Data diodes, USB kiosks and Bouraq: which one, when

A data diode is the reference for one-way flows out of critical networks, and a kiosk is the reference for checking removable media. Both are projects with hardware and budgets. Bouraq covers a smaller need: a person moving a few files, with a record.

See the price and start Watch the proof

€79 / monthbilled yearly (€948), or €99 monthly; 14-day money-back guarantee
≈ 5 kB/s5 MB of logs ≈ 2 min 23 s per loop on a full-HD screen (estimate yours)
Nothing to installone HTML file on the offline PC, and a camera you are allowed to use

What each one is built for

Data diode: hardware that physically allows data to flow one way between two networks. Certified products exist for high-assurance and defence use. Built for continuous machine-to-machine flows (historian, logs, replication), installed by an integrator.
USB kiosk (in French, station blanche; in German, Datenschleuse): a station that scans USB keys and other media for malware, mostly before they enter a site or a network, with supervision and logs. It cleans what comes in; it does not get a file out of a PC whose ports are disabled.
Bouraq: a person shows files as encrypted QR codes on the isolated PC and reads them with an allowed camera into a named account. No hardware, no network path, no integration project.

Side by side

	Data diode	USB kiosk	Bouraq
Typical use	Continuous flows between networks	Checking media at the door	Occasional files, by a person
Certification	Available on many products	Depends on the product	None
Throughput	High	High	About 5 kB/s
Installation	Hardware and integration	Hardware on site	One HTML file, a camera
Way back	No, one way by design	Yes, through media	Private repository or USB key
Price signal	From about €3,000 to over $100,000 per connection	£15,150.64 for 12 months, one listed kiosk	€79 to €99 a month

Public price signals: Advenica ("starts at around €3000 CAPEX"), OPSWAT (legacy diodes "over $100,000 per connection"), and a MetaDefender Kiosk K1001 Standard on the UK G-Cloud 14 price list. Your quote will differ.

When you need a diode or a kiosk, not Bouraq

If your regime requires an approved or certified product for the flow, if data must move continuously between systems, or if you move gigabytes, buy a diode or a kiosk. Bouraq is not certified and will never compete on throughput.

When Bouraq fills the gap

Between free hobby tools and a five-figure appliance, there is the engineer who needs one log off one PC this afternoon, the lab that wants results without a stick, the small team that will never fund a diode. Bouraq gives them an authorised channel with a tamper-evident record, and gives the security team a description it can review.

Honest scope. Bouraq is not a certified cross-domain product. Use it for authorised, occasional transfers of kilobytes to a few megabytes, where a camera is allowed. Security and architecture →

Questions

Is Bouraq a data diode?

No. Its outbound path is one-way in practice (the isolated PC's screen emits and never listens), but it is not certified hardware, and it has an optional way back through a private repository or a USB key.

Can Bouraq complement a diode we already have?

Yes, for human-scale transfers the diode was not designed for, such as an engineer's own logs or a report, if your security team approves it.

For the transfers too small for a hardware project.

See the price and start Security page for approvers

14-day money-back guarantee · €79 a month billed yearly, or €99 monthly.