F5

What F5 does

F5, Inc. is a Seattle-headquartered public company (NASDAQ: FFIV) founded in 1996 that provides application delivery and security solutions for hybrid multicloud environments, serving more than 80% of the Fortune 500 globally. The company's core offering is the F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP), a unified platform combining application delivery, security, and observability delivered through three vectors: BIG-IP hardware and virtual editions (rSeries, VELOS), NGINX cloud-native solutions (NGINX One, NGINX Gateway Fabric), and F5 Distributed Cloud Services delivered as SaaS. F5's technology stack includes an AI-powered Web Application Firewall with a proprietary Neural Network Risk Engine, BIG-IP Next for Kubernetes integrated with NVIDIA BlueField-3 DPUs for AI inference acceleration, F5 AI Security Platform (comprising AI Guardrails, AI Red Team, and SurePath AI-powered discovery), and post-quantum cryptography capabilities in BIG-IP v21.1.

F5 generates revenue through software term subscriptions, the Flex Consumption Program (usage-based), perpetual licensing (GBB), hardware sales (BIG-IP rSeries and VELOS appliances), and professional services. The company has transitioned from a hardware-focused load balancer vendor to a platform provider with a growing mix of higher-margin software and subscription revenue. F5 employs a hybrid go-to-market combining direct enterprise field sales for Fortune 500 accounts, an extensive channel partner network (with the new F5 Foundations program launching April 2026), technology alliance co-selling (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, NVIDIA, Red Hat, Equinix, Dell, NetApp), and cloud marketplaces. Verticals served include banking and financial services (primary), technology companies (primary), e-commerce, healthcare, public sector, manufacturing, and service providers/telcos. The company completed the AI-focused acquisitions of CalypsoAI (2025, $180M) and SurePath AI (June 2026), and operates with approximately 6,000+ employees globally.

Name

F5

Legal name

F5, Inc.

Website

https://f5.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

F5 is a public application delivery and security platform company serving more than 80% of the Fortune 500 with BIG-IP, NGINX, and Distributed Cloud Services across hybrid multicloud and AI environments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Application Delivery and Security

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths) (561621)

SIC

Computer Communications Equipment (3576), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Hardware ADC Appliances (On‑Prem/Box) (HDAFAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Attack Detection & Response for Cloud/SaaS (SOC for Cloud) (HDADAGAJ), AI Server Systems & HGX/Accelerator Platforms (HDAAAAAB)

Keywords

• Application delivery controllers
• Web application firewalls
• API security solutions
• Multi-cloud networking
• Bot management software

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software and Subscription Revenue: F5 is transitioning from hardware-focused load balancer vendor to broader platform provider for application delivery, security, and multi-cloud networking. Software and subscription revenue continues growing as a share of the revenue mix, representing higher-margin recurring revenue streams from Distributed Cloud Services SaaS offerings and software term subscriptions.
2. Product Revenue (Hardware and Software): Legacy hardware demand faces structural pressure but remains significant. Product revenue grew 22% year-over-year to $411 million in Q2 FY2026. Includes BIG-IP hardware appliances (VELOS, rSeries), virtual editions, and perpetual software licenses.
3. Professional Services: Implementation, deployment, and consulting services supporting enterprise customers with complex hybrid and multi-cloud architectures. Services help customers design automated, low-risk update processes and optimize F5 deployments.
4. Remaining Performance Obligations (RPO): Approximately $2.1 billion in RPO as of March 31, 2026, signaling continued revenue visibility from the installed customer base. Contracted but not yet recognized revenue provides pipeline visibility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

F5 provides an Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP) that combines hardware appliances (BIG-IP rSeries, VELOS), software (BIG-IP, BIG-IP Next for Kubernetes, NGINX), and SaaS services (F5 Distributed Cloud Services) to deliver, secure, and optimize enterprise applications across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. The platform offers web application firewalls, API security, bot defense, DDoS protection, zero-trust access, SSL/TLS orchestration, and AI application security for Fortune 500 enterprises.

Product overview

F5 provides a comprehensive Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP) architecture spanning hardware appliances (BIG-IP rSeries, VELOS), virtual editions (BIG-IP VE), cloud-native software (BIG-IP Next for Kubernetes, NGINX One, NGINX Gateway Fabric), and SaaS services (F5 Distributed Cloud Services). The platform converges networking, security, and observability through three delivery vectors: BIG-IP for traditional and hybrid deployments, NGINX for cloud-native Kubernetes environments, and Distributed Cloud Services for SaaS-delivered WAAP, bot defense, API security, and AI protection. The F5 AI Security Platform extends this portfolio to secure AI applications, models, agents, and APIs through a continuous loop of discovery (SurePath AI), security testing (AI Red Team), and runtime protection (AI Guardrails). F5's solutions protect over 80% of Fortune 500 companies across industries including banking, healthcare, e-commerce, manufacturing, and public sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NGINX: Open source web server, reverse proxy, load balancer, and related products; also NGINX One SaaS offering
• BIG-IP
• F5 Distributed Cloud Services
• F5 AI Security Platform
• F5 AI Guardrails
• F5 AI Red Team

Products and services

• F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP) Unified platform strategy spanning hardware, software, and SaaS delivery options for application delivery, security, and multi-cloud networking, providing consistent policy enforcement across BIG-IP, NGINX, and Distributed Cloud environments.
• BIG-IP F5's flagship application delivery controller available as hardware appliances, virtual editions, and container deployments, providing load balancing, SSL/TLS offload, DNS management, DDoS protection, and advanced WAF capabilities for enterprise applications.
• F5 rSeries High-performance ADC hardware appliance providing flexible, modern application delivery across contemporary and hybrid data centers.
• F5 VELOS Chassis-based ADC system providing fast, hardware-accelerated application delivery at massive scale for demanding enterprise workloads.
• F5 Distributed Cloud Services SaaS-delivered application delivery and security platform providing WAAP, bot defense, API security, client-side protection, web app scanning, CDN, DNS, and DDoS mitigation as cloud-native services.
• F5 NGINX Cloud-native application delivery suite including web server, load balancer, reverse proxy, and API gateway capabilities, offered as open source and commercial versions.
• NGINX One Commercial cloud-native application delivery solution from NGINX offering simplified packaging and management for modern application architectures.
• BIG-IP Next for Kubernetes Kubernetes-native traffic management solution that routes AI training and inference workloads efficiently and at scale, integrated with NVIDIA BlueField-3 DPUs for accelerated AI inference.
• F5 AI Security Platform Enterprise AI security platform providing continuous visibility, governance, and protection across AI applications, models, agents, and APIs through a continuous loop of discovery (SurePath AI), security testing (AI Red Team), and runtime protection (AI Guardrails).
• F5 AI Guardrails Runtime protection solution that inspects prompts and responses at the inference layer in real time, blocking prompt injection, data leakage, and unsafe output for enterprise AI applications.
• F5 AI Red Team Adversarial testing solution that continuously probes models and AI applications for exploitable weaknesses, surfacing vulnerabilities and converting findings into validated runtime guardrails.
• AI-Powered WAF with Neural Network Risk Engine AI-powered web application firewall using neural network models for behavioral detection rather than traditional signature matching, achieving 100% accuracy against OWASP WAF Top 10 and API Top 10 while reducing false positive rates from approximately 18% to 1%.
• F5 Distributed Cloud Bot Defense SaaS bot protection service that detects and identifies AI agents, humans, and bots by assigning trust scores that govern their actions, blocking automated abuse and fraudulent traffic.
• F5 Distributed Cloud API Security API security solution that continuously discovers APIs including shadow and unmanaged endpoints, monitors for abuse and sensitive data exposure, and protects endpoints inline to stop threats.
• F5 Professional Services Implementation, deployment, and consulting services supporting enterprise customers with complex hybrid and multi-cloud architectures, including design of automated update processes and optimization of F5 deployments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97.09% total security score in SecureIQLab testing with 100% accuracy against OWASP WAF Top 10 and API Top 10 risks
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

AI capability11 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and regional.

• SurePath AI (Acquired)coreTechnology or Integration · 22 June 2026F5 acquired SurePath AI to add capabilities for detecting AI tool usage and enforcing cybersecurity policies. SurePath's network-based discovery technology enables detection of unauthorized AI activity without requiring direct application integrations.
• EquinixcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Collaboration to launch combined system for securing and governing enterprise AI across hybrid and multicloud environments. Links F5 AI Guardrails product with Equinix Distributed AI Hub, creating a single control layer for AI interactions across Equinix's network of more than 280 data centers.
• Encryption ConsultingsecondaryTechnology or Integration · 5 June 2026Partnership to deliver automated TLS certificate lifecycle management for F5 BIG-IP environments. Addresses shorter TLS certificate lifespans (now at 47 days) by reducing manual work and outage risk for enterprise customers managing hybrid and multi-cloud architectures.
• Red HatcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026Expanded collaboration to deliver new security solutions for Kubernetes applications and AI workloads. F5 WAF for NGINX on NGINX Gateway Fabric provides Layer 7 protection for Kubernetes-native workflows in Red Hat OpenShift environments. AI quickstarts offer pre-built blueprints for deploying validated chatbot architectures.
• SectigosecondaryTechnology or Integration · 30 March 2026F5 deepened its multicloud security partnership with Sectigo for automated certificate lifecycle management, enhancing security for enterprise customers.
• ForcepointcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2026Alliance combines Forcepoint's AI-native DSPM capabilities with F5's runtime protection and security testing capabilities for comprehensive AI security throughout the lifecycle from data creation to runtime operations.
• ForcepointcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2026Strategic alliance to help enterprises secure AI applications across their lifecycle. Combines Forcepoint's AI-native Data Security Posture Management capabilities with F5's AI Red Team and AI Guardrails functionality. Joint solution showcased at RSA Conference 2026.
• NVIDIAcoreTechnology or Integration · 22 March 2026Expanded technical integration combining F5 BIG-IP Next for Kubernetes with NVIDIA BlueField-3 DPUs to improve AI inference efficiency. Testing showed up to 40% increase in token throughput, 61% faster time to first token, and 34% reduction in latency. F5 also listed as launch partner for Arm AGI CPU.
• SkyfiresecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026Partnership to advance secure agentic commerce for the enterprise, combining F5's security infrastructure with Skyfire's payment and identity verification capabilities for AI agents.
• SkyfiresecondaryTechnology or Integration · 18 March 2026Technology partnership integrating Skyfire's Know Your Agent (KYA) protocol into F5 Distributed Cloud Bot Defense. Enables verification of AI agents on enterprise platforms using cryptographic tokens to distinguish legitimate AI traffic from malicious bots.
• Automated Systems HoldingsregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 March 2026Local Hong Kong ecosystem collaboration as part of F5's 2026 Solution Day, deepening regional partnerships for application delivery and AI security solutions.
• HGC Global CommunicationsregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 March 2026Local Hong Kong ecosystem collaboration for multicloud governance and AI security solutions serving enterprise customers in the region.
• Hong Kong Broadband NetworkregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 March 2026Local ecosystem collaboration in Hong Kong for delivering unified multicloud governance and AI security solutions.
• NeutraDC (Telkom Indonesia)regionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2026Signed MoU at Mobile World Congress 2026 to explore strategic cooperation in developing managed AI connectivity solutions in Indonesia. Integrates NeutraDC's data center capabilities with F5's AI security and application delivery solutions.
• WWT (World Wide Technology)secondaryImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 3 March 2026Enhanced support for WWT's AI Readiness Model for Operational Resilience (ARMOR) framework, a vendor-agnostic AI security solution co-developed with NVIDIA. Integrates F5 ADSP with ARMOR's six security domains.
• ScalitysecondaryTechnology or Integration · 26 February 2026Expanded partnership to deliver secure, high-performance data infrastructure for AI workloads. Integrates F5 ADSP with Scality's S3-compatible object storage to enable faster, resilient, and secure data access across various environments for AI and analytics workloads.
• Wib (Acquired)coreTechnology or Integration · 11 February 2024F5 acquired the Israeli API security startup Wib for tens of millions of dollars. Wib's platform offers comprehensive visibility across the API landscape and is being integrated into F5 Distributed Cloud Services.
• CalypsoAI (Acquired)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024F5 completed acquisition of CalypsoAI, bringing AI Red Team and AI Guardrails capabilities to the platform. Now delivered as F5 AI Red Team and F5 AI Guardrails for adversarial testing and runtime protection of AI systems.
• Lilac Cloud (Acquired)secondaryTechnology or Integration · 24 January 2023F5 acquired Lilac Cloud, a Silicon Valley-based cloud services and CDN technology startup, to enhance F5's portfolio in application security and optimization.
• Dell TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology alliance partner. F5 solutions validated with Dell ObjectScale for secure AI data delivery. Joint solutions announced at Dell Technologies World for AI Factory with NVIDIA.
• NetAppsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationTechnology alliance for integrated data delivery and security solutions. F5 and NetApp collaboration focuses on unified multicloud governance and AI security solutions.
• MinIOsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationStrategic partnership to power high-performance, secure, and scalable data pipelines for AI factories. Combines F5's application delivery platform with MinIO's object storage for AI workloads.
• NutanixsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationTechnology alliance partner for joint go-to-market and integration activities around hybrid multicloud application delivery and security.
• AWScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorF5 products available through AWS Marketplace with simplified procurement. Joint contributions to NSS Labs white paper on AI runtime security testing. Collaborations on AI security frameworks.
• Microsoft AzurecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorF5 solutions available through Microsoft Azure Marketplace. Joint contributions to NSS Labs AI security research paper alongside AWS. Integration with Microsoft security ecosystem.
• Google CloudcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorF5 solutions available through Google Cloud Marketplace. Partnership to help rein in API sprawl and joint go-to-market for API security across Google Cloud environments.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• A10 Networks: A10 Networks is a direct competitor in the application delivery controller (ADC) market, offering hardware and virtual Thunder ADC appliances that compete head-to-head with F5's BIG-IP. Both serve enterprise customers needing load balancing, SSL inspection, and DDoS protection in hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
• Citrix Systems (NetScaler): Citrix's NetScaler (now part of Cloud Software Group) is a long-standing direct competitor to F5 in the ADC and application delivery market. Both companies target large enterprises with hardware/virtual ADC appliances and have overlapping security and remote-access capabilities (NetScaler ADC vs. BIG-IP APM).
• Imperva: Imperva (now part of Thales) directly competes with F5 in web application firewall (WAF), API security, bot defense, and DDoS protection, overlapping significantly with F5 Distributed Cloud Services. Both target large financial services, e-commerce, and enterprise customers with comparable WAAP feature sets.
• Radware: Radware is a direct competitor in ADC, WAF, bot management, and DDoS mitigation, with Alteon ADC appliances competing against F5 BIG-IP and DefensePro/Cloud DDoS Protection competing against F5 Distributed Cloud DDoS Mitigation. Both serve similar enterprise and service-provider customers.
• Barracuda Networks: Barracuda competes directly with F5 in WAF, API protection, bot mitigation, and application delivery for mid-market and enterprise customers, often as a more bundled, easier-to-deploy alternative. Both target hybrid and multi-cloud application security use cases with overlapping product portfolios.

Broad incumbents

• Akamai Technologies: Akamai is a broad incumbent in CDN, edge security, WAF, bot management, and API protection, competing against F5 Distributed Cloud Services at the SaaS layer. While Akamai does not offer BIG-IP-style on-prem ADC, it competes for the same enterprise security budget with edge-delivered WAAP and zero-trust offerings.
• Cloudflare: Cloudflare is a broad incumbent in CDN, WAF, bot management, API security, DDoS protection, and zero-trust networking, competing with F5 across both SaaS and hybrid deployment models. While not a direct ADC competitor, Cloudflare increasingly encroaches on F5's Distributed Cloud Services and enterprise application delivery budget.
• Palo Alto Networks: Palo Alto Networks competes with F5 via Prisma Cloud (WAF, API security, bot defense, cloud security posture management) and Strata network security, overlapping with F5 Distributed Cloud Services and API Security. As a broad cybersecurity incumbent, Palo Alto Networks often displaces F5 in consolidated enterprise security deals.
• Zscaler: Zscaler is a broad incumbent in zero-trust secure web gateway, cloud access security broker, and inline security, overlapping with F5's BIG-IP APM, Secure Web Gateway, and Distributed Cloud Services. Both target large enterprise customers undergoing SASE/zero-trust transformations, often in head-to-head deals.

Emerging players

• Fastly: Fastly competes with F5 in CDN, edge compute, WAF, and bot management, with growing overlap in API security and developer-focused application delivery. While smaller and more focused on developer/CDN workloads than F5's enterprise ADC business, Fastly is an emerging competitor in the SaaS WAAP category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/f5networks
• YouTubeyoutube.com/f5networksinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/f5incorporated
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/f5
• Instagraminstagram.com/f5networks
• GitHubgithub.com/f5devcentral

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A19 records

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about F5