At Cloud Diode, we often get asked: What are these “cloud diode”?

A diode is an electronic component that lets only electricity go in one direction. In computing, it’s the same: a component that lets information only flow in one direction. It used to be equipment that defended multi-level secure networks for governments and the military.

But this definition has evolved quite a bit since this beginning. Now diodes are special kind of equipment that are very stringent on the security requirement, but information actually flows both ways. There are strong diodes that really prevent information flow in one direction, and fast diodes that are more agile and flexible.

Let’s say that we provide diodes that give more security assurances than a WAF, a Firewall or a Reverse Proxy, but that still enable bi-directional communications.