Cloudflare is excellent at CDN, DDoS, bot and edge filtering. Silker AI is the layer behind it when you need app-runtime context, response inspection and API abuse detection.
Cloudflare WAF is the better first layer for global edge protection. Silker is the better fit when the risk is inside application behavior: prompt injection, leaked secrets, PII in responses, API schema drift and suspicious runtime traffic.
Choose Cloudflare when you need CDN, L3/L4 DDoS protection, managed edge rules, bot filtering before origin, and fast global caching.
Silker does not replace those network and edge capabilities. It is designed to sit behind them as a runtime security layer.
Most application failures are not purely edge problems. A request can look normal at the perimeter and still trigger business-logic abuse, prompt injection, secret exposure or unsafe API behavior once it reaches your app.
Silker inspects both requests and responses as a reverse proxy or SDK, so it can catch outbound PII, API keys and runtime events that an edge WAF may never see.
For most teams, the clean setup is Cloudflare in front and Silker behind it. Cloudflare handles volumetric and edge threats; Silker handles app-layer runtime signals.
That gives startups stronger coverage without moving their app into a heavy enterprise WAAP rollout.
| Category | Silker AI | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Primary layer | Runtime reverse proxy or SDK | Global edge/CDN WAF |
| Best at | App behavior, responses, API abuse | DDoS, CDN, edge filtering |
| Response inspection | Yes | Limited compared with runtime context |
| No CDN lock-in | Yes | Cloudflare network required |
Not for CDN, DDoS and edge filtering. Silker is a runtime security layer that can run behind Cloudflare to inspect app behavior, responses, API abuse and data leaks.
Add Silker when you need response inspection, prompt injection protection, API schema learning, automated pentesting or visibility into threats that only appear once traffic reaches your app.
No. You can keep Cloudflare in front and deploy Silker as a Docker reverse proxy or SDK behind it.
Start with the free scan, then deploy Silker as an SDK or Docker reverse proxy.
Scan your app - free