It protects web apps from:

• OWASP Top 10 attacks
• DDoS (Layer 3, 4, 7)
• Bot traffic
• API abuse

Key Features (Very Important)

1. Web Application Firewall (WAF)

• Protects against:
  • SQL Injection
  • XSS
  • Command Injection
• Uses pre-configured + custom rules

 2. DDoS Protection

• Layer 3/4 → network floods
• Layer 7 → HTTP floods
• Uses:
  • Rate controls
  • Behavioral analysis
  • Traffic shaping

3. Bot Management (Integrated)

• Detects:
  • Bad bots
  • Scrapers
  • Credential stuffing
• Allows:
  • CAPTCHA
  • Bot scoring

4. Rate Limiting & Access Control

• Block excessive requests
• IP reputation filtering
• Geo-blocking

5. Adaptive Security Engine

• Learns application behavior
• Reduces false positives

6. Real-Time Visibility

• Logs, alerts, dashboards
• Integration with SIEM tools

Why TCP optimization matters

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) ensures reliable delivery of data, but it can be slow in certain situations:

• High latency networks (e.g., international traffic)
• Packet loss or unstable connections
• Multiple small requests leading to repeated handshakes

Without optimization, users may experience slow page loads, buffering, or timeouts.

How Akamai optimizes TCP

1. Edge Termination
   • Akamai terminates TCP connections at edge nodes, close to the user.
   • This avoids long-distance TCP round-trips between the user and your origin server.
2. TCP Multiplexing
   • Many small user connections are combined into fewer persistent connections to the origin.
   • Reduces load on the origin server and improves response times.
3. TCP Fast Open
   • Reduces latency for new connections by sending data during the initial handshake.
4. Intelligent Congestion Control
   • Dynamically adjusts the flow of packets based on network conditions.
   • Avoids unnecessary delays or dropped packets.
5. Packet Loss Recovery
   • Detects and recovers from lost packets faster than standard TCP, improving perceived speed.

Key Features

1. Automatic Image Optimization

• Converts images into modern, efficient formats like WebP or AVIF
• Resizes and compresses images based on device, screen size, and network conditions
• Reduces load times without degrading visual quality

2. Automatic Video Optimization

• Converts videos into adaptive streaming formats like HLS or DASH
• Adjusts bitrate and resolution dynamically depending on user bandwidth
• Supports on-the-fly transcoding so the right version is delivered to each device

3. Edge Processing

• Image & Video Manager works at Akamai’s edge nodes, meaning media is optimized closer to the user, reducing latency
• No need to pre-process every version of an image or video at origin

4. Responsive Media Delivery

• Detects user device, screen size, and connection speed to serve the best version automatically
• Helps improve performance scores on tools like Google PageSpeed Insights

5. Integration with Akamai Properties

• You can configure media optimization rules as part of your property
• Works seamlessly with caching, security, and delivery rules already applied via Akamai

Benefits

• Faster load times – optimized images/videos load more quickly on all devices
• Reduced bandwidth costs – smaller files reduce data usage
• Global consistency – users everywhere get the best version of content
• Automatic updates – new images/videos are optimized in real-time without manual intervention

It’s the central unit for managing your web presence on the Akamai Intelligent Edge Platform.

Key points about a property

1. It represents your application or website
   • Example: www.test.com or api.test.com
   • Each property corresponds to a set of rules for how traffic is handled.
2. Contains configuration rules
   • Caching rules: How content is cached at edge nodes (e.g., static files vs. dynamic content)
   • Security rules: WAF, bot mitigation, DDoS protection, TLS settings
   • Performance optimizations: Compression, image optimization, redirects
   • Edge logic: EdgeWorkers scripts or other custom behaviors
3. Assigned a hostname
   • Properties are accessed via Akamai hostnames (e.g., www.example.com.edgesuite.net)
   • Your DNS points to this hostname to route traffic through Akamai’s edge network.
4. Managed through Akamai Control Center
   • Akamai’s web interface or API allows you to create, update, and deploy property configurations.

Think of them as the “local branches” of the internet that handle requests before they ever reach the origin server.

Key characteristics of edge nodes

1. Geographically distributed
   • There are thousands of Akamai edge nodes worldwide, located in ISPs, data centers, and major internet hubs.
   • The closer a node is to a user, the faster it can serve content.
2. Caching content
   • Stores static files like images, videos, or web pages to avoid repeated requests to the origin server.
3. Running edge logic
   • Some nodes can execute code (e.g., using Akamai EdgeWorkers) for personalization, authentication, or other tasks at the edge.
4. Security enforcement
   • Edge nodes can inspect traffic and block malicious requests (DDoS protection, bot mitigation, WAF rules) before they reach your server.
5. Intelligent routing
   • Edge nodes direct traffic to the fastest or most available path, balancing loads across the network.

How edge nodes fit into the Akamai Intelligent Edge Platform

• The platform is the network + software + analytics.
• The edge nodes are the physical servers that carry out the platform’s functions:
  • Delivering content
  • Securing traffic
  • Running edge computing tasks
  • Optimizing performance

• The edge = locations physically closer to users/devices
• Intelligent = uses data, automation, and analytics to optimize performance and security in real time

What the platform does

The Akamai Intelligent Edge Platform combines several capabilities:

1. Content delivery (CDN)

• Speeds up websites, videos, and apps by caching content near users
• Used by streaming services, e-commerce sites, etc.

2. Security

• Protects against:
  • DDoS attacks
  • Bots and fraud
  • Data breaches
• Applies security controls at the edge before traffic reaches origin servers

3. Edge computing

• Runs application logic (code) near users using tools like EdgeWorkers
• Enables real-time personalization and faster responses

4. Performance optimization

• Improves loading speed and reliability for web and mobile apps
• Uses intelligent routing and caching

5. Cloud & AI integration (newer evolution)

• Supports distributed workloads (including AI inference) across edge + cloud infrastructure
• Balances latency, cost, and performance globally