Overview

Product video
Varnish Enterprise is a powerful, feature-rich reverse proxy and HTTP accelerator that speeds up websites and reduces streaming latency to deliver a great web experience to all users, at all times. Varnish caching technology is trusted by millions of websites worldwide to reduce backend server load by up to 99% while delivering all types of content much faster.
From the team behind the popular open-source Varnish Cache, Varnish Enterprise adds more features, more power and more flexibility for scaling up web services while protecting critical infrastructure. With enterprise-grade features and security at pay-as-you-go prices, it is the easy way to expand your reach and resilience while reducing the complexity of your web operations. You can even use it to build your own CDN.
Full support is also available through an additional subscription, with the Varnish team helping you deliver web services with high performance, reliability, security and scale. Visit us at https://www.varnish-software.com/support/ to purchase support as an add-on.
For a complete feature list, go to https://www.varnish-software.com/softwareandvmods/ .
Highlights
- Reliably excellent web performance - Deliver websites, APIs and video 300% faster with caching and an origin shield that helps your web service thrive under pressure: no more downtime.
- Reduced costs and complexity - A lightweight but feature-rich solution that lowers costs while bringing new simplicity to web operations, with integrated content cache, reverse proxy, load balancer, API gateway, web server, and SSL terminator.
- Quick to deploy and scale - Be up and running in minutes to scale up content delivery, protect against traffic spikes and extend your web services reach.
Details
Introducing multi-product solutions
You can now purchase comprehensive solutions tailored to use cases and industries.
Features and programs
Buyer guide

Financing for AWS Marketplace purchases
Pricing
Free trial
- ...
Dimension | Cost/hour |
|---|---|
m5.large Recommended | $0.80 |
t3.micro | $0.80 |
t2.micro | $0.80 |
m5.xlarge | $0.80 |
m5zn.large | $0.80 |
c5n.large | $0.80 |
m5d.large | $0.80 |
i2.xlarge | $0.80 |
r5a.large | $0.80 |
m5n.xlarge | $0.80 |
Vendor refund policy
Varnish Enterprise (VE) can be cancelled at any time. You will only be billed for time and transfer that is actually used while an AWS instance running VE is active.
How can we make this page better?
Legal
Vendor terms and conditions
Content disclaimer
Delivery details
64-bit (x86) Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
An AMI is a virtual image that provides the information required to launch an instance. Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) instances are virtual servers on which you can run your applications and workloads, offering varying combinations of CPU, memory, storage, and networking resources. You can launch as many instances from as many different AMIs as you need.
Version release notes
Additional details
Usage instructions
In your image, you will see two "varnishd" processes running one is the master process and the other is a child process. Varnish Enterprise listens by default on TCP port 80 where it expects to receive HTTP requests.
The easiest way to administer the varnish node is to use the Varnish Controller which provides a single point of control for all Varnish server administration. To add a varnish node to the Varnish Controller "varnish-controller-agent" needs to be configured. The "varnish-agent" is used by the Varnish Custom Statistics (VCS) which enables real-time statistics allowing you to aggregate, display and analyze user traffic.
Connect to your ec2 instance with ssh using username "ubuntu", more detailed usage instructions please view: [ https://docs.varnish-software.com/varnish-cloud/get-started/aws/ ]
Resources
Support
Vendor support
Varnish Software offers a free getting started online-session that includes an introduction to the software, best practices and tips. cloudteam@varnish-software.com
AWS infrastructure support
AWS Support is a one-on-one, fast-response support channel that is staffed 24x7x365 with experienced and technical support engineers. The service helps customers of all sizes and technical abilities to successfully utilize the products and features provided by Amazon Web Services.

Standard contract
Customer reviews
Caching has cut backend costs and traffic while configuration language still needs simplification
What is our primary use case?
I used Varnish Enterprise for caching at the application side, and within the application layer, there was one layer dedicated for Varnish where we maintained cache. Whatever needed to be cached and refreshed via cache was handled by Varnish, and the rest of the requests were sent to the backend servers.
I handled a project where any request triggered by the user via load balancer would go to the backend servers, and in the middle layer, there was a Varnish Enterprise layer. If we wanted to cache specific data such as /XYZ or /data or /API, when that path was requested, it was served by Varnish Enterprise, which prevented those specific paths from going to backend systems repeatedly because they were system-agnostic requests. Other requests were routed to the backend servers via Varnish Enterprise.
What is most valuable?
One of the best features Varnish Enterprise offers is how it maintains the cache, serving it via memory, which is very fast and helpful in our case. We did not want to add extra layers or scale our backend servers too much for cost reasons, and Varnish Enterprise was able to handle those requests well with its memory, as memory I/O is significantly faster than file system I/O.
The configuration of Varnish Enterprise was easy because it uses Varnish Configuration Language, which takes some time to get used to, but it is manageable. I particularly appreciated the request routing feature; if a cached request is not found, Varnish Enterprise dynamically routes the request to backend servers. It also shields the backend traffic and IPs, adding an advantage.
The challenge we solved with Varnish Enterprise is that it reduced RAM and resource consumption on the backend servers. When we added Varnish Enterprise, we did not see any spike in resource usage, but after removing it, we experienced a significant spike because all requests went to the backend servers, forcing us to scale up. Adding a single Varnish Enterprise server was enough since it maintained the cache efficiently, allowing for less scaling of the backend servers and containers, making it cost-effective.
Varnish Enterprise positively impacted our organization by saving us a considerable amount of cost. Without Varnish Enterprise, we would need to scale our containers to around two hundred, but with Varnish Enterprise, we maintained fifty to eighty fewer containers while handling the same traffic, which was definitely advantageous.
What needs improvement?
I think that the usage of Varnish Configuration Language can be improved. It is a bit challenging for new developers and DevOps engineers, and it would be better if it could use a simpler language such as Bash or Python.
Regarding needed improvements, nothing else stands out to add.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Varnish Enterprise for around three and a half to four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Varnish Enterprise is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Varnish Enterprise is good.
To scale Varnish Enterprise for growing traffic, we created multiple EC2 servers within an auto-scaling group. The servers scale up and down based on the number of incoming requests, using predefined auto-scaling policies.
How are customer service and support?
I have not had the chance to reach out to customer support due to not facing any issues, so I assume it is good.
What was our ROI?
We tracked the savings by reviewing our AWS infrastructure billing dashboard, which shows usage of services. We compared the infrastructure usage before and after enabling Varnish Enterprise, observing a marginal difference and clear cost effectiveness.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Varnish Enterprise seven out of ten. I rated it a seven out of ten mainly because of the challenge with Varnish Configuration Language. If it could use a more familiar or custom language for configuration, it would be easier for us to learn and use effectively.
The governance and security of Varnish Enterprise is decent because it does not expose backend servers, IPs, or URLs, making its security good.
The accuracy and reliability of output from Varnish Enterprise's AI capabilities is fine; the responses are crisp and effective.
The integration process of Varnish Enterprise with our existing systems is fairly easy. You just need to configure caching paths and mention the backend server's IP or hostname. At the front end, requests are directed first to Varnish Enterprise, with specific path-based routing applied if necessary.
We handle monitoring and logging for Varnish Enterprise using Prometheus and Grafana , which was straightforward and similar to managing other EC2 servers.
Upgrades and maintenance for Varnish Enterprise have been smooth; we upgrade one server out of the loop, test it in a lower environment, and then replicate the upgrade in production.
I suggest others use Varnish Enterprise because my experience has been good. My overall rating for Varnish Enterprise is seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Caching has boosted search suggestions and now drives faster, higher-converting user queries
What is our primary use case?
Varnish Enterprise is primarily used by my organization to cache responses for quick suggestions for users. For example, when users visit IndiaMART and start typing in the search box, we show them a list of suggestions to choose from, which is the module I work on—the suggest module. The request goes through Varnish, and if the request is already present in Varnish, we provide the response back immediately. If it is not there, we proceed to hit the back end servers.
Varnish Enterprise is also used by my organization as a load balancer.
What is most valuable?
The best features Varnish Enterprise offers are the caching and the load balancing, which are the two main use cases for my organization.
Varnish Enterprise stands out because it can be used to trim down the URL noise, which is really helpful in maintaining a very discreet cache. If users have different parameters but type one letter, they can all be shown the same suggestions regardless of their name or location. This has helped tremendously in cutting down the URL noise and has improved search traceability, aiding in investigating issues.
Varnish Enterprise has positively impacted my organization by significantly reducing the API latency for my personal use case, and the same applies to other teams who use it.
What needs improvement?
I am not sure how Varnish Enterprise can be improved. I will have to delve deeper into the technicalities that I am not yet familiar with, so this is a question I am not equipped enough to answer.
For how long have I used the solution?
Since I moved to back end, I have been in regular touch with Varnish Enterprise for around one and a half years. Before that, I had a slight idea about what Varnish was. For hands-on implementation, it has been around one and a half years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Varnish Enterprise is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Varnish Enterprise's scalability is good, convenient, and reliable.
How are customer service and support?
I have not had the opportunity to connect with customer support for Varnish Enterprise yet.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have always been using Varnish Enterprise for caching. I did not use a different solution before.
What was our ROI?
I have not seen a return on investment with Varnish Enterprise.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I do not think I evaluated other options before choosing Varnish Enterprise.
What other advice do I have?
The reduction in latency with Varnish Enterprise has affected business outcomes positively because the conversion rate of search for the suggestions shown to users has been significantly higher than for the search pages they land on by manually typing out the whole query. This is a clear conversion rate and is the KPI we always aim to improve.
My advice for others looking into using Varnish Enterprise is to make sure that it justifies their use case and that it is not an overkill or an underkill for their particular requirement. I would rate this review an eight out of ten.
Reviewing workforce tasks has become efficient while user navigation still needs improvement
What is our primary use case?
My main use case for Varnish Enterprise is to review and check everything. I remember there was a hidden scenario for the cache that I used, and there was a specific one with managing my own workforce. Mainly it was workforce and task related, such as project management.
What is most valuable?
In my experience, everything about Varnish Enterprise has been quite useful. Varnish Enterprise has positively impacted my organization through performance and efficiency. I am not quite sure about the numbers right now, but I can see the effect and notice that Varnish Enterprise has been very helpful.
What needs improvement?
I think Varnish Enterprise can be improved from a user experience point of view. User experience with Varnish Enterprise should not have more clicks and should be easy to navigate. The communication through mail can be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Varnish Enterprise for many days.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Varnish Enterprise is stable and quite reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Varnish Enterprise is quite good, and I am even thinking about asking other colleagues to use it.
How are customer service and support?
Varnish Enterprise's customer support is quite good, though the communication through mail can be improved.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I was using a classical approach with workforce work task management.
What was our ROI?
Varnish Enterprise helps with resources saved, which is more important than time saved.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The setup costs are reasonable and not too costly. They are perfect for my needs.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I checked Varnish Enterprise but did not formally evaluate other solutions.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale of one to ten, I would rate Varnish Enterprise a seven. Seven is a better rating because improvements are still being requested. Regarding Varnish Enterprise's AI capabilities, I cannot predict accuracy every time, but it will always be based on the scenario. I cannot say it is 100 percent accurate every time; it can be 70 to 80 percent, depending on the scenario only. If you want to save time and effort, you should go for Varnish Enterprise. Varnish Enterprise is quite good. My overall review rating for Varnish Enterprise is seven out of ten.
Caching layer has boosted website load times and improves user experience for hosted clients
What is our primary use case?
My main use case for Varnish Enterprise was to provide speed improvements for websites that we were creating for our clients through a SaaS service, which was a no-code website builder. We wanted to have Varnish Enterprise as a caching layer in between.
This specific example was part of the website builder itself. When people created their own websites, they were hosted in our system and served through the Varnish Enterprise layer, functioning as a private CDN . We had servers closer to user locations from which we served these websites. Before and after implementation, there was a marked difference in the speed of the systems, and the users noticed it as well. There was significant improvement in the user experience.
What is most valuable?
The best features of Varnish Enterprise include caching performance, which I believe is best in its class and was the main reason we selected it. Varnish Enterprise offers more granular control on the cache and cache control, allowing us to fine-tune the caching behavior and route traffic in a custom way. The cache control and invalidation logic enabled us to purge requests instantly, which was valuable.
Varnish Enterprise has impacted my organization positively by showing marked improvement in the speed at which websites were being served. The clients were happy with that, and the people who owned or created those websites were satisfied. This had a positive impact, as we likely had more revenue as a result.
What needs improvement?
Varnish Enterprise can be improved, particularly on the security features, as it does not differentiate itself compared to Cloudflare because it only provides the usual TLS termination and load balancing capabilities. If there is an area where it can improve itself, it would be on the security side.
Mutual TLS termination is something I wish was included. I have not used Varnish Enterprise for the last three years, so I cannot confirm whether this feature is now included, but at the time we were using it, we did not see that feature.
For how long have I used the solution?
I am not using Varnish Enterprise currently, but in my previous organization, I used it for around eighteen months.
What was our ROI?
I do not recall the exact revenue figures, but the speed improvement was significant. It was at least a forty percent improvement in the speed at which websites loaded, which was great.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We implemented Varnish Enterprise by using the Helm charts that Varnish provides in the backend. It has been around three years since we did this implementation, so the exact details are a bit unclear, but I do remember the impact of it. We evaluated it against other solutions, including Fastly and Cloudflare , and Varnish Enterprise served us well.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Varnish Enterprise at least eight out of ten.
I chose eight out of ten because the product needs to work on the security part of things. Additionally, while it does give a lot of granular control, it requires a lot of effort to achieve those controls. There was considerable effort from our side to achieve those granular controls on the caching logic, invalidation, and other aspects. If those could be easier to accomplish, I would give it a ten.
Regarding Varnish Enterprise's AI capabilities, I used it three years ago, and there were not many AI capabilities at that point in time, so I cannot comment on this. I did not have any experience with Varnish Enterprise's AI capabilities regarding the accuracy and reliability of output.
Varnish Enterprise is a great product because the core part works very well, achieving speed and cache validation, invalidation, and control logic. If those looking for these particular features, it is a great product. I have not seen the updated product and have not used it in the last couple of years, so I do not have any other thoughts.
My overall rating for Varnish Enterprise is eight out of ten.
Caching static pages has boosted site speed and has improved e‑commerce user engagement
What is our primary use case?
My main use case for Varnish Enterprise is to serve cached pages for end customers in the e-commerce domain.
Varnish Enterprise serves as the front layer for our website, so whenever any customer visits our website, they consume pages from Varnish Enterprise, specifically static pages such as the home page and listing pages.
What is most valuable?
The best features that Varnish Enterprise offers are specifically for caching, and I believe the best use case is caching, which helps reduce infrastructure costs and serves pages very fast.
When caching reduces costs and speeds up page inference, it really impacts website performance and user experience. Our vendor has saved a lot of money because of these cached pages, and customer engagement has also increased.
Regarding the features, the primary feature is caching and the management of that cache, where TTL management and related functions are very good.
Varnish Enterprise has impacted my organization positively, as we are getting good clients because our websites are very fast and we are achieving good scores on Google Web Vitals.
I can share that there are not just one website, but a hundred websites where I have worked, and we improved website performance significantly and saved customers money through improvements in load time and Google Web Vitals scores.
What needs improvement?
Varnish Enterprise can be improved in many ways, such as serving dynamic data as it is currently working only on static data. I would suggest having dynamic data management in parallel with the current static data management.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working in my current field for almost sixteen years.
What other advice do I have?
I would definitely recommend Varnish Enterprise to others looking into using it.
I find this interview very good and do not think anything needs to change for the future.
My review rating for Varnish Enterprise is eight out of ten.