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Avi Networks vs. F5 Networks

Modernize Your Load Balancing with VMware vs. F5

Unlike appliance-based F5 load balancers, VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer (Avi Networks) takes a modern architectural approach to deliver multi-cloud load balancing and application services across data centers and clouds.

Avi enables enterprise-grade L4-L7 services with real-time analytics and autoscaling for any app, any cloud, and at any scale. Complete your digital transformation and avoid overspending / overprovisioning by using a single software-defined platform rather than appliance-based F5 load balancing solutions for every individual application environment.

Comparing F5 vs. Avi Networks:  When comparing traditional load balancers with Avi, an IDC study on the business value of Avi Vantage found:

90%
Faster Scale Capacity
49%
More Efficient ADC Management
43%
Lower Operating Cost
40%
Lower ADC Solution Cost

What Customers and Analysts are Saying

Avi is completely agnostic and polyglot. It really doesn’t matter which environment you want to run, you can run Avi on it.

Adam Spencer
Product Owner for Fabric

By reliably and securely delivering our applications, Avi Networks has become a key partner for our adoption of the Azure Cloud Platform.

Brandon Pulsipher
VP, Product Technical Operations

Avi Networks customers reported leveraging its use to make their application services much more efficient and effective. IDC quantifies this value at an annual average of $4.11 million per organization.

Brad Casemore
Research Vice President

VMware Load Balancing vs. F5 Comparison

Load Balancing Requirements Software Load Balancers
(VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer)		 Hardware Load Balancers
(F5 Networks)
Core, enterprise-grade features Features Features
Multi-Cloud load balancing
(private, public, & hybrid)		 Features Features
Central control and orchestration Features Features
Automation and self-service Features Features
Autoscaling on-demand Features Features
Troubleshooting Features Features
Visibility and analytics Features Features
Enterprise level API support Features Features
Integration with container orchestrators Features Features
Non-disruptive upgrade Features Features
Reduce TCO Features Features

3 Key Advantages of Avi Networks vs. F5 Capabilities:
Software-Defined vs. Traditional Appliance-Based Architecture

Advantage 1:
Multi-Cloud Load Balancing
Take advantage of a single elastic fabric to manage across private or public cloud.

With F5 load balancing solutions you don’t have one consistent application delivery solution across multi-cloud environments. You are forced to:

  • Deploy siloed solutions across data centers and clouds; spend time and money on retooling/retraining for multicloud environments 
  • Deal with high costs and operational complexities and inconsistencies from disjointed appliance-based load balancers 
  • Trade off between features and flexibility, and hinder application portability

 

Avi Networks vs. F5 Networks

Advantage 2:
Central Control & Orchestration

F5 load balancer hardware and virtual appliances do NOT offer a real central controller. Avi controller provides these key advantages:

  • A 100% REST API endpoint – with an API-first approach. Every object is API addressable – not an afterthought
  • A central brain that automates intelligent decisions such as elastic, on-demand autoscaling based on machine learning algorithms
  • An automation framework for the lifecycle management of the load balancing fabric

A software-defined load balancing solution with a central controller is needed because:

avi architecture

Advantage 3:
Automation & Self Service

Today’s enterprises need to be application-driven but infrastructure often dictates your application decisions. Avi Networks delivers what F5 automation does not:

  • Load balancer automation that’s essential to make intelligent decisions, scale, and operationalize multi-cloud application deployments
  • Built-in application performance monitoring and visibility into client, security, and application insights that simplify troubleshooting and automate decisions.
  • Enable developer self-service with flexibility to deliver per-app load balancing services.
  • Eliminate the problems of overprovisioning and overspending by scaling load balancers dynamically.

Task Scripting vs. Decision Automation

 

Decision Automation Example with VIP Creation

IDC Study:
The Business Value of VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer

IDC interviewed organizations using the VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer to deploy application services to understand how they are using the platform to support their business operations.

Download Whitepaper
IDC Study:

VMware Load Balancing vs. F5: See for Yourself

Automation & Self Service:
Create a VIP

2 minutes

Troubleshooting

2 minutes

Non-Disruptive Upgrades

2 minutes

Schedule a Demo and See More F5 Comparison!

See VMware Load Balancing in Action

Featured Resources

Case Studies

Deutsche Bank Adopts “Everything-as-a-Service” Strategy for Applications

Learn about a modern PaaS platform with Avi Networks and Red Hat OpenShift.
View Now
Case Studies

Deutsche Bank Adopts “Everything-as-a-Service” Strategy for Applications

White Papers

IDC Study: The Business Value of VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer

IDC interviewed organizations using the VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer to deploy application services .
View Now
White Papers

IDC Study: The Business Value of VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer