{"slug":"aws-vs-cloudflare)","title":"AWS vs Cloudflare","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/aws-vs-cloudflare)","faqCount":5,"faqs":[{"question":"Can I use Cloudflare instead of AWS?","answer":"No, they serve different purposes. AWS is a full cloud infrastructure provider for hosting servers, databases, and applications. Cloudflare is a CDN and edge security layer. Most organizations use both: AWS for backend infrastructure and Cloudflare (or similar CDN) for front-end performance and DDoS protection. Cloudflare cannot host your databases or run your application servers."},{"question":"Which is cheaper for a small business website?","answer":"Cloudflare is usually cheaper for content delivery and security. A basic Cloudflare plan costs $20-30/month with included DDoS protection. AWS for a small app costs $20-100+/month depending on usage (EC2, RDS, bandwidth). For just a static website with CDN and security, Cloudflare wins. For applications requiring databases and compute, AWS is necessary."},{"question":"Does AWS have a CDN and DDoS protection?","answer":"Yes, AWS offers CloudFront (CDN) and Shield (DDoS protection). However, CloudFront pricing is complex (varies by data transfer, requests, and region), and Shield Standard is basic—Shield Advanced costs $3,000+/month. Cloudflare's CDN and DDoS are simpler and cheaper for smaller sites, but CloudFront integrates better with other AWS services for large-scale deployments."},{"question":"Which is better for API acceleration?","answer":"Cloudflare is better for simple API acceleration with Workers (serverless edge functions) and built-in caching—setup takes minutes. AWS is better for complex APIs requiring database connections, authentication, or custom logic, using Lambda + API Gateway. For public APIs needing global speed, Cloudflare wins. For private APIs with backend logic, AWS wins."},{"question":"Can I use both AWS and Cloudflare together?","answer":"Yes, this is a common setup. Point your domain to Cloudflare (via DNS), configure Cloudflare to route traffic to AWS origin servers. Cloudflare acts as the edge security/performance layer, AWS handles backend infrastructure. This gives you AWS's compute power + Cloudflare's CDN speed and DDoS protection. Many enterprises use this architecture."}],"faqPageSchema":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/aws-vs-cloudflare)#faq","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/aws-vs-cloudflare)","inLanguage":"en-US","name":"AWS vs Cloudflare — FAQ","description":"Frequently asked questions about AWS vs Cloudflare","dateModified":"2026-07-08T11:43:08.149Z","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"},"isPartOf":{"@type":"Article","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/aws-vs-cloudflare)#article"},"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","speakable":{"@type":"SpeakableSpecification","cssSelector":["#faq",".faq-item"]},"mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Can I use Cloudflare instead of AWS?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No, they serve different purposes. AWS is a full cloud infrastructure provider for hosting servers, databases, and applications. Cloudflare is a CDN and edge security layer. Most organizations use both: AWS for backend infrastructure and Cloudflare (or similar CDN) for front-end performance and DDoS protection. Cloudflare cannot host your databases or run your application servers.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/aws-vs-cloudflare)"}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Which is cheaper for a small business website?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Cloudflare is usually cheaper for content delivery and security. A basic Cloudflare plan costs $20-30/month with included DDoS protection. AWS for a small app costs $20-100+/month depending on usage (EC2, RDS, bandwidth). For just a static website with CDN and security, Cloudflare wins. For applications requiring databases and compute, AWS is necessary.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/aws-vs-cloudflare)"}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Does AWS have a CDN and DDoS protection?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes, AWS offers CloudFront (CDN) and Shield (DDoS protection). However, CloudFront pricing is complex (varies by data transfer, requests, and region), and Shield Standard is basic—Shield Advanced costs $3,000+/month. Cloudflare's CDN and DDoS are simpler and cheaper for smaller sites, but CloudFront integrates better with other AWS services for large-scale deployments.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/aws-vs-cloudflare)"}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Which is better for API acceleration?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Cloudflare is better for simple API acceleration with Workers (serverless edge functions) and built-in caching—setup takes minutes. AWS is better for complex APIs requiring database connections, authentication, or custom logic, using Lambda + API Gateway. For public APIs needing global speed, Cloudflare wins. For private APIs with backend logic, AWS wins.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/aws-vs-cloudflare)"}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Can I use both AWS and Cloudflare together?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes, this is a common setup. Point your domain to Cloudflare (via DNS), configure Cloudflare to route traffic to AWS origin servers. Cloudflare acts as the edge security/performance layer, AWS handles backend infrastructure. This gives you AWS's compute power + Cloudflare's CDN speed and DDoS protection. Many enterprises use this architecture.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/aws-vs-cloudflare)"}}]}}