This report documents the performance of the top Application Delivery Controllers offered by F5 Networks, Cisco Systems, and Citrix Netscaler. Through the development and implementation of robust and reproducible testing methods, F5 demonstrates a significant performance advantage over the competition in a comprehensive set of tests. The market for Application Delivery Controllers (ADCs) is very competitive, with nearly every vendor claiming a performance advantage in one scenario or another. Unfortunately, the claims from each vendor rest on differing definitions of performance criteria. Each vendor has their own definitions of various terms (such as L7 and connection), preferred configuration settings for the different devices, and presentation of results. Combining these factors significantly reduces the value of typical vendor performance claims. With these inconsistent definitions between vendors, especially in the context of published data sheets, performance metrics cannot be fairly compared between vendors. F5 is proud to release the industry's most transparent and robust performance testing guide into the public domain. To create a more level playing field, F5 is releasing a guide on how to create performance testing methodologies. With this publicly available guide, customers have a framework for evaluating the performance of multiple ADC products with consistent definitions and evaluation criteria. Demonstrating the new performance testing guide, F5 has created this report comparing the latest products from F5, Cisco, and Citrix (F5's BIG-IP LTM 8800, Cisco's ACE 8GB, and the Citrix NetScaler 12000). This report compares and evaluates many common performance metrics across a wide variety of scenarios. Tests include using various web page sizes, HTTP request counts, and different types of traffic including Layer 4 (L4), Layer 7 (L7), SSL, and HTTP acceleration technologies such as compression and caching. Using a broad range of test parameters and public testing guidelines ensures prospective customers can make informed decisions based on.