AWS Shield

AWS Shield helps AWS customers identify network security configuration issues and defend applications against web exploitation and distributed denial of service events. Shield Standard is automatically configured for AWS customers and provides common network- and transport-layer DDoS protection at no charge. Shield Advanced adds detection and automatic inline mitigation for sophisticated attacks across network, transport, and application layers. It monitors application traffic patterns for anomalies such as HTTP floods and DNS query floods, and supports resources including EC2, Elastic Load Balancing, CloudFront, Global Accelerator, and Route 53. Advanced integrates with AWS WAF and AWS Firewall Manager, with event visibility through Amazon CloudWatch. It also includes DDoS cost protection for qualifying usage spikes and up to 50 billion AWS WAF requests per subscribed payer account each calendar month for protected resources. Advanced costs $3,000 a month, requires a one-year subscription commitment, and usage fees may apply. Network security director is in preview and is not included with either listed plan.

Shield Standard provides baseline network and transport DDoS protection, while Advanced adds mitigation, monitoring, and other protections for eligible resources. The Advanced subscription has a one-year commitment and may have additional usage fees.

AWS Shield is for AWS customers protecting websites and applications. Shield Advanced is intended for internet-facing applications on eligible AWS resources.

AWS Shield is AWS’s DDoS defense for websites and applications running on its cloud. It suits AWS customers protecting internet-facing workloads, especially those on Shield Advanced’s supported services. Standard is a practical baseline; Advanced adds broader mitigation and response protections at a substantial recurring cost.

Overview

Shield Standard is automatically configured for AWS customers and protects against common network- and transport-layer DDoS attacks at no charge. That makes it useful as a baseline, but it does not provide the application-layer defenses or other protections that distinguish Advanced. Advanced is the more targeted choice for exposed applications where broader mitigation, traffic visibility, and incident support justify a one-year subscription.

Network Security Director analyzes AWS resources, visualizes network topology, flags configuration issues, and recommends remediation. It is in preview and is not included in either Shield plan, so it should be treated as a separate capability rather than a reason to buy Advanced.

Key features

Mitigation and traffic monitoring

Shield Advanced detects and blocks sophisticated attacks across network, transport, and application layers with automatic inline mitigation. It also establishes application traffic baselines to detect anomalies such as HTTP floods and DNS query floods. Together, these capabilities suit services that need more than Standard’s common network- and transport-layer coverage; they do not make Advanced a universal fit for workloads outside its supported AWS resources.

Protected resources and integrations

Advanced supports EC2, Elastic Load Balancing, CloudFront, Global Accelerator, and Route 53. It integrates with AWS WAF and AWS Firewall Manager, with event visibility through Amazon CloudWatch. The subscription includes up to 50 billion AWS WAF requests per subscribed payer account per calendar month for protected resources. That allowance is substantial for many deployments, but it is capped, and usage fees may apply.

Response and cost protections

Shield Advanced includes DDoS cost protection for qualifying usage spikes on protected resources. Business and Enterprise support customers also get 24/7 access to the Shield Response Team. Custom mitigations from that team during events require one of those support tiers, so customers without them should not assume the subscription alone provides that response service.

Pricing

AWS Shield Standard

free. Standard is automatically configured for AWS customers and provides common network- and transport-layer DDoS protection. It is the sensible starting point for AWS users who want baseline coverage without a subscription, but it does not include Network Security Director or Advanced’s broader mitigation and protections.

AWS Shield Advanced

$3,000 a month, billed monthly, with a one-year subscription commitment and annual renewal. Usage fees may also apply. The plan adds advanced DDoS protection and up to 50 billion AWS WAF requests per subscribed payer account per calendar month for protected resources; Network Security Director is not included. This is a targeted purchase for eligible internet-facing applications whose risk and operational needs warrant the price and commitment, not a casual upgrade from Standard.

Platforms

Shield is available on API and web platforms and uses a cloud deployment model. Its protection is aimed at AWS customers and applies to the supported AWS resources rather than representing a general-purpose, cross-cloud service.

Who it's for

Shield Standard fits AWS customers seeking automatically configured baseline DDoS protection. Advanced is for teams protecting internet-facing applications on EC2, Elastic Load Balancing, CloudFront, Global Accelerator, or Route 53 that need application-layer mitigation, traffic anomaly detection, qualifying cost protection, or access to the Shield Response Team through Business or Enterprise support. Organizations that cannot justify a $3,000 monthly fee, one-year commitment, and possible additional usage fees should stay with Standard or compare other options.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Standard is automatically configured for AWS customers at no charge, providing a baseline without a separate setup decision.
• Advanced combines automatic mitigation across three attack layers with monitoring for HTTP and DNS query floods.
• The Advanced subscription includes a defined WAF request allowance and qualifying DDoS cost protection for supported resources.
• CloudWatch visibility and AWS WAF and Firewall Manager integrations fit customers already using AWS security services.

Cons

• Advanced costs $3,000 a month, requires a one-year commitment, renews annually, and may incur usage fees.
• Its resource coverage is centered on specified AWS services, limiting its fit for workloads elsewhere.
• Custom incident mitigations from the Shield Response Team require Business or Enterprise support.
• Network Security Director is in preview and is excluded from both plans, so it is not a bundled plan benefit.

Alternatives

For a wider set of options, browse DDoS Protection Software.

Choose Gcore DDoS Protection when its PAYG option—with 0 Mbps clean traffic commitment, up to 1 × /24 IPv4, up to 1 × /48 IPv6, and two GRE tunnels—or its $275.00 monthly Start plan better fits the deployment. Cloudflare DDoS Protection is worth considering for its free plan, which includes unmetered DDoS protection, a web application firewall, and a free managed ruleset; its Pro plan is $20.00 per month billed annually.

F5 BIG-IP APM is a paid option with a free trial and a perpetual license available across virtual, hardware, or hybrid environments. Fastly Image Optimizer is a paid image optimization option with a free allowance of 100,000 image requests per month. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Secret Management is a free option for secret management. Tencent Cloud API Gateway is a paid API gateway with a first-year allowance of one million API calls per month. Check Point DDoS Protector and Huawei HiSecEngine USG6800G are other options to consider.

Verdict

AWS Shield is the right choice for AWS customers who want automatic baseline DDoS coverage, with Advanced reserved for eligible internet-facing applications that need broader mitigation and can support its annual commitment and additional costs. Choose Standard when common network- and transport-layer protection is enough; look elsewhere if your workloads fall outside Advanced’s supported services or its price and support requirements do not fit.