports forward and reverse proxy deployments with response caching
  • Includes TLS termination, WebSocket proxying, and connection controls
  • Extends HTTP processing through a plugin API and rate-limit plugin
Cons
  • Advanced plans become costly at $200 and $1,000 monthly
  • Image optimization uses an architecture combining CloudFront, S3, and Lambda
  • The strongest ecosystem fit is centered on AWS services
  • Requires self-hosted installation, configuration, and ongoing administration
  • Does not provide a vendor-hosted managed global CDN service
  • Configuration relies on command-line tools and configuration files
Our verdict

Amazon CloudFront is a content delivery network for websites, applications, APIs, videos, and other web content. It caches content at 750 edge locations, supports custom HTTP origins, and delivers content over HTTPS and TLS. Its feature…

Read the review →

Apache Traffic Server is open-source software for caching and proxying HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2 traffic. It supports both forward and reverse proxy operation, making it a fit for enterprises, internet service providers, backbone providers,…

Read the review →
  1. Amazon CloudFrontContent Delivery Networks 9.2Free plan
  2. Apache Traffic ServerContent Delivery Networks 7.9Open source

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Amazon CloudFront — where it wins

    • 750 edge locations with global content caching
    • Edge compute through CloudFront Functions and Lambda@Edge
    • Origin failover, streaming, logging, and AWS integrations

    Where it doesn't

    • Advanced plans become costly at $200 and $1,000 monthly
    • Image optimization uses an architecture combining CloudFront, S3, and Lambda
    • The strongest ecosystem fit is centered on AWS services

  • Apache Traffic Server — where it wins

    • Supports forward and reverse proxy deployments with response caching
    • Includes TLS termination, WebSocket proxying, and connection controls
    • Extends HTTP processing through a plugin API and rate-limit plugin

    Where it doesn't

    • Requires self-hosted installation, configuration, and ongoing administration
    • Does not provide a vendor-hosted managed global CDN service
    • Configuration relies on command-line tools and configuration files

More comparisons

All content delivery networks comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update