MantisNet, Inc.
In August 2025, F5 acquired MantisNet, Inc., a company specializing in real-time network observability using extended Berkeley Packet Filter (eBPF) technology. MantisNet’s tools provided telemetry and visibility into encrypted traffic within containerized environments. The acquisition was intended to support observability and monitoring in cloud-native architectures.[23]
Fletch, Inc.
In June 2025, F5 acquired Fletch, Inc., a cybersecurity startup founded in 2020 that developed agentic AI tools for threat detection and prioritization. Fletch’s technology was designed to analyze large volumes of threat intelligence and reduce alert fatigue by surfacing relevant security signals. The acquisition was part of a broader industry trend of integrating AI-based threat analysis into security platforms.[24]
uRoam, Inc.
F5 acquired uRoam, Inc. in 2003 for a total cash deal size of $25 million.[25] The strategic intent behind F5 Networks' acquisition of uRoam was to diversify its product offerings beyond its core application delivery and security services. This move aimed to address the growing demand for secure remote access to corporate networks and applications, aligning with industry trends.
MagniFire Websystems, Inc.
F5 acquired MagniFire Websystems in 2004 for a total cash deal size of $29 million. This acquisition allowed F5 to enter the web application security space within the BIG-IP platform.[26] MagniFire Websystems products were sold independently when the deal first closed, then were quickly bundled into the BIG-IP product group.
Swan Labs Corporation
In September 2005, F5 announced they had acquired Swan Labs for a total of $43 million to incorporate WAN optimization and application acceleration technology into the BIG-IP platform, specifically to improve their load balancing offering.[27]
Traffix Systems, Inc.
In 2005, F5 Networks, Inc. at the time, now F5, Inc., announced it has acquired Traffix Systems for a total value of $135 million. Traffix Systems product was integrated within the F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) product line.[28]
Acopia Networks, Inc.
In August 2007, F5, Inc., at the time, F5 Networks, Inc., announced they acquired Acopia Networks, Inc. to add file-area networking to the F5 BIG-IP application-delivery product line, also known as the Local Traffic Manager (LTM) module on the BIG-IP platforms.[29] The deal was valued at $210 million.[29]
LineRate Systems, Inc.
In February 2013, F5 Networks acquired LineRate Systems, a developer of software-defined networking (SDN) services, to enhance its application-layer intelligence within software-defined data centers. This acquisition provided F5 with access to LineRate's layer 7+ networking services technology, intellectual property, and engineering talent. The company says that the integration of LineRate's programmable network capabilities bolstered F5's efforts to extend its market leadership in SDN services.
Defense.Net, Inc.
In May 2014, F5, Inc. (then F5 Networks, Inc.) announced it had acquired Defense.Net, Inc., a company offering cloud-based DDoS mitigation services. The Defense.Net product would later become F5 Silverline. As of December 2022, the Silverline brand was retired, and the managed service offerings Silverline offered were merged into the F5 Distributed Cloud Services product portfolio.[30]
NGINX, Inc.
In March 2019, F5 acquired NGINX, Inc., a company responsible for widely used open-source web server software, for $670 million.[31]
On 18 January 2022, original NGINX developer Igor Sysoev left F5, Inc. Later on, forks maintaining open-source licenses such as Angie and freenginx started being developed.[32][33] Igor Sysoev is not actively involved in this project.[34][35]
Shape Security, Inc.
In January 2020, F5 acquired Shape Security, Inc., an AI-based bot detection company, for $1 billion.[36] F5 Networks then used the acquisition to introduce a new fraud detection engine.[37]
Volterra, Inc.
In January 2021, F5 acquired Volterra, Inc., an edge networking company that sells SaaS security services, for $500 million.[38] The previously Volterra-branded products were incorporated into F5 Distributed Cloud Services, as of 2022.[39]
Threat Stack, Inc.
In October 2021, F5 acquired Threat Stack, Inc., a Boston cloud computing security startup company for a reported $68 million.[40] As of December 15, 2022, the previous Threat Stack offering has been rolled into the F5 Distributed Cloud platform.
Lilac Cloud, Inc.
In January 2023, F5 announced it had entered into an agreement to purchase Lilac Cloud, an application services delivery provider. Lilac Cloud, based in Cupertino, California, was F5's CDN provider for its Distributed Cloud Services. The entire Lilac Cloud offering will be rolled into the overall F5 Distributed Cloud Services product line.
Suborbital Software Systems, Inc.
In July 2023, Suborbital Software Systems, Inc., a technology startup that aimed to build cloud-native platforms on WebAssembly, announced it had been acquired by F5, Inc. The details of this acquisition were not disclosed due to the small nature of Suborbital's operations. The entire Suborbital product will be used within the F5 Distributed Cloud Services product line.
Wib Security, Inc.
In February 2024 at AppWorld, F5's application security and delivery conference in San Jose, California, F5 announced it had acquired Wib: an API security company based in Tel Aviv, Israel, focused on vulnerability detection and observability in application development. The financial details of the Wib acquisition were not disclosed. As of February 2024, F5 was adding the Wib API intellectual property to the F5 Distributed Cloud Services product line.
Heyhack
In March 2024, F5 announced it had acquired Heyhack ApS, a Denmark-based and operated security penetration SaaS company. The financial details of this acquisition were not disclosed. F5 announced Heyhack's intellectual propertysuch as its automated security reconnaissance and penetration testing solutionwould be rolled into the F5 Distributed Cloud Services platform.
LeakSignal
In March 2025, F5, Inc. acquired LeakSignal, a cybersecurity company specializing in real-time data protection and governance for AI applications.[41] The acquisition aimed to enhance the F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP) with capabilities such as AI-driven data classification, policy enforcement, and compliance monitoring. LeakSignal had been recognized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for its innovations in securing data in transit, and its integration into F5’s portfolio supports the growing need for data protection in generative AI and multicloud environments.
Fletch
In June 2025, F5 acquired Fletch, a San Francisco startup specializing in agentic AI for threat intelligence and alert prioritization. Fletch’s technology ingests disparate threat feeds and internal logs to surface high-value security signals in real time, reducing noise and aiding operator decision-making. With its 15-member team joining F5, the acquisition enhances the F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform with AI-native threat context and automation.
MantisNet
In August 2025, F5 acquired MantisNet, a Reston-based provider of eBPF-powered, cloud-native network observability and real-time network intelligence. MantisNet’s agentless telemetry technology enables visibility into encrypted, ephemeral, and east–west traffic without performance overhead. The integration with the F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform gives operators deeper insight into containerized environments and 5G architectures while streamlining observability and security functions in cloud-native deployments.
CalypsoAI
In September 2025, F5 announced its intent to acquire CalypsoAI, a Dublin-based startup specializing in runtime AI security and adaptive guardrails, for approximately US $180 million. CalypsoAI’s platform offers techniques such as red teaming, inference-layer defenses, and policy enforcement suited for generative and agentic AI workloads. Once closed, the acquisition is expected to strengthen F5’s ADSP by embedding enterprise-grade AI security across AI deployment lifecycles and reducing risk from AI-specific attack vectors. On September 29, 2025, F5 announced the CalypsoAI acquisition closed and the CalypsoAI products joined the F5 ADSP as F5 AI Guardrails and F5 AI Red Team.
