AWS Network Firewall
AWS Network Firewall is a managed firewall and IDS/IPS service for VPCs. Filter traffic with stateful deep packet inspection at the subnet level.
What is Network Firewall? (Simple Explanation)
Network Firewall is an AWS service in the Network category. AWS Network Firewall is a managed firewall and IDS/IPS service for VPCs.
When Would You Use Network Firewall?
- Network traffic filtering
- Intrusion detection and prevention (IDS/IPS)
- Domain-based egress filtering
- Stateful deep packet inspection
- Compliance network segmentation
Who Uses Network Firewall?
From startups to enterprises, Network Firewall powers:
What Makes Network Firewall Powerful
Network Firewall Pricing & Free Tier
Free Tier: 1GB data transfer out (12 months), 750 hours of ELB (12 months). Pay-as-you-go from ~$0.025/GB for CloudFront.
Network Firewall Best Practices
- 1Use VPC Flow Logs for network traffic monitoring and threat detection
- 2Restrict security group inbound rules to specific CIDR ranges (never 0.0.0.0/0 for SSH/RDP)
- 3Use VPC Endpoints to keep traffic to AWS services off the public internet
- 4Enable WAF with managed rules (AWS Managed Core Rule Set) on all public-facing load balancers
- 5Use Transit Gateway instead of VPC peering mesh for >5 VPCs
Getting Started with Network Firewall in 5 Minutes
- 1Open the AWS Console and navigate to Network Firewall
- 2Click "Create" and define your network scope (VPC, subnets, region)
- 3Configure routing, security, and access controls
- 4Review and create — test connectivity before routing production traffic
Network Firewall CLI Quick Reference
2 production-ready commands. Full CLI Library (225+ services) →
aws network-firewall helpView all Network Firewall CLI v2 commands and subcommandsaws network-firewall describe-networkfirewall --helpView options for describing Network Firewall resourcesPros & Cons of Network Firewall
Pros
- Stateful rule groups (5-tuple, domain, Suricata-compatible)
- Stateless rule groups with priority
- TLS inspection for encrypted traffic
- Flow logs for firewall activity
- Managed prefix lists for service filtering
Cons
- ✕Data transfer costs are notoriously difficult to predict — egress is the #1 hidden cost
- ✕Network ACL and Security Group rules can conflict in complex multi-tier apps
- ✕VPC design mistakes (overlapping CIDRs) are painful to fix after resources are deployed
Network Firewall vs Alternatives
Network Firewall vs VPC
Choose Network Firewall for Network traffic filtering and Intrusion detection and prevention (IDS/IPS). It excels at stateful rule groups (5-tuple, domain, suricata-compatible).
Choose VPC as an alternative when your requirements differ. Each service in the Network category serves different architectural patterns.
Services That Work with Network Firewall
Network Firewall is rarely used alone. It is typically combined with:
Compliance & Security
How AWS Network Firewall fits into major compliance standards. Browse all 41 frameworks →
Network Firewall configuration is audited by CIS Benchmarks v1.5–v3.0 for secure cloud defaults.
NIST 800-53Network Firewall access controls, encryption, and audit logging map to NIST 800-53 AC, SC, and AU control families.
PCI DSS 4.0Network Firewall encryption, access control, and logging support PCI DSS for cardholder data environments.
SOC 2Network Firewall security, availability, and confidentiality controls evaluated under SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria.
ISO 27001Network Firewall configuration and monitoring controls map to ISO 27001 Annex A information security management.
Frequently Asked Questions About Network Firewall
What is AWS Network Firewall?
AWS Network Firewall is a managed firewall and IDS/IPS service for VPCs. Filter traffic with stateful deep packet inspection at the subnet level.
What is Network Firewall used for?
Network Firewall is commonly used for: Network traffic filtering; Intrusion detection and prevention (IDS/IPS); Domain-based egress filtering; Stateful deep packet inspection; Compliance network segmentation. It's a core service in the network category of AWS.
Is Network Firewall free?
Free Tier: 1GB data transfer out (12 months), 750 hours of ELB (12 months). Pay-as-you-go from ~$0.025/GB for CloudFront.
What are the key features of Network Firewall?
Network Firewall's most important capabilities include: Stateful rule groups (5-tuple, domain, Suricata-compatible). Stateless rule groups with priority. TLS inspection for encrypted traffic. Flow logs for firewall activity. Managed prefix lists for service filtering. Each of these is designed to help teams network traffic filtering.
How does Network Firewall compare to alternatives?
Network Firewall competes with both AWS-native alternatives (VPC, Firewall Manager, CloudWatch) and third-party equivalents. The right choice depends on your specific requirements for scalability, cost, and operational overhead. See the comparisons section below for detailed guidance.
Which compliance frameworks apply to Network Firewall?
CIS AWS v3.0: Network Firewall configuration is audited by CIS Benchmarks v1.5–v3.0 for secure cloud defaults. NIST 800-53: Network Firewall access controls, encryption, and audit logging map to NIST 800-53 AC, SC, and AU control families. PCI DSS 4.0: Network Firewall encryption, access control, and logging support PCI DSS for cardholder data environments. SOC 2: Network Firewall security, availability, and confidentiality controls evaluated under SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria. ISO 27001: Network Firewall configuration and monitoring controls map to ISO 27001 Annex A information security management.
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