Overview
AWS WAF is a Layer 7 (application layer) firewall that protects web applications from common HTTP-based attacks such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), malicious bots, and other OWASP Top 10 threats. It filters and monitors HTTP/HTTPS requests based on user-defined conditions and managed rule groups.
Deployment
WAF can be associated with multiple AWS services to protect traffic at the application edge or within AWS:
- Application Load Balancer (ALB)
- Amazon API Gateway
- Amazon CloudFront
- AWS AppSync (GraphQL APIs)
- Amazon Cognito User Pool
Benefits
- Mitigates a wide range of application-layer exploits
- Supports custom rules and AWS Managed Rules for quick protection
- Provides centralized protection by integrating directly with AWS edge and regional services
- Can be combined with AWS Shield for enhanced DDoS protection