A web application firewall (WAF) protects applications that are open to the internet by filtering malicious web traffic. ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access) controls who can reach private applications in the first place. They solve different problems and are often used together.
What is a WAF?
A WAF sits in front of a web application and inspects HTTP and HTTPS requests. It blocks common attacks such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting and other OWASP Top 10 threats, and can also help with bot traffic and rate limiting. WAFs are designed for public-facing applications, where anyone on the internet is allowed to connect and the job is to stop malicious requests.
What is ZTNA?
ZTNA is designed for private applications that only employees, contractors or partners should use. It verifies each user’s identity and device posture before granting access, connects them only to the applications they are allowed to use, and keeps those applications hidden from the internet. Unauthorized users cannot even see that the application exists.
WAF vs ZTNA at a glance
| WAF | ZTNA | |
|---|---|---|
| Protects | Public web applications | Private applications and resources |
| Main question | Is this request malicious? | Should this user and device have access? |
| Who connects | Anyone on the internet | Authorized users only |
| Traffic types | HTTP and HTTPS | Web and, depending on the product, non-web protocols |
| Application visibility | Application is public | Application is hidden |
Do you need both?
Usually, yes. Customer-facing websites and APIs need a WAF because they must stay open to the public. Internal applications, admin consoles and development tools should not be exposed at all, and ZTNA is the better control for them. Putting a WAF in front of an internal application still leaves it reachable from the internet, so it remains a target.
Where Cloudbrink fits
Cloudbrink’s High-Performance ZTNA provides Dark-Cloud access to private applications, so they are never exposed to the internet. Access is granted by identity, device posture and location, and every connection is protected with mTLS 1.3. Because Cloudbrink provides full IP-level connectivity rather than web-only access, it also covers internal applications and protocols that a WAF was never designed for. Learn more about High-Performance ZTNA.