AWS Inspector vs. AWS Shield

Attribute	AWS Inspector	AWS Shield
Service Type	Vulnerability assessment service	DDoS protection service
Purpose	Identify security vulnerabilities in EC2 instances	Protect against DDoS attacks
Deployment	Agent-based	Cloud-based
Cost	Pay-per-use pricing	Subscription-based pricing

Overview

AWS Inspector and AWS Shield are two important services offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that help customers secure their applications and infrastructure in the cloud. While both services focus on security, they have different features and capabilities that cater to different needs and requirements.

AWS Inspector

AWS Inspector is a security assessment service that helps customers improve the security and compliance of their applications running on AWS. It automatically assesses applications for vulnerabilities and compliance issues, providing detailed findings and prioritized recommendations for remediation.

One of the key features of AWS Inspector is its ability to perform automated security assessments on EC2 instances, ensuring that customers can identify security vulnerabilities and compliance issues in their applications before they are deployed to production.

AWS Inspector also provides a simple and easy-to-use interface that allows customers to schedule security assessments, view assessment results, and take action on identified issues. This makes it a valuable tool for organizations looking to improve the security posture of their AWS environments.

Furthermore, AWS Inspector integrates seamlessly with other AWS services, such as AWS CloudFormation and AWS Config, allowing customers to automate security assessments and remediation actions as part of their overall security strategy.

In summary, AWS Inspector is a powerful security assessment service that helps customers identify and remediate security vulnerabilities and compliance issues in their AWS environments, ultimately improving the overall security posture of their applications.

AWS Shield

AWS Shield is a managed Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection service that helps customers protect their applications against DDoS attacks. It provides always-on detection and mitigation of DDoS attacks, ensuring that customers can maintain the availability of their applications even during large-scale attacks.

One of the key features of AWS Shield is its ability to protect applications running on AWS from the most common types of DDoS attacks, such as volumetric attacks, application layer attacks, and state-exhaustion attacks. This helps customers mitigate the impact of DDoS attacks on their applications and maintain business continuity.

AWS Shield also provides real-time visibility into DDoS attack traffic and mitigation actions, allowing customers to monitor the status of their applications and take proactive measures to protect against ongoing attacks. This helps customers stay ahead of potential threats and ensure the availability of their applications.

Furthermore, AWS Shield offers flexible pricing options that allow customers to choose the level of protection that best suits their needs and budget. This makes it a cost-effective solution for organizations looking to protect their applications against DDoS attacks without breaking the bank.

In summary, AWS Shield is a comprehensive DDoS protection service that helps customers protect their applications against DDoS attacks, ensuring the availability and reliability of their applications in the face of evolving security threats.

Comparison

While both AWS Inspector and AWS Shield focus on security, they cater to different aspects of security and offer unique features and capabilities that address different security needs and requirements.

• AWS Inspector is focused on security assessment and compliance, helping customers identify and remediate security vulnerabilities and compliance issues in their applications running on AWS.
• AWS Shield, on the other hand, is focused on DDoS protection, helping customers protect their applications against DDoS attacks and maintain the availability of their applications during large-scale attacks.
• AWS Inspector provides automated security assessments and prioritized recommendations for remediation, making it a valuable tool for organizations looking to improve the security posture of their AWS environments.
• AWS Shield provides always-on detection and mitigation of DDoS attacks, ensuring that customers can maintain the availability of their applications even during large-scale attacks.
• AWS Inspector integrates seamlessly with other AWS services, such as AWS CloudFormation and AWS Config, allowing customers to automate security assessments and remediation actions as part of their overall security strategy.
• AWS Shield offers flexible pricing options that allow customers to choose the level of protection that best suits their needs and budget, making it a cost-effective solution for organizations looking to protect their applications against DDoS attacks.

In conclusion, both AWS Inspector and AWS Shield are valuable security services offered by AWS that help customers secure their applications and infrastructure in the cloud. While AWS Inspector focuses on security assessment and compliance, AWS Shield focuses on DDoS protection, providing customers with the tools and capabilities they need to protect their applications against evolving security threats.