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About Fastly
What is Fastly?
Fastly is a programmable edge cloud platform that helps developers and businesses deliver fast, secure, and scalable digital experiences. It combines a global content delivery network (CDN) with powerful edge computing, real-time observability, and built-in security features like DDoS mitigation and a web application firewall.
Who is it for?
Fastly is built for high-traffic websites, e-commerce stores, streaming media platforms, and developers who need sub-second load times, instant cache purging, and custom logic at the edge. It's also ideal for organizations that require a fully programmable CDN with predictable pricing and no surprise overages.
Key use cases
- E-commerce — Serve product pages and inventory updates instantly with real-time cache purging.
- Streaming media — Deliver live and on-demand video with low latency and global reach.
- API acceleration — Speed up API responses and protect endpoints with WAF and bot management.
The problem it solves
Slow load times, traffic spikes, and security threats hurt user experience and revenue. Fastly caches content at 60+ edge nodes globally, mitigates DDoS attacks, and lets you run custom code at the edge to reduce origin load and improve performance.
Key features
- Global CDN — 60+ edge nodes across 6 continents for fast content delivery
- Instant Purge — Clear cached content globally in under 150ms
- Compute@Edge — Run custom code at the edge using WebAssembly
- DDoS protection — Automated mitigation against volumetric and application-layer attacks
- Next-Gen WAF — Protect against OWASP Top 10 threats and API attacks
- Real-time analytics — Monitor traffic, cache hit ratios, and origin performance
- Image Optimizer — Rapid image processing at the edge for faster page loads
Fastly Pricing
Fastly pricing: Custom quote / free plan available. Billing model: Custom.
Free plan
Start building for free with limited usage — ideal for developers testing Fastly features.
Bandwidth-based plans
Fastly offers predictable pricing with no surprise overages. Plans are tailored to your traffic volume, features (CDN, security, compute), and support level. Custom quote required for exact pricing.
Note: Fastly does not publicly list all plan prices. Contact sales for a personalized quote or sign up for the free plan to get started.
Frequently asked questions
Is Fastly free?
Yes, Fastly offers a free plan to start building. You can begin for free and then upgrade to a paid tier based on your needs.
How much does Fastly cost?
Fastly pricing is custom-quoted based on bandwidth, features (CDN, security, edge compute), and support plan. There are no public flat rates; contact sales for a quote.
Does Fastly have a free trial?
Fastly offers a free plan that lets you try the platform without upfront commitment. Paid plans start at a custom quote.
What is Fastly used for?
Fastly is used to accelerate content delivery, protect websites from DDoS and other threats, and run custom code at the edge for better performance and personalization.
Who is Fastly best for?
Fastly is best for high-traffic websites, e-commerce stores, streaming platforms, and developers who need a programmable edge cloud with instant cache purge and advanced security.
What are the top alternatives to Fastly?
Top alternatives include Cloudflare, Akamai, Amazon CloudFront, and KeyCDN. Fastly stands out for its instant purge, Compute@Edge with WebAssembly, and predictable pricing without overages.
