Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Let's Encrypt VS AWS Shield

Compare Let's Encrypt VS AWS Shield and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Let's Encrypt logo Let's Encrypt

Let’s Encrypt is a free, automated, and open certificate authority brought to you by the Internet Security Research Group (ISRG).

AWS Shield logo AWS Shield

AWS Shield is a managed Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection service that safeguards web applications running on AWS. 
  • Let's Encrypt Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-12
  • AWS Shield Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-21

Let's Encrypt features and specs

  • Free of Charge
    Let's Encrypt provides SSL/TLS certificates at no cost, making it an economical choice for individuals and businesses.
  • Automated Certificate Issuance and Renewal
    The process of obtaining and renewing certificates can be automated using the ACME protocol, reducing manual intervention and administrative overhead.
  • Ease of Use
    Let's Encrypt simplifies the process of enabling HTTPS for websites, even for users with limited technical expertise.
  • Security
    Let's Encrypt certificates provide strong encryption, improving the security of data transmitted between clients and servers.
  • Widely Recognized
    Certificates issued by Let's Encrypt are trusted by all major web browsers and operating systems.
  • Promotes Secure Web Practices
    By making SSL/TLS certificates freely available, Let's Encrypt encourages more websites to adopt HTTPS, contributing to a more secure internet.

Possible disadvantages of Let's Encrypt

  • Short Duration of Certificates
    Let's Encrypt certificates are valid for only 90 days, requiring more frequent renewals compared to traditional certificate authorities.
  • Limited Support Options
    Let's Encrypt relies on community support and documentation, and does not offer dedicated customer support for troubleshooting and assistance.
  • No Extended Validation (EV) Certificates
    Let's Encrypt does not issue Extended Validation (EV) certificates, which provide additional verification and a higher level of trust for business websites.
  • Potential for Misuse
    Since certificates are issued for free and with minimal validation, there is a risk that cybercriminals might use them for phishing or other malicious activities.
  • No Wildcard Certificates for Multi-Level Subdomains
    While Let's Encrypt supports wildcard certificates for single-level subdomains, it doesn't support them for nested subdomains (e.g., *.sub.example.com).
  • Reliance on Third-Party Tools for Automation
    Users may need to rely on third-party tools or scripts for automation, which could introduce additional complexity or security risks.

AWS Shield features and specs

  • Comprehensive Protection
    AWS Shield provides strong protection against DDoS attacks, including Layer 3/4 infrastructure attacks and Layer 7 application attacks, ensuring reliable service availability.
  • Fully Managed
    AWS Shield is a fully managed service, meaning that it requires minimal effort to deploy and maintain, allowing businesses to focus on their core operations.
  • Global Coverage
    AWS Shield provides protection across all AWS regions, ensuring consistent security for applications deployed across different geographic areas.
  • Cost Efficiency
    With AWS Shield Standard, businesses receive basic DDoS protection at no additional cost, which can be particularly advantageous for smaller enterprises or startups.
  • Advanced Protection Plans
    For businesses needing enhanced protection, AWS Shield Advanced offers additional features such as 24/7 support from the DDoS Response Team and financial protections under specific conditions.

Possible disadvantages of AWS Shield

  • Cost for Advanced Features
    While AWS Shield Standard is free, AWS Shield Advanced incurs additional costs, which might be significant for smaller organizations or those with limited budgets.
  • AWS Ecosystem Dependency
    AWS Shield is designed to work within the AWS ecosystem, which may not be suitable for businesses using a multi-cloud strategy or relying heavily on on-premises infrastructure.
  • Complex Configuration for Advanced Settings
    Configuring advanced protection features might require specialized knowledge and understanding of AWS security best practices, potentially increasing administrative overhead.
  • Potential Overhead
    There might be additional overhead in terms of managing AWS Shield alongside other security measures, particularly for organizations with complex environments.
  • Limited to DDoS
    AWS Shield is specialized in DDoS protection. Organizations requiring a full spectrum of threat mitigation will need to integrate it with other security services.

Let's Encrypt videos

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AWS Shield videos

AWS Shield Overview

More videos:

  • Review - DNS DDoS mitigation using Amazon Route 53 and AWS Shield - February 2017 AWS Online Tech Talks

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Let's Encrypt and AWS Shield)
Security & Privacy
100 100%
0% 0
Web Application Security
0 0%
100% 100
Identity And Access Management
CDN
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Let's Encrypt seems to be a lot more popular than AWS Shield. While we know about 339 links to Let's Encrypt, we've tracked only 13 mentions of AWS Shield. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Let's Encrypt mentions (339)

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AWS Shield mentions (13)

  • Understanding AWS Regions and Availability Zones: A Guide for Beginners
    AWS CloudFront is the star of the show here. It caches static content (like media, scripts, and images) to ensure fast, reliable delivery. Other AWS services that run at the edge include Route 53 for DNS routing, Shield and WAF for security, and even Lambda via Lambda@Edge — giving you the ability to run serverless logic closer to the user. - Source: dev.to / 26 days ago
  • AWS Serverless Security: Preventing HTTP Flood DDoS Attack
    In the diagram below, we can see where the AWS WAF sits in our serverless architecture. Basically, it’s our shield in front of all requests coming into our system. But, don’t confuse this service with AWS Shield (lol, AWS has everything). - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Protect nginx ingress with AWS WAF and AWS Shield
    AWS Shield is primarily used to protect from distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. It automatically detects threats to the environment. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Ask HN: Reasonably priced EU hosting with DDoS filtering?
    OVH offers more than a firewall. They provide all of their OVHCloud custoemrs with anti-DDoS services that will block most attacks automatically at no additonal charge. https://us.ovhcloud.com/security/anti-ddos/ AWS offers their Shield product, although your requirement of "reasonably priced" may exclude AWS in general https://aws.amazon.com/shield/ . Cloudflare Spectrum can protect TCP/UDP services including... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Enigma cold war IP global banning people trying to join their server when full.
    You just dont hear bout much these days as a consumer since most games go FULL GREED (aka Live Service) and do not let you host your own server. Big companies use AWS etc and have ways to deal with this sort of thing. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Let's Encrypt and AWS Shield, you can also consider the following products

OpenSSL - OpenSSL is a free and open source software cryptography library that implements both the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols, which are primarily used to provide secure communications between web browsers and …

CloudFlare DDoS Protection - Mitigate a DDoS attack of any size using Cloudflare's advanced DDoS protection including DNS Amplification, SYN/ACK, Layer 7 Attacks. Don't get ddos attacked!

Ensighten - Ensighten provides enterprise tag management solutions that enable businesses manage their websites more effectively.

Imperva Cloud Application Security - Deploy your applications and data where you want. When you want. Imperva keeps them secure in the cloud, on premises, and in hybrid clouds.

AWS Certificate Manager - AWS Certificate Manager from Amazon Web Services (AWS)

VeriSign - VeriSign Authentication Services provides solutions that allow companies & consumers to engage...