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Comparison

atalince and CrowdSec, side by side.

Both detect attacks in logs and block the source, but they start from different ideas. CrowdSec bets on a community network and components you combine. atalince bets on proving every block and on bringing the server's assessments into one dashboard.

01In short

Two approaches to the same problem.

What is

CrowdSec

An open-source security engine (MIT license) that analyzes logs and HTTP requests with behavior scenarios. Decisions are enforced by remediation components (bouncers) at the firewall, the web server or the proxy. It includes a WAF (the AppSec component), a community blocklist and a web console with free and paid features.

What is

atalince

A service with a Go agent on each server and a web dashboard, hosted in Brazil. It detects attacks across several services, blocks in the kernel firewall and only calls a block verified after reading the rule back. It also assesses hardening, CVEs, malware and exposed ports.

02Side by side

Item by item.

Default behavior of each tool, according to each one's public documentation.

atalince and CrowdSec
AspectatalinceCrowdSec
ModelService: agent on the server and web dashboard.Open-source engine on each machine, with an optional web console.
CostDev R$9.90 and Pro R$24.90 per server/month, with a 7-day Pro trial.Free engine. The console has free and paid features.
What it detectsReady-made sensors for SSH, web (nginx and Apache), mail, FTP, MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, network and file integrity.Behavior scenarios over logs and HTTP requests, distributed through the CrowdSec Hub.
How it blocksIts own iptables chains (ATALINCE-BANS and ATALINCE-INPUT), with ipset when present, on IPv4 and IPv6. Also covers ports published by Docker.Remediation components (bouncers) installed separately: firewall, web server, reverse proxy and others.
Inline WAFNo. Web detection reads the access log, after the request.Yes, through the AppSec component, built on Coraza.
Block confirmationReads the firewall back and only shows “verified” after that. Without evidence, the state stays unknown. Every block is re-read every hour.The decision is enforced by the chosen bouncer.
Shared intelligenceOpt-in, off by default. Reputation only shows when at least 3 other organizations contributed, and no log line leaves yours.When participating, the instance sends alert metadata (scenario, time, machine ID and source IP) and receives the community blocklist.
Reputation-based blockingDoesn't exist yet. Reputation informs; blocking comes from detection on your server.The community blocklist is downloaded automatically and enforced by the bouncers.
Dashboard and multiple serversWeb dashboard with every server. On Pro, groups with an SSH policy and fleet blocks.Web console showing every instance, plus cscli on the command line.
Security assessmentsHardening (36 checks), package CVEs, malware (Pro) and exposed ports.We found no hardening assessment or installed-package CVE inventory in the documentation.
SystemsLinux: Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux, on amd64 and arm64.Linux, FreeBSD, Windows, macOS, Docker, Kubernetes, OPNsense, pfSense and WHM.

03Choosing

When each one makes sense.

CrowdSec makes more sense when

  • you need an inline WAF in front of your applications;
  • you also protect Windows, FreeBSD or appliances such as OPNsense and pfSense;
  • you want to block preventively with a large community list;
  • you prefer an open-source engine and assembling the pieces yourself.

atalince makes sense when

  • you need evidence that every block is in the kernel, with the state unknown when proof is missing;
  • you want attacks, hardening, CVEs, malware and exposed ports in one dashboard;
  • you'd rather nothing go to a shared network without explicit consent;
  • you want the service hosted in Brazil and billing in reais.

04Both together

You can run both.

Since agent 1.0.2, atalince's rules sit right after chains that only drop traffic, such as those of CrowdSec's iptables firewall bouncer, and ahead of any rule that may accept. The two don't fight over the first position in INPUT.

One possible setup is keeping CrowdSec at the web edge, with AppSec, and using atalince for kernel-level block verification and the server assessments.

See the firewall order →

Sources

Information about CrowdSec checked in November 2026 against the project's official documentation and repository.

Spotted something out of date? Let us know.

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