WAF Rule Types and Rule Groups

~8 min read

Managed rule groups, rate-based rules, and custom rules — three ways to define what WAF filters.

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Key points

  • Managed Rule Groups: pre-built, AWS-maintained, cover common threat categories, zero rule-writing effort
  • Rate-based rules: block/count a source exceeding a request threshold, mitigates scraping/credential-stuffing
  • Custom rules: arbitrary match conditions for application-specific filtering needs
  • Most Web ACLs combine all three: managed groups as a baseline, rate-based rules for abuse patterns, custom rules for specific needs