Request Syntax Request Parameters Response Syntax Response Elements Errors See Also

CreateWebACL

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 WebACL, which contains the Rules that identify the Amazon CloudFront web requests that you want to allow, block, or count. AWS WAF evaluates Rules in order based on the value of Priority for each Rule.

You also specify a default action, either ALLOW or BLOCK. If a web request doesn't match any of the Rules in a WebACL, AWS WAF responds to the request with the default action.

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

Create and update the ByteMatchSet objects and other predicates that you want to include in Rules. For more information, see CreateByteMatchSet, UpdateByteMatchSet, CreateIPSet, UpdateIPSet, CreateSqlInjectionMatchSet, and UpdateSqlInjectionMatchSet.
Create and update the Rules that you want to include in the WebACL. For more information, see CreateRule and UpdateRule.
Use GetChangeToken to get the change token that you provide in the ChangeToken parameter of a CreateWebACL request.
Submit a CreateWebACL request.
Use GetChangeToken to get the change token that you provide in the ChangeToken parameter of an UpdateWebACL request.
Submit an UpdateWebACL request to specify the Rules that you want to include in the WebACL, to specify the default action, and to associate the WebACL with an Amazon CloudFront distribution.

For more information about how to use the AWS WAF API, see the AWS WAF Developer Guide.

Request Syntax


{
   "ChangeToken": "string",
   "DefaultAction": { 
      "Type": "string"
   },
   "MetricName": "string",
   "Name": "string",
   "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 value returned by the most recent call to GetChangeToken.

Type: String

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

Pattern: .*\S.*

Required: Yes

DefaultAction

The action that you want AWS WAF to take when a request doesn't match the criteria specified in any of the Rule objects that are associated with the WebACL.

Type: WafAction object

Required: Yes

MetricName

A friendly name or description for the metrics for this WebACL.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 MetricName after you create the WebACL.

Type: String

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

Pattern: .*\S.*

Required: Yes

Name

A friendly name or description of the WebACL. You can't change Name after you create the WebACL.

Type: String

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

Pattern: .*\S.*

Required: Yes

Tags

Type: Array of Tag objects

Array Members: Minimum number of 1 item.

Required: No

Response Syntax


{
   "ChangeToken": "string",
   "WebACL": { 
      "DefaultAction": { 
         "Type": "string"
      },
      "MetricName": "string",
      "Name": "string",
      "Rules": [ 
         { 
            "Action": { 
               "Type": "string"
            },
            "ExcludedRules": [ 
               { 
                  "RuleId": "string"
               }
            ],
            "OverrideAction": { 
               "Type": "string"
            },
            "Priority": number,
            "RuleId": "string",
            "Type": "string"
         }
      ],
      "WebACLArn": "string",
      "WebACLId": "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 CreateWebACL 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.*

WebACL

The WebACL returned in the CreateWebACL response.

Type: WebACL 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

WAFInvalidAccountException

The operation failed because you tried to create, update, or delete an object by using an invalid account identifier.

HTTP Status Code: 400

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