Transparent Edge
Madrid CDN built on Varnish Enterprise, with WAF and bot management
Quick Overview
| Company | Transparent Edge Services, S.L. |
|---|---|
| Category | CDN Providers |
| Headquarters | Madrid, Spain |
| Founded | 2021 |
| EU Presence | EU (Spain) |
| Data Location | 70+ PoPs in about forty countries; platform operated and hosted in Europe, and the privacy policy names no providers outside the EEA |
| Open Source | No |
| Compliance | ENS (Spanish National Security Framework) High category, ISO 27001:2022 |
| Pricing | Billed per GB delivered, not per request; Small, Medium and Large plans (10, 50 and 100 TB) quoted on request |
| Replaces | Cloudflare, Akamai, Fastly |
Detailed Review
Transparent Edge is a CDN from Transparent Edge Services, S.L. in Madrid, founded in 2021 through the merger of three Spanish technology companies. Transparent Edge runs Varnish Enterprise with VCL at the edge, so an engineering team can write cache behaviour as code that runs at the node, and Transparent Edge adds a WAF, anti-DDoS and bot management on the same layer.
Transparent Edge bills per GB delivered rather than per request, so the invoice follows the volume of data served rather than the number of requests made. The Small, Medium and Large plans cover 10, 50 and 100 TB, and Transparent Edge quotes their prices on request. A starting volume of 10 TB puts Transparent Edge alongside CDN77 and LeaseWeb as a choice for media and enterprise traffic rather than for a site that serves 50GB a month.
Transparent Edge holds ISO 27001:2022 and the High category of ENS, the Spanish National Security Framework, which gives a buyer whose procurement rules name ENS a certificate to point to.
The Transparent Edge platform is operated and hosted in Europe, and the Transparent Edge privacy policy names no providers outside the EEA. The network has 70+ points of presence in about forty countries, but Transparent Edge does not list where they are, which rules out checking node locations against your own analytics before a sales conversation.
What Transparent Edge does well
- ENS High category and ISO 27001:2022
- Varnish Enterprise with VCL at the edge
- WAF, anti-DDoS and bot management on the same layer as delivery
- Billed per GB delivered, not per request
- Platform operated and hosted in Europe, with no providers outside the EEA in the privacy policy
Where Transparent Edge falls short
- PoP locations not published, only a count of 70+ in about forty countries
- Plan prices quoted on request rather than published
- The smallest plan is 10 TB, far beyond what a small site serves
- Getting value from VCL at the edge takes an engineer who can write it
Standout feature. VCL at the edge on an ENS High service: Transparent Edge lets engineers program cache behaviour at the node under a certificate issued against the Spanish National Security Framework.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- ENS High category and ISO 27001:2022
- Varnish Enterprise with VCL at the edge
- WAF, anti-DDoS and bot management on the same layer as delivery
- Billed per GB delivered, not per request
- Platform operated and hosted in Europe, with no providers outside the EEA in the privacy policy
Cons
- PoP locations not published, only a count of 70+ in about forty countries
- Plan prices quoted on request rather than published
- The smallest plan is 10 TB, far beyond what a small site serves
- Getting value from VCL at the edge takes an engineer who can write it
Alternatives to Transparent Edge
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Transparent Edge?
Transparent Edge is a CDN from Transparent Edge Services, S.L. in Madrid, founded in 2021 through the merger of three Spanish technology companies. Transparent Edge runs Varnish Enterprise with VCL at the edge, so an engineering team can write cache behaviour as code that runs at the node, and Transparent Edge adds a WAF, anti-DDoS and bot management on the same layer.
Where is Transparent Edge based?
Transparent Edge operates from Madrid, Spain, which places it under EU (Spain). Compliance: ENS (Spanish National Security Framework) High category, ISO 27001:2022.
What does Transparent Edge cost?
Billed per GB delivered, not per request; Small, Medium and Large plans (10, 50 and 100 TB) quoted on request.
Who is Transparent Edge best for?
Enterprises whose procurement asks for ENS or ISO 27001 and whose engineers want to program the edge. VCL at the edge on an ENS High service: Transparent Edge lets engineers program cache behaviour at the node under a certificate issued against the Spanish National Security Framework.
What are the drawbacks of Transparent Edge?
PoP locations not published, only a count of 70+ in about forty countries. Plan prices quoted on request rather than published. The smallest plan is 10 TB, far beyond what a small site serves. Getting value from VCL at the edge takes an engineer who can write it.