Configure WAAP for a domain

Web Application and API Protection (WAAP) is a single SaaS tool that combines all aspects of website security and traffic management, including Layer 7 DDoS protection, and web application security.

WAAP is currently in beta mode. To join the beta, contact the Gcore support team.

To secure your application with WAAP, you need to create a Gcore CDN resource for your domain, enable WAAP protection in the resource settings, and then verify that everything works as expected and you don’t block legitimate traffic. The following steps will guide you through this process and help you configure WAAP according to your requirements.

After you enable WAAP, all traffic will be diverted to our network, and it may cause a temporary disruption for your users. We recommend setting up Gcore WAAP during a low-traffic period to minimize the impact.

Step 1. Create a CDN resource

To secure your web application and APIs with Gcore WAAP, it’s necessary to create a CDN resource associated with your website’s origin. If you also need to add an SSL certificate, check out the Add an SSL certificate to deliver content over HTTPS guide.

When configuring a resource, you need to update your domain’s DNS records so they point to our network. This is necessary to allow all traffic to pass through WAAP.

Create a resource with Gcore Managed DNS

If you don’t have Gcore CDN configured, follow the instructions from this guide: Create a CDN resource for the entire site.

Create a resource with your DNS provider

If you want to use a custom DNS provider, configure the resource according to the following steps.

Step 1. Choose acceleration and protection type

1. Go to the CDN page and click Create CDN resource.

2. Select Accelerate and protect static assets only. This option lets you configure a CNAME for your static assets, also ensuring that your domain is fully protected from any harmful traffic.

3. Click Confirm to proceed with the next steps.

Step 2. Set up initial configuration for a domain

1. Provide a CNAME record. For example, waap.mydomain.yt.

2. Specify the content origin and add an origin group. If you haven't previously created an origin group, refer to add an origin group (step 2).

3. To use the default port 80, keep the Use default checkbox selected. If you need to specify a custom port, deselect the checkbox and enter the needed port in the relevant field.

4. Add a description (optional). It won’t affect your resource settings and will only be displayed in the CDN resources section next to the resource CNAME.

Step 3. Set up your DNS

1. Copy the generated CNAME and add it to your DNS configuration.

2. In the Gcore Customer Portal, click Confirm to finish the DNS configuration and proceed with the next steps.

Step 4. Set up a content management system

1. Select I don’t have CMS. Replace the origin domain with the CNAME that points to your static files, if necessary.

2. Click Confirm to complete the configuration.

Step 5. Finalize the settings

1. Once you’ve completed all the resource creation steps, access the resource settings by clicking the corresponding button.

2. Navigate to the Cache settings and disable the Always online option.

3. Make sure that the Host header is set to the Forward Host header option.

Step 2: Enable WAAP in CDN resource settings

Once your CDN resource is set up, you can activate WAAP protection for it. Refer to the Protect CDN resources with Gcore WAAP guide for detailed instructions.

Step 3: Use WAAP in monitor mode

After you enable WAAP, it will be automatically set to the monitor mode. In this mode, we’ll inspect all incoming requests but won’t take any action. It's best to use monitor mode for several days before enabling the protect mode to make sure that all security settings work correctly.

Completing this step is important because it allows you to analyze requests and test the WAAP behavior before you fully activate it.

In monitor mode, all traffic is allowed to your domain, regardless of configured security rules and policy groups. This mode is only recommended for testing WAAP settings.

Step 4: View your domain traffic

While keeping WAAP in monitor mode, you can view all logged requests and check the corresponding actions that the WAAP will take once you put it in the protect mode.

Go through the analytics pages to detect common traffic patterns and understand if the current configuration requires any adjustments.

For instance, you can find information about incoming web requests on the WAAP analytics page in the Requests table:

1. In the Gcore Customer Portal, navigate to WAAP > Domains.

2. Find the needed domain and click its name to open it. You'll be directed to the Policies page.

3. In the sidebar, click Analytics > WAAP.

4. Review the information under Requests.

5. You can also filter requests to get more granular information about your traffic:

• Traffic types: View requests based on the rule that triggered the request.

• Policy – Blocked or Policy – Allowed: View requests that triggered our predefined policy groups.

• Select Custom Rule – Blocked or Custom Rule – Allowed: View requests that triggered custom rules created by your account users.

Policy - Blocked and Custom Rule - Blocked are the default filters automatically displayed for the table.

To view more information about a request, click the request ID and inspect the Request Details page.

The screenshot above depicts a request that was blocked because of the SQL injection policy. It blocks requests if there is evidence that the request contains malicious SQL code.

Step 5: Test your WAAP configuration

To achieve the desired WAAP behavior, we recommend that you navigate through your website as both a user and administrator.

Navigating the website will generate entries in the Requests table. You can use this information to determine if you need to create Firewall rules or custom WAAP rules for some requests and let them access your website’s content.

Specifically, review requests that relate to:

• Your origin IP: IP address assigned to your device.
• Your office IP: IP address assigned to your device within your office's network.
• Your workstation IP: IP address assigned to a workstation or specific computer in a network.

If you notice that WAAP will block such requests in the protect mode, you need to update your settings to prevent such a situation. You can find detailed instructions on how to update your settings in the following step.

Check out the allow and block IP addresses guide for more information.

Step 6: Allow admins, bots, and CMS

Before the WAAP is in protection mode, you need to ensure that critical IP addresses, content management systems (CMS), and common automated services are allowed to make successful requests.

Check the WAAP policy groups for a full list of security policies and their detailed overview.

Allow admin IP addresses

If your domain doesn’t use a CMS, we highly recommend allowlisting the site administrator's IP address:

1. In the Gcore Customer Portal, navigate to WAAP > Domains.

2. Find the needed domain and click its name to open it. You'll be directed to the Policies page.

3. In the sidebar, click Firewall.

4. In the Allowed IPs section, click Add IP/IP Range.

5. Enter any admin user's public IP address.

6. Click Save.

Repeat these steps if needed.

Allow CMS

If you use content management systems, such as WordPress, allow traffic for CMS admins:

1. In the Gcore Customer Portal, navigate to WAAP > Domains.

2. Find the needed domain and click its name to open it. You'll be directed to the Policies page.

3. In the sidebar, click WAAP.

4. On the Policies page, find CMS protection, and then allow traffic for a desired content management system by enabling a toggle next to it.

The WordPress WAF ruleset policy is enabled by default.

Allow common automated services

Follow these steps to allow crawlers, scanners, monitoring bots, and similar tools to access your website:

1. In the Gcore Customer Portal, navigate to WAAP > Domains.

2. Find the needed domain and click its name to open it. You'll be directed to the Policies page.

3. Click the Common automated services to expand the section and enable the desired bot.

The common automated services policy group allows a few trusted bots by default, which is why we recommend reviewing this list before enabling the protect mode.

Step 7: Configure your APIs

If you plan to serve JSON requests through an API on your domain, you can disable the JavaScript injection and CAPTCHA functionalities for specified API endpoints.

You can manually add endpoints to API base path or configure the API Discovery feature to automatically detect and protect your APIs.

Step 8: Enable protect mode

1. In the Gcore Customer Portal, navigate to WAAP > Domains.

2. Find the needed domain and click its name to open it. You'll be directed to the Policies page.

3. In the sidebar, click WAAP.

4. In the upper-right corner of the screen next to WAAP mode, select Protect. The WAAP will begin to inspect and act upon incoming requests.

Step 9. Block non-Gcore traffic

After successful DNS propagation and verifying that domain-based traffic is being handled by WAAP, ensure that all requests to your domain are routed through Gcore servers. This is necessary to prevent unauthorized traffic from bypassing WAAP and directly reaching your domain.

• Add our CDN servers to the allowlist.
• Block other incoming requests that don’t match our allowlist.