Link11

Link11 is a German cloud security provider headquartered in Frankfurt am Main that specializes in AI-based DDoS protection, web application security, and secure content delivery. Founded in 2005, the company has spent nearly two decades building one of Europe's most comprehensive cloud security platforms, earning recognition from the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) as a qualified provider for DDoS protection of critical infrastructure. In an era where cyberattacks on European businesses and government agencies are increasing in both frequency and sophistication, Link11 provides a fully European security solution that keeps all traffic processing within EU borders.

Link11's platform addresses a critical gap in the European cybersecurity market. While US-based providers like Cloudflare, Akamai, and AWS Shield dominate the global DDoS protection market, they route traffic through globally distributed data centers that may include locations outside European jurisdiction. For organizations subject to GDPR, NIS2, or sector-specific regulations that require data to remain within the EU, this creates compliance challenges. Link11 eliminates this concern by processing all traffic exclusively through European infrastructure, backed by ISO 27001 certification and BSI qualification that validate its security practices according to the highest European standards.

DDoS Protection Architecture

Link11's globally available cloud platform is built around two security operation centers, 13 powerful scrubbing centers, and over 40 strategically distributed points of presence (PoPs). These PoPs are positioned to ensure minimal latency for European customers while providing sufficient capacity to defend against attacks of any scale. The platform provides comprehensive protection against all common and modern DDoS attack methods, from targeted Layer 7 attacks such as HTTP floods, Slowloris, and zero-day exploits to large-volume overloads and abuse of protocols or DNS amplification attacks. Real-time mitigation activates within 0 to 10 seconds for each attack vector, which is among the fastest in the industry according to analysts like Frost & Sullivan and Gartner.

The DDoS protection service operates in an always-on mode, meaning traffic is continuously analyzed and filtered rather than requiring manual activation when an attack is detected. This zero-touch approach ensures that protection is in place even for sudden, unexpected attacks that might otherwise overwhelm traditional on-demand solutions. For organizations running mission-critical web applications and APIs, this always-on protection provides peace of mind that their services will remain available even during sophisticated, multi-vector attacks.

AI and Machine Learning Detection

What sets Link11 apart from many traditional DDoS protection providers is its use of artificial intelligence and machine learning at the core of its detection engine. Rather than relying solely on signature-based detection that can only identify known attack patterns, Link11's AI continuously learns normal traffic patterns for each protected customer and identifies anomalies that may indicate an attack in progress. This approach provides protection against both known attack vectors and zero-day threats that have never been seen before. The AI system can distinguish between legitimate traffic spikes, such as those caused by marketing campaigns or viral content, and malicious attack traffic, reducing false positives that would block genuine users.

The machine learning models are trained on the vast amount of traffic data processed across Link11's entire customer base, meaning that the system continuously improves its detection capabilities as it encounters new attack patterns. When a new type of attack is identified against one customer, the learned response can be applied to protect all other customers almost immediately. This collective intelligence approach is particularly effective against the evolving tactics of DDoS attackers who constantly develop new methods to evade detection.

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

Link11's Web Application Firewall provides protection against application-layer attacks that target vulnerabilities in web applications and APIs. The WAF defends against all vulnerabilities listed in the OWASP Top 10, including SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), code injection, and malicious payloads. Unlike traditional WAF approaches that rely solely on signature detection and IP blocking, Link11's WAF includes advanced defenses such as allowed application enumeration and granular access controls (ACLs) that provide a positive security model, only allowing known-good traffic patterns rather than trying to block every possible malicious pattern.

The WAF is part of Link11's broader Web Application and API Protection (WAAP) offering, which combines DDoS protection, WAF, bot management, and API security into an integrated solution. This integrated approach means that all security functions share intelligence and can coordinate their responses, providing more effective protection than using separate point solutions from different vendors. Configuration and management are handled through a centralized dashboard that gives security teams full visibility into threats, blocked attacks, and traffic patterns.

Bot Management

Malicious bots are an increasingly significant threat to web applications, responsible for credential stuffing attacks, content scraping, inventory hoarding, and other forms of abuse. Link11's bot management solution filters unwanted bot traffic before it reaches applications or APIs, preventing data theft, scraping, brute force attacks, and application abuse. The system distinguishes between legitimate bots, such as search engine crawlers, and malicious automated traffic, allowing beneficial bots through while blocking harmful ones. For e-commerce companies, financial institutions, and any organization with publicly accessible APIs, effective bot management is essential for protecting both revenue and data.

Secure CDN

Link11's Secure CDN service combines content delivery with built-in security, ensuring that cached content is delivered quickly to end users while maintaining protection against DDoS attacks and other threats. The CDN nodes are protected by Link11's DDoS protection with advanced Layer 3 and 4 defenses on all nodes, ensuring 100% uptime even if the origin server becomes unresponsive during an attack. The CDN integrates seamlessly with Link11's WAAP security features, meaning that CDN-cached content benefits from the same WAF, bot management, and DDoS protection as traffic routed to the origin server. For European businesses concerned about performance and security, Link11's Secure CDN provides both from a single European provider.

DNS Security

DNS is a frequent target for DDoS attacks, and a successful DNS attack can take an entire organization offline by preventing users from resolving domain names to IP addresses. Link11's DNS security service provides protection against DNS-layer attacks including DNS amplification, DNS flood, and DNS cache poisoning. The service uses anycast routing to distribute DNS queries across multiple locations, ensuring high availability and fast resolution times even during an attack. For organizations that rely on continuous online availability, DNS security is a critical component of their overall defense strategy.

Compliance and Certifications

Link11 holds several important certifications and qualifications that validate its security practices. The company is BSI-qualified as a provider for DDoS protection of critical infrastructure in Germany, a recognition that requires meeting stringent technical and organizational requirements. Link11 is ISO 27001 certified, demonstrating that its information security management system meets international standards. The company is fully GDPR compliant (DSGVO in German) and processes all traffic within European data centers. For organizations in regulated industries such as financial services, healthcare, or critical infrastructure, these certifications provide the assurance needed to satisfy auditors and regulators.

Comparison with Cloudflare and Akamai

Compared to Cloudflare, the dominant global CDN and security provider, Link11 offers several key advantages for European organizations. First and most importantly, all Link11 infrastructure is located in Europe, ensuring that traffic data never leaves EU jurisdiction. Cloudflare routes traffic through its global network, which includes locations in the US and other non-EU countries. Second, Link11's BSI qualification and ISO 27001 certification provide a level of verified compliance that is particularly valued in the German and European enterprise market. Third, Link11's AI-based detection is specifically optimized for the European threat landscape. However, Cloudflare offers a broader product portfolio, a larger global network, and a free tier for basic protection, making it the more accessible option for smaller organizations or those with global traffic patterns.

Integration and Deployment

Link11's services can be deployed quickly via DNS forwarding, requiring only a simple DNS change to route traffic through Link11's scrubbing centers. This DNS-based approach means that protection can be activated without changes to the customer's existing infrastructure or applications. For more advanced deployments, Link11 supports BGP-based routing for network-layer protection and API integration for automated security management. The onboarding process typically takes hours rather than days, making Link11 a practical choice even for organizations that need to deploy protection urgently in response to an ongoing attack or threat.

Pricing Model

Link11 operates on a custom enterprise pricing model, with costs based on the customer's traffic volume, the number of protected domains and IP addresses, and the specific security modules required. Unlike Cloudflare's self-service pricing tiers, Link11's pricing is negotiated through the sales team, which allows for tailored solutions but means that small organizations may find the process less accessible. For mid-size and large enterprises, however, this custom approach ensures that pricing is optimized for their specific needs and that they receive dedicated support and account management.

Verdict

Link11 is one of the most capable European-native cloud security providers available, offering a comprehensive platform that spans DDoS protection, WAF, bot management, DNS security, and secure CDN. For European organizations that need to ensure their web traffic is processed exclusively within EU jurisdiction, and that require certifications like BSI qualification and ISO 27001, Link11 is a compelling choice. The AI-based detection engine, zero-touch mitigation, and fast response times place it among the leading DDoS protection providers globally, not just in Europe. While it may lack the global scale and product breadth of Cloudflare or Akamai, for its core mission of protecting European web assets with European infrastructure, Link11 delivers exceptional security.