Request Syntax Request Parameters Response Syntax Response Elements Errors See Also

CreateRateBasedRule

Note

AWS WAF Classic support will end on September 30, 2025.

This is AWS WAF Classic documentation. For more information, see AWS WAF Classic in the developer guide.

For the latest version of AWS WAF , use the AWS WAFV2 API and see the AWS WAF Developer Guide. With the latest version, AWS WAF has a single set of endpoints for regional and global use.

Creates a RateBasedRule. The RateBasedRule contains a RateLimit, which specifies the maximum number of requests that AWS WAF allows from a specified IP address in a five-minute period. The RateBasedRule also contains the IPSet objects, ByteMatchSet objects, and other predicates that identify the requests that you want to count or block if these requests exceed the RateLimit.

If you add more than one predicate to a RateBasedRule, a request not only must exceed the RateLimit, but it also must match all the conditions to be counted or blocked. For example, suppose you add the following to a RateBasedRule:

An IPSet that matches the IP address 192.0.2.44/32
A ByteMatchSet that matches BadBot in the User-Agent header

Further, you specify a RateLimit of 1,000.

You then add the RateBasedRule to a WebACL and specify that you want to block requests that meet the conditions in the rule. For a request to be blocked, it must come from the IP address 192.0.2.44 and the User-Agent header in the request must contain the value BadBot. Further, requests that match these two conditions must be received at a rate of more than 1,000 requests every five minutes. If both conditions are met and the rate is exceeded, AWS WAF blocks the requests. If the rate drops below 1,000 for a five-minute period, AWS WAF no longer blocks the requests.

As a second example, suppose you want to limit requests to a particular page on your site. To do this, you could add the following to a RateBasedRule:

A ByteMatchSet with FieldToMatch of URI
A PositionalConstraint of STARTS_WITH
A TargetString of login

Further, you specify a RateLimit of 1,000.

By adding this RateBasedRule to a WebACL, you could limit requests to your login page without affecting the rest of your site.

To create and configure a RateBasedRule, perform the following steps:

Create and update the predicates that you want to include in the rule. For more information, see CreateByteMatchSet, CreateIPSet, and CreateSqlInjectionMatchSet.
Use GetChangeToken to get the change token that you provide in the ChangeToken parameter of a CreateRule request.
Submit a CreateRateBasedRule request.
Use GetChangeToken to get the change token that you provide in the ChangeToken parameter of an UpdateRule request.
Submit an UpdateRateBasedRule request to specify the predicates that you want to include in the rule.
Create and update a WebACL that contains the RateBasedRule. For more information, see CreateWebACL.

For more information about how to use the AWS WAF API to allow or block HTTP requests, see the AWS WAF Developer Guide.

Request Syntax


{
   "ChangeToken": "string",
   "MetricName": "string",
   "Name": "string",
   "RateKey": "string",
   "RateLimit": number,
   "Tags": [ 
      { 
         "Key": "string",
         "Value": "string"
      }
   ]
}

Request Parameters

For information about the parameters that are common to all actions, see Common Parameters.

The request accepts the following data in JSON format.

ChangeToken

The ChangeToken that you used to submit the CreateRateBasedRule request. You can also use this value to query the status of the request. For more information, see GetChangeTokenStatus.

Type: String

Length Constraints: Minimum length of 1. Maximum length of 128.

Pattern: .*\S.*

Required: Yes

MetricName

A friendly name or description for the metrics for this RateBasedRule. The name can contain only alphanumeric characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9), with maximum length 128 and minimum length one. It can't contain whitespace or metric names reserved for AWS WAF, including "All" and "Default_Action." You can't change the name of the metric after you create the RateBasedRule.

Type: String

Length Constraints: Minimum length of 1. Maximum length of 128.

Pattern: .*\S.*

Required: Yes

Name

A friendly name or description of the RateBasedRule. You can't change the name of a RateBasedRule after you create it.

Type: String

Length Constraints: Minimum length of 1. Maximum length of 128.

Pattern: .*\S.*

Required: Yes

RateKey

The field that AWS WAF uses to determine if requests are likely arriving from a single source and thus subject to rate monitoring. The only valid value for RateKey is IP. IP indicates that requests that arrive from the same IP address are subject to the RateLimit that is specified in the RateBasedRule.

Type: String

Valid Values: IP

Required: Yes

RateLimit

The maximum number of requests, which have an identical value in the field that is specified by RateKey, allowed in a five-minute period. If the number of requests exceeds the RateLimit and the other predicates specified in the rule are also met, AWS WAF triggers the action that is specified for this rule.

Type: Long

Valid Range: Minimum value of 100. Maximum value of 2000000000.

Required: Yes

Tags

Type: Array of Tag objects

Array Members: Minimum number of 1 item.

Required: No

Response Syntax


{
   "ChangeToken": "string",
   "Rule": { 
      "MatchPredicates": [ 
         { 
            "DataId": "string",
            "Negated": boolean,
            "Type": "string"
         }
      ],
      "MetricName": "string",
      "Name": "string",
      "RateKey": "string",
      "RateLimit": number,
      "RuleId": "string"
   }
}

Response Elements

If the action is successful, the service sends back an HTTP 200 response.

The following data is returned in JSON format by the service.

ChangeToken

The ChangeToken that you used to submit the CreateRateBasedRule request. You can also use this value to query the status of the request. For more information, see GetChangeTokenStatus.

Type: String

Length Constraints: Minimum length of 1. Maximum length of 128.

Pattern: .*\S.*

Rule

The RateBasedRule that is returned in the CreateRateBasedRule response.

Type: RateBasedRule object

Errors

For information about the errors that are common to all actions, see Common Errors.

WAFBadRequestException

HTTP Status Code: 400

WAFDisallowedNameException

The name specified is invalid.

HTTP Status Code: 400

WAFInternalErrorException

The operation failed because of a system problem, even though the request was valid. Retry your request.

HTTP Status Code: 500

WAFInvalidParameterException

The operation failed because AWS WAF didn't recognize a parameter in the request. For example:

You specified an invalid parameter name.
You specified an invalid value.
You tried to update an object (ByteMatchSet, IPSet, Rule, or WebACL) using an action other than INSERT or DELETE.
You tried to create a WebACL with a DefaultAction Type other than ALLOW, BLOCK, or COUNT.
You tried to create a RateBasedRule with a RateKey value other than IP.
You tried to update a WebACL with a WafAction Type other than ALLOW, BLOCK, or COUNT.
You tried to update a ByteMatchSet with a FieldToMatch Type other than HEADER, METHOD, QUERY_STRING, URI, or BODY.
You tried to update a ByteMatchSet with a Field of HEADER but no value for Data.
Your request references an ARN that is malformed, or corresponds to a resource with which a web ACL cannot be associated.

HTTP Status Code: 400

WAFLimitsExceededException

The operation exceeds a resource limit, for example, the maximum number of WebACL objects that you can create for an AWS account. For more information, see AWS WAF Classic quotas in the AWS WAF Developer Guide.

HTTP Status Code: 400

WAFStaleDataException

The operation failed because you tried to create, update, or delete an object by using a change token that has already been used.

HTTP Status Code: 400

WAFTagOperationException

HTTP Status Code: 400

WAFTagOperationInternalErrorException

HTTP Status Code: 500