Listing Thumbnail

    IBM NS1 Connect Managed DNS and Traffic Steering for AWS Workloads

     Info
    Deployed on AWS
    Free Trial
    AWS Free Tier
    IBM NS1 Connect Managed DNS offers DNS management and traffic steering for optimized performance. Enhance your DNS Strategy today. IBM NS1 Connect is a managed authoritative DNS and traffic steering service for AWS, multi-cloud, and hybrid environments, operating on a global anycast network with 26 PoPs across 6 continents and a 100% uptime SLA for DNS resolution, using real-time data from Amazon CloudWatch and application health signals.
    4.5

    Overview

    Play video

    IBM NS1 Connect is a managed authoritative DNS and traffic steering service for applications deployed across AWS, multi-cloud, and hybrid environments. The service operates on a global anycast network spanning 26 points of presence (PoPs) across 6 continents and provides a 100% uptime SLA for DNS resolution.

    It integrates with AWS services including Amazon EC2, Amazon EKS, Elastic Load Balancing (ALB/NLB), Amazon CloudFront, AWS Global Accelerator and Amazon CloudWatch.

    NS1 Connect enables DNS-based traffic routing using real-time data such as Real user Metrics (RUM), third party QoE data, CloudWatch metrics, health checks, latency, geographic location, and application performance signals.

    The platform supports primary and secondary DNS configurations across AWS, other cloud providers, and on-premises infrastructure.

    Key Capabilities

    Available and Adaptable

    • Global anycast DNS network with 26 PoPs across 6 continents for distributed query handling - 100% uptime SLA for DNS resolution.
    • Traffic steering using real-time metrics, health checks, latency, and RUM data.
    • Multi-cloud and multi-CDN routing across AWS, other cloud providers, and on-prem environments.

    Agile and Secure

    • API-First integration with infrstructure-as-a-service (Kubernetes, Ansible, Piulimi) Kubernetes ExternalDNS, AWS services.
    • Observability integrations including Amazon CloudWatch, Datadog, Splunk, AppDynamics, Catchpoint, ThousandEyes, Pingdom.
    • Security features including DNSSEC, TSIG, IP allow-listing, RBAC, SAML/SSO, AWS IAM read-only integration.
    • ISO/IEC 27001 certification. SOC 2 Type II available via AWS Vendor Insights.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How does NS1 Connect integrate with Amazon Route 53?

    AWS and IBM offer two complementary architecture patterns that help customers expand their use of Amazon Route 53 while meeting advanced performance and resiliency requirements. With IBM Cloud Sync (an optional add-on), zones, records, traffic-steering metadata, and health checks synchronize bidirectionally between NS1 Connect and Route 53 without DNS zone-transfer (XFR). Cloud Sync also backs up NS1 Connect DNS configurations to a customer-owned Amazon S3 bucket for fast restore.

    Which AWS services are used for traffic steering decisions?

    NS1 Connect ingests Amazon CloudWatch metrics directly into Filter Chains, so DNS answers reflect the live health and performance of Amazon EKS, EC2, ELB, CloudFront, and other AWS resources. In addition, the Filter Chain engine ingests telemetry from third-party observability and RUM providers (Datadog, Catchpoint, ThousandEyes, AppDynamics), enabling consistent multi-cloud and multi-provider decisioning. Cloud Sync backs up NS1 Connect DNS configurations to a customer-owned Amazon S3 bucket.

    What scale does the service support?

    Service tiers support query volumes from tens of millions per month to custom volumes at higher scales. NS1 Essentials handles 30-80M queries/month; NS1 Standard handles 50M-1B queries/month; NS1 Premium is custom-priced and scales beyond 1B/month.

    Can NS1 Connect be used as primary or secondary DNS?

    Yes. It can function as either a primary authoritative DNS provider or as a secondary provider.

    What security features are included?

    The platform is ISO 27001 certificatied with SOC 2 Type II available on request. It supports DNSSEC, TSIG, IP allow-listing, RBAC, SAML/SSO authentication and AWS IAM integration.

    Does NS1 Connect support multi-CDN routing?

    Yes. It can route traffic across Amazon CloudFront and third-party CDNs based on performance using real-time RUM, CloudWatch, Catchpoint and ThousandEyes signals, including cost-aware and contract-aware shaping.

    Does NS1 support multi-cloud and hybrid environments?

    Yes. Traffic routing policies can be applied across AWS, other public clouds, and on-premises infrastructure. Customers commonly run NS1 Connect as the global DNS decisioning layer in front of workloads spanning multiple providers, with per-zone or per-record steering policies. Where Amazon Route 53 is also in use, IBM Cloud Sync (optional add-on) keeps zones, records, and steering metadata aligned bidirectionally without DNS zone-transfer (XFR).

    How does it fit DevOps workflows?

    NS1 Connect provides API access and integrates with Terraform, Ansible, Pulumi, and Kubernetes ExternalDNS integration for automatic DNS record management; webhooks and APIs for CI/CD pipelines.

    Is a free trial available?

    Yes. A 30-day free trial is available through AWS Marketplace.

    Highlights

    • Global anycast network: Primary and secondary DNS built with a fully redundant architecture at 26 locations to meet a 100% uptime SLA.
    • Real-time DNS traffic steering using Real User Metrics (RUM), Amazon CloudWatch metrics, third party QoE data, latency, and health checks.
    • DevOps ready integrations with EC2, EKS, ALB/NLB, CloudFront, Terraform, Ansible, Pulumi, Global Accelerator, Datadog, Splunk, ThousandEyes.

    Get personalized pricing in minutes - New

    If qualified, an express private offer gets you custom pricing and terms. Finalize your purchase in the AWS Marketplace console.

    Details

    Delivery method

    Deployed on AWS

    Features and programs

    Buyer guide

    Gain valuable insights from real users who purchased this product, powered by PeerSpot.
    Buyer guide

    Financing for AWS Marketplace purchases

    AWS Marketplace now accepts line of credit payments through the PNC Vendor Finance program. This program is available to select AWS customers in the US, excluding NV, NC, ND, TN, & VT.
    Financing for AWS Marketplace purchases

    Pricing

    Free trial

    Try this product free according to the free trial terms set by the vendor.

    IBM NS1 Connect Managed DNS and Traffic Steering for AWS Workloads

     Info
    Pricing is based on the duration and terms of your contract with the vendor, and additional usage. You pay upfront or in installments according to your contract terms with the vendor. This entitles you to a specified quantity of use for the contract duration. Usage-based pricing is in effect for overages or additional usage not covered in the contract. These charges are applied on top of the contract price. If you choose not to renew or replace your contract before the contract end date, access to your entitlements will expire.
    Additional AWS infrastructure costs may apply. Use the AWS Pricing Calculator  to estimate your infrastructure costs.

    12-month contract (9)

     Info
    Dimension
    Description
    Cost/12 months
    Essentials
    Includes 30M queries 1000 records 1 Filter Chain 2 Monitors
    $1,188.00
    Essentials with Route 53 DNS syncronization
    Includes 50M queries per month, 1000 records, 1 Traffic Steering Filter Chain, 2 Monitors, 1 Cloud Sync Connection
    $3,288.00
    Essentials Large Bundle
    Includes 80M queries 1000 records 1 Filter Chain 2 Monitors
    $4,188.00
    Standard-50
    50M Queries, 1000 Records, 1 Traffic Steering Filter Chains, 2 Monitors, 50 HTTPS Redirects, Spike Protection, Zone Backup/Restore
    $4,188.00
    Standard-150
    150M Queries, 1000 Records, 3 Traffic Steering Filter Chains, 7 Monitors, 50 HTTPS Redirects, Spike Protection, Zone Backup/Restore
    $9,426.00
    Standard-250 with Route 53 DNS syncronization
    Includes 250M Queries per month, 2000 Records, 25 Traffic Steering Filter Chains, 25 Monitors, 50 HTTPS Redirects, Spike Protection, Zone Backup/Restore, 1 Cloud Sync Connection
    $22,006.80
    Standard-500
    500M Queries, 5000 Records, 50 Traffic Steering Filter Chains, 50 Monitors, 50 HTTPS Redirects, Spike Protection, Zone Backup/Restore
    $31,096.80
    Standard-1000
    1Bn Queries, 10000 Records, 100 Traffic Steering Filter Chains, 100 Monitors, 50 HTTPS Redirects, Spike Protection, Zone Backup/Restore
    $46,546.80
    Standard-1000 with Route 53 DNS syncronization
    Includes 1Bn Queries per month, 10000 Records, 100 Traffic Steering Filter Chains, 100 Monitors, 50 HTTPS Redirects, Spike Protection, Zone Backup/Restore, 1 Cloud Sync Connection
    $47,446.80

    Additional usage costs (20)

     Info

    The following dimensions are not included in the contract terms, which will be charged based on your usage.

    Dimension
    Description
    Cost/unit
    Overage Rate Total Queries (Requests)
    Overage Rate Total Queries (Requests)
    $50.00
    Overage Rate DNS Records
    Overage Rate DNS Records
    $75.00
    Overage Rate Filter Chains (Resource Units)
    Overage Rate Filter Chains (Resource Units)
    $103.50
    Overage Rate Monitors (Jobs)
    Overage Rate Monitors (Jobs)
    $3.45
    Overage Rate China Requests
    Overage Rate China Requests
    $172.00
    Steering Standard Interaction Overage
    Steering Standard Interaction Overage
    $20.39
    GSLB Standard Interaction Overage
    GSLB Standard Interaction Overage
    $20.39
    Steering Advanced Interaction Overage
    Steering Advanced Interaction Overage
    $32.39
    GSLB Advanced Interaction Overage
    GSLB Advanced Interaction Overage
    $32.39
    Enterprise Request Overage
    Enterprise Request Overage
    $8.27

    Vendor refund policy

    All orders are non-cancellable and all fees and other amounts that you pay are non-refundable.

    Custom pricing options

    Request a private offer to receive a custom quote.

    How can we make this page better?

    Tell us how we can improve this page, or report an issue with this product.
    Tell us how we can improve this page, or report an issue with this product.

    Legal

    Vendor terms and conditions

    Upon subscribing to this product, you must acknowledge and agree to the terms and conditions outlined in the vendor's End User License Agreement (EULA) .

    Content disclaimer

    Vendors are responsible for their product descriptions and other product content. AWS does not warrant that vendors' product descriptions or other product content are accurate, complete, reliable, current, or error-free.

    Usage information

     Info

    Delivery details

    Software as a Service (SaaS)

    SaaS delivers cloud-based software applications directly to customers over the internet. You can access these applications through a subscription model. You will pay recurring monthly usage fees through your AWS bill, while AWS handles deployment and infrastructure management, ensuring scalability, reliability, and seamless integration with other AWS services.

    Support

    Vendor support

    Self Service on All tiers including Free Trial

    Connect with your peers at IBM NS1 Connect Community. https://ibm.biz/Bdbz3K  Review our comprehensive IBM NS1 Connect Documentation. https://ibm.biz/Bdbz3b 

    IBM Customer Support Engineer: Essentials, Standard and Premium Tiers

    If you have IBM Advanced Support, you receive prioritized case handling and shorter response times. https://ibm.biz/Bdbz3J 

    Click below to open a case to submit a request for help from an experienced Customer Support Engineer.

    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.

    Product comparison

     Info
    Updated weekly

    Accolades

     Info
    Top
    25
    In Network Infrastructure

    Customer reviews

     Info
    Sentiment is AI generated from actual customer reviews on AWS and G2
    Reviews
    Functionality
    Ease of use
    Customer service
    Cost effectiveness
    2 reviews
    Insufficient data
    Insufficient data
    Insufficient data
    Insufficient data
    2 reviews
    Insufficient data
    Insufficient data
    Insufficient data
    Insufficient data
    Positive reviews
    Mixed reviews
    Negative reviews

    Overview

     Info
    AI generated from product descriptions
    Global Anycast Network Infrastructure
    Operates on a global anycast network with 26 points of presence (PoPs) across 6 continents, providing fully redundant architecture with 100% uptime SLA for DNS resolution.
    Real-time Traffic Steering
    Enables DNS-based traffic routing using real-time data including Real User Metrics (RUM), Amazon CloudWatch metrics, third-party QoE data, latency measurements, health checks, and application performance signals.
    Multi-cloud and Hybrid Environment Support
    Supports primary and secondary DNS configurations across AWS, other cloud providers, and on-premises infrastructure with multi-CDN routing capabilities.
    API-First Infrastructure Integration
    Provides API-first integration with infrastructure-as-code tools including Terraform, Ansible, Pulumi, Kubernetes ExternalDNS, and CI/CD pipeline webhooks for automated DNS record management.
    Security and Compliance Features
    Includes DNSSEC, TSIG, IP allow-listing, RBAC, SAML/SSO authentication, AWS IAM integration, ISO/IEC 27001 certification, and SOC 2 Type II compliance.
    AI-Powered Data Management
    F5 AI Data Fabric enables generation of insights, management, and governance for data from different applications and products across multiple data lakes and data sources.
    Multi-Cloud Network Connectivity
    Global hub-and-spoke transit orchestration for connecting all cloud properties including public, private, network and edge clouds.
    Integrated Security Stack
    Unified software stack combining router, load balancer, network firewall, web application firewall (WAF), API security and API gateway capabilities.
    Layer 3-7 DDoS Protection
    L3-L7 DDoS defense capabilities for protecting applications and APIs deployed across distributed environments.
    Unified Management Portal
    Single SaaS-based console for SecOps, NetOps, and DevOps to manage and deploy virtual networks, connections, distributed applications, and API security.
    Zone Configuration
    Support for Primary zone, Secondary zone, Active Directory integrated zone, and stub zones
    DNS Policy Management
    DNS policies for Query Resolution, Recursion, Zone Transfer, and Traffic Management
    Extended Scripting Capabilities
    Extended Windows PowerShell support with required PowerShell modules pre-loaded

    Contract

     Info
    Standard contract
    No
    No
    No

    Customer reviews

    Ratings and reviews

     Info
    4.5
    99 ratings
    5 star
    4 star
    3 star
    2 star
    1 star
    68%
    25%
    6%
    1%
    0%
    3 AWS reviews
    |
    96 external reviews
    External reviews are from G2  and PeerSpot .
    SHREYA B.

    User-Friendly, High-Performance DNS—But Setup Takes Some Learning

    Reviewed on Aug 22, 2026
    Review provided by G2
    What do you like best about the product?
    What I like most about IBM NS1 Connect is its user-friendly interface, reliable DNS management, strong performance, and its ability to efficiently monitor and manage DNS traffic. Overall, it makes day-to-day DNS operations simpler and much more manageable.
    What do you dislike about the product?
    The initial setup and configuration can feel a bit complex for new users, and some of the more advanced features may require extra learning or technical know-how. Clearer, more guided documentation and simpler configuration options would help streamline the process and improve the overall user experience.
    What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
    IBM NS1 Connect simplifies DNS management by offering centralized control, reliable traffic routing, and clearer visibility into DNS performance. With these capabilities, it reduces manual effort, improves availability, and helps me respond more efficiently when DNS-related issues come up.
    Rushikesh S.

    Intelligent Traffic Steering and API-First DNS Automation with IBM NS1 Connect

    Reviewed on Aug 20, 2026
    Review provided by G2
    What do you like best about the product?
    What I like most about IBM NS1 Connect is its intelligent traffic-steering capability. It goes beyond traditional DNS by using real-time performance, availability, and geographic data to route users to the best-performing endpoint. I also appreciate its API-first approach, which makes it straightforward to integrate with DevOps and infrastructure-as-code workflows, and to automate DNS management.
    What do you dislike about the product?
    The main area I’d improve is the learning curve for advanced configurations. Features like Filter Chains and traffic-steering policies are powerful, but they can take time to fully understand and set up effectively, especially for new users. A more intuitive UI, along with clearer, beginner-friendly examples, would make onboarding smoother and help users get value faster. �
    What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
    For me, the main benefit is improved application reliability and performance. It provides better visibility into DNS and traffic behavior while making it easier to automate and manage traffic across distributed infrastructure.
    Anonymous

    Enhances DNS Management with Flexibility and Control

    Reviewed on Aug 20, 2026
    Review provided by G2
    What do you like best about the product?
    I like that IBM NS1 Connect gives me good control over DNS and traffic without making things too complicated. It helps me manage DNS and traffic routing without having to handle things manually, making it easy to control where traffic goes, maintain availability, and quickly adjust things when there are changes. This provides me with more flexibility in how traffic is handled and makes DNS management feel easier to manage. The initial setup was pretty easy, and once it was configured, it was easy to manage. Overall, it saves time and offers better control over traffic.
    What do you dislike about the product?
    Honestly, I think the main thing that could be better is the ease of use. It has a lot of features, but it takes time to understand everything and how to use the more advanced options. A simpler interface and better guidance would make it easier, especially for someone who doesn't work with DNS stuff every day. Other than that, I think it's good.
    What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
    I use IBM NS1 Connect for DNS management and traffic routing, improving reliability and performance. It solves manual DNS handling, saving time with better control and flexibility over traffic, making routing easy and management flexible.
    Julio M.

    AI-Powered Performance That Delivers

    Reviewed on Aug 19, 2026
    Review provided by G2
    What do you like best about the product?
    The software because use IA for perfomance.
    What do you dislike about the product?
    The analytics but you guys can improve it
    What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
    The storage
    Accounting

    Easy to Use and Great for Connecting with Others

    Reviewed on Aug 17, 2026
    Review provided by G2
    What do you like best about the product?
    It’s easy to use, connect, and engage with others.
    What do you dislike about the product?
    Could be sometimes confusing to people not familiarize with it
    What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
    It’s been beneficial for me and has solved everything related to connecting users with the best server for them.
    View all reviews