BIG-IP Cloud Edition is an F5 application delivery architecture built around per-application BIG-IP Virtual Edition instances, centralized BIG-IQ management, analytics, and automated scaling. Instead of placing many applications behind one large ADC, Cloud Edition was designed to give individual applications their own right-sized traffic-management or web-security services.
Quick Benefits
- Deliver BIG-IP services on a per-application basis
- Automate BIG-IP VE deployment through BIG-IQ
- Scale application services as workload demand changes
- Provide centralized application-level analytics and visibility
- Support LTM or web application protection for individual workloads
- Reduce reliance on a single shared ADC for multiple cloud applications
BIG-IP Cloud Edition At a Glance
What it is: Per-application virtual ADC and security architecture
Product family: BIG-IP License
Core components: BIG-IQ, BIG-IP Per-App VE, Service Scaling Groups, application templates, and analytics
Primary services: Local Traffic Manager and Advanced WAF/application security
Typical deployment: Cloud and virtualized application environments
Per-App VE throughput: 25 Mbps or 200 Mbps
Management: BIG-IQ Centralized Management
BIG-IP Cloud Edition License Overview
BIG-IP Cloud Edition was sold as a solution within the broader F5 License portfolio rather than one standalone BIG-IP license. Its architecture combines BIG-IQ Centralized Management with specially licensed BIG-IP Per-App Virtual Edition instances and supporting automation components.
Per-App VE was designed for a single backend application. F5 offered these licenses as BYOL with 25 Mbps or 200 Mbps throughput, with either LTM functionality or LTM combined with application-security capabilities. Each Per-App VE was intentionally constrained compared with a general-purpose BIG-IP VE, including one virtual IP address and up to three virtual servers.
This matters when reviewing an existing installation. A Per-App VE license should not be treated as equivalent to a standard BIG-IP Virtual Edition license simply because both run BIG-IP software.
BIG-IP Cloud Edition Product Overview
The main idea behind Cloud Edition was application isolation. Rather than creating one large BIG-IP instance that serves dozens of unrelated workloads, an organization could deploy a smaller BIG-IP VE specifically for one application. BIG-IQ handled the templates, deployment workflow, licensing, monitoring, and scaling logic around those instances.
A Service Scaling Group (SSG) could automatically deploy BIG-IP VE instances and application services, place an upstream Layer 4 load balancer in front of them, collect analytics, and scale the group according to metrics such as throughput or CPU utilization. This architecture was particularly useful where NetOps or security teams wanted to maintain F5 policy control while giving application teams a faster path to deploy application services.
Core Technical Flow
User → Service Scaling Layer → BIG-IP Per-App VE → LTM / WAF Policy → Application
When traffic reaches the cloud environment, it is directed toward the BIG-IP instances assigned to that application. The Per-App VE then applies traffic-management or security policy before forwarding accepted requests to the backend service. BIG-IQ sits above this traffic path rather than directly processing each user request. It manages the application templates, VE lifecycle, license assignment, analytics, and Service Scaling Group. If application load increases, the scaling workflow can introduce additional BIG-IP VE instances and distribute traffic across them.
That separation between the management plane and application traffic plane is one of the important differences between BIG-IP Cloud Edition and a single conventional BIG-IP VE deployment.
Options & Licensing Models
| Component | Role in Cloud Edition |
|---|---|
| BIG-IP Per-App VE LTM | Application-specific traffic management |
| Per-App VE with WAF | Traffic management plus application protection |
| 25 Mbps license | Smaller individual workloads |
| 200 Mbps license | Higher-throughput per-app workloads |
| BIG-IQ | Central management, deployment, licensing, and analytics |
| Service Scaling Group | Automated VE deployment and scale-out |
F5 originally introduced Cloud Edition with subscription, licensing, and utility-style commercial approaches in mind. Today, however, procurement should be evaluated in the context of the product’s End-of-Sale status rather than as a fresh long-term platform selection.
Features & Benefits
The most useful part of Cloud Edition was its per-app operating model. Applications could receive dedicated delivery or WAF services instead of competing for configuration space and operational ownership on one shared ADC.
It also introduced automation into BIG-IP lifecycle management. BIG-IQ could create Service Scaling Groups, deploy application services from templates, monitor performance, and provide application-level analytics. This made Cloud Edition better aligned with dynamic cloud workloads than manually creating and configuring individual VEs.
For an existing customer, those same design choices now affect migration. Application templates, BIG-IQ workflows, Per-App licensing, and scaling logic should all be inventoried before replacing the environment.
Compatibility & Requirements
Before changing an existing BIG-IP Cloud Edition deployment, confirm:
- BIG-IQ version and deployment architecture
- BIG-IP VE software version
- Number of Per-App VE instances
- LTM or application-security licensing
- 25 Mbps or 200 Mbps entitlement
- Cloud or virtualization platform
- Service Scaling Group configuration
- Current application templates
- Existing registration keys and license pools
- Target architecture for migration
F5 documentation shows Cloud Edition being used with cloud and virtualized infrastructure and BIG-IQ-driven auto-scaling workflows. Exact compatibility should therefore be checked against the software versions already deployed rather than assumed from the product name alone.
Activation & Deployment
Per-App licenses were available as Bring Your Own License (BYOL) entitlements and could be assigned to VE instances used within BIG-IP Cloud Edition. BIG-IQ provided the centralized management layer for deploying and operating those application-specific instances.
A typical deployment involved defining the cloud provider and environment in BIG-IQ, creating device and application templates, configuring a Service Scaling Group, and then allowing BIG-IQ to deploy and monitor the required BIG-IP application services.
BIG-IP Cloud Edition Pricing & Quote Process
Because BIG-IP Cloud Edition reached End of Sale on January 1, 2026, pricing requests today are more likely to involve an existing license inventory, support requirement, Per-App VE environment, or migration project than a completely new Cloud Edition deployment.
For a quote or license review, provide F5 as the brand and BIG-IP Cloud Edition as the product. Existing BIG-IQ details, Per-App VE quantities, registration keys, cloud platform information, and current application architecture can be attached so the requirement can be reviewed accurately.
F5 pricing depends on your product edition, license type, deployment model, traffic needs, term, and support requirements.