Gcore DDoS Protection

Overview

Gcore DDoS Protection is a cloud service that routes traffic through scrubbing centers to block attacks before clean traffic reaches protected servers. It is a strong fit for organizations that need L3, L4 and L7 mitigation and want API-driven control; it is less suitable for teams seeking an included WAF or a low-cost plan without a traffic commitment.

Key features

Coverage spans volumetric network-layer (L3), transport-layer (L4) and application-layer (L7) attacks. Gcore says its global network has over 200 Tbps of filtering capacity, regularly mitigates attacks exceeding 1 Tbps and scales automatically with threat size. That breadth suits services exposed at multiple layers, though the absence of an included WAF means this is not a complete web-application security package.

All L3/L4 plans provide unmetered mitigation, 95th-percentile billing and payment only for clean traffic. This separates mitigation from a direct charge for attack volume, but the clean-traffic commitment and 95th-percentile billing still make plan sizing important. Gcore advertises a 99.99% uptime SLA and 24/7 expert support.

A public REST API supports control, with the DDoS API base URL at https://api.gcore.com/security/iaas. Documented automation integrations cover CI/CD pipelines, Terraform workflows, Kubernetes Operators and custom back-office tools. Enterprise options add cross-connect to Gcore scrubbing centers, Gcore-provided IP transit and API control. Two-factor authentication and token-based API access are available for the control panel.

Gcore says its Cloud passed an annual PCI DSS QSA audit and that an independent audit confirmed ISO 27001 compliance. It also states that it complies with GDPR requirements for customer and customer-stored personal data. These assurances may matter to regulated or data-sensitive organizations, but they do not change the service’s core fit: traffic mitigation rather than a bundled security suite.

Pricing

The free PAYG plan costs free and is postpaid, with no clean-traffic commitment. It allows up to 1 × /24 IPv4, 1 × /48 IPv6 and two GRE tunnels. That makes it a low-commitment starting point, but it has no committed clean-traffic capacity.

Start costs $275 a month ($275/mo billed) and commits 100 Mbps of clean traffic. It supports up to 1 × /24 IPv4, 1 × /48 IPv6 and two GRE tunnels; it is prepaid and has a one-month payment setup fee. This is the entry paid tier for a network that fits those limits and can accept the setup charge.

Pro costs $495 a month ($495/mo billed), commits 200 Mbps and allows up to two /24 IPv4 ranges, two /48 IPv6 ranges and two GRE tunnels. It is also prepaid with a one-month payment setup fee. Choose it when Start’s clean-traffic commitment or address allowance is too small; otherwise the extra monthly cost buys capacity that may go unused.

Pro+ costs $1,045 a month ($1,045/mo billed), with a 500 Mbps clean-traffic commitment, up to four /24 IPv4 ranges, four /48 IPv6 ranges and four GRE tunnels. Prepayment and a one-month payment setup fee apply. It is aimed at larger networks that need those higher limits, not smaller deployments looking to add protection without a substantial commitment.

Enterprise has custom pricing, starting from €1,500 /mo. It is for networks over four /24 ranges and includes dedicated connectivity, API access, a standard SLA and more than four GRE tunnels. Its starting price and network threshold make it a specialized tier rather than a default upgrade.

Platforms

Gcore lists web and API platforms. Its cloud deployment and API options suit teams managing protection programmatically; enterprise customers can also use dedicated connectivity options.

Who it's for

Gcore identifies e-commerce sites, SaaS platforms, gaming servers and financial services as common DDoS-protection users. The service is most compelling for organizations in those groups that need multi-layer coverage, clean-traffic billing and automated control. Smaller networks that do not need committed capacity, or teams that need a WAF included, should compare alternatives.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Coverage across L3, L4 and L7 addresses attacks at several network layers.
• Pros: Unmetered L3/L4 mitigation and pay-only-for-clean-traffic terms avoid a mitigation bill that rises directly with attack volume.
• Pros: REST API access and documented CI/CD, Terraform and Kubernetes integrations support automated operations.
• Cons: Start, Pro and Pro+ require a one-month payment setup fee in addition to prepaid monthly charges.
• Cons: Paid plans impose clean-traffic commitments, so the higher-capacity tiers may be excessive for smaller networks.
• Cons: No WAF is included, leaving buyers who need that layer to source it separately.

Alternatives

AWS Shield is worth considering for AWS customers who want Standard network and transport-layer DDoS protection automatically configured at no charge; its Standard plan does not include network security director.

Cloudflare DDoS Protection may suit buyers who want a free web-based option with unmetered DDoS protection and a WAF included, rather than Gcore’s committed-capacity plans.

FastNetMon is an alternative for teams seeking a freemium option with Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web and API platforms, plus a free trial.

Check Point DDoS Protector is another paid option for buyers considering Linux, self-hosted or web deployment.

Fastly Image Optimizer is an image-optimization product, not a like-for-like DDoS-protection choice.

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Secret Management is a free secrets-management product, rather than a DDoS mitigation service.

Tencent Cloud API Gateway is an API gateway with a free allowance for the first million monthly calls during its first year, not a direct substitute for DDoS protection.

F5 BIG-IP APM is a paid access-management option with a free trial, rather than a direct DDoS-protection alternative.

For more options, see DDoS Protection Software.

Verdict

Choose Gcore if your organization needs multi-layer DDoS mitigation, unmetered L3/L4 handling and API-led operations, and can match its clean-traffic commitments and plan costs to its network. Look elsewhere if you need a bundled WAF or cannot justify the prepaid tiers and setup fees.