AWS Shield
Managed DDoS protection with automatic network security analysis
- Vendor
- Amazon Web Services, Inc.
- Also known as
- aws-shield
Available worldwide
What is AWS Shield?
A managed DDoS protection service that provides automatic, real-time defense against distributed denial-of-service attacks. Offers a free standard tier for basic infrastructure protection and a premium tier with advanced threat detection, application-layer defense, and expert incident response.
AWS Shield pricing
Plans, per-tier features and add-ons, dated and linked to live pricing. Pricing changes often; always verify at source before you rely on it.
Free tier included with AWS account; Advanced tier available (pricing not specified in documentation)
AWS Shield Standard
FreeAutomatic DDoS protection included at no charge for all AWS customers
- Protection against common network and transport layer DDoS attacks
- Deterministic packet filtering
- Priority-based traffic shaping
- Works with CloudFront and Route 53
AWS Shield Advanced
Enhanced DDoS protection with customized detection and 24/7 expert support
- Automatic mitigation of sophisticated DDoS events
- Customized detection based on traffic patterns
- Application-layer attack detection (HTTP floods, DNS query floods)
- Real-time notifications via CloudWatch
- 24/7 Shield Response Team support
- Integration with AWS WAF and Firewall Manager
- Health check-based detection optimization
What AWS Shield does
The capabilities that matter for ddos protection, normalised so it lines up with every alternative. “-” means we haven't confirmed it, not that it's missing.
- Deployment model
- -
- Always on mitigation
- ✓
- On demand bgp diversion
- -
- Layer 3 4 volumetric protection
- ✓
- Layer 7 application protection
- ✓
- DNS amplification protection
- -
- Unmetered attack bandwidth
- -
- Sub second mitigation SLA
- -
- Bundled WAF
- ✓
- SIEM log export API
- -
- SOC2 type ii
- -
- PCI DSS compliant
- ✓
- Pricing model
- Freemium
Platform & deployment
Independently observed- Web
- Cloud / SaaS
Integrations (9)
Independently observed- AWS WAF
- Amazon CloudFront
- Amazon Route 53
- Elastic IP
- Elastic Load Balancing
- AWS Global Accelerator
- Amazon CloudWatch
- AWS Firewall Manager
- Amazon EC2•
AWS Shield FAQ
Common questions about AWS Shield, answered from independent, dated evidence.
What is AWS Shield?
A managed DDoS protection service that provides automatic, real-time defense against distributed denial-of-service attacks. Offers a free standard tier for basic infrastructure protection and a premium tier with advanced threat detection, application-layer defense, and expert incident response. It is indexed under DDOS Protection.
Source: https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm
Is AWS Shield free?
AWS Shield offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans are also available: AWS Shield Standard and AWS Shield Advanced. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.
Source: https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm
Can AWS Shield be self-hosted?
We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for AWS Shield, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.
Source: https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm
What does AWS Shield integrate with?
We have confirmed 8 integrations for AWS Shield, including AWS WAF, Amazon CloudFront, Amazon Route 53, Elastic IP, Elastic Load Balancing, AWS Global Accelerator, Amazon CloudWatch and AWS Firewall Manager. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.
Source: https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm
What security certifications does AWS Shield have?
We have independently confirmed HIPAA and GDPR for AWS Shield. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as AWS Shield not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.
Where is AWS Shield available?
AWS Shield is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the United States.
Source: https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm
AWS Shield alternatives
Other ddos protection we track, ranked by the same independent score.
- Verisign DDoS Protection Serviceslow · 20%
- Google Cloud ArmorCloud-based security platform protecting applications from distributed denial-of-service attacks and web-based threatslow · 18%
- Fastly DDoS ProtectionAutomatic DDoS defense for applications and APIslow · 46%
- Cloudflare DDoS ProtectionStop DDoS attacks with a global network that absorbs massive attack trafficmedium · 55%
- Netscout Arbor DDoS ProtectionEnterprise-grade DDoS detection and mitigation for critical internet infrastructurelow · 38%
Compare AWS Shield
Side by side against other ddos protection, attribute by attribute, with a source on every value.
The vioscaleAI score: one lens on the evidence
Not user reviews and not a paid placement: a confidence-weighted blend of the independent signals below (adoption, activity, security posture, and more), which you can sort and re-weight yourself. Vendors can correct their listing but can never move their rank, and stars are weighted low as a vanity metric. It is one way to read the evidence for AWS Shield, not the verdict.
| Signal | Score | Weight | Contribution | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Security posture | 35 | 0.21 | 7.3 | ✓ |
| Pricing transparency | 80 | 0.05 | 4.2 | ✓ |
| Capabilities | 75 | 0.05 | 3.8 | ✓ |
| Price level | 80 | 0.04 | 3.4 | ✓ |
| Integrations | 27 | 0.05 | 1.4 | ✓ |
| Reliability | 0 | 0.09 | 0.0 | - |
Computed . Re-weight it by intent, or see the full method.
All data & sourcesshow ↓
Every value we hold, with its source, retrieval date, and confidence. This is the evidence behind the score: don't trust it, verify it.
Content
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Faq | 6 items | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 64% |
Features
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Capabilities | Bundled waf: Yes · Pricing model: freemium · Pci dss compliant: Yes · Always on mitigation: Yes · Layer 7 application protection: Yes · Layer 3 4 volumetric protection: Yes | mediumsource · 2026-10-13 · 60% |
Integrations
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Count | 8 | mediumsource · 2026-10-13 · 60% |
Market
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | PrimaryMarkets: … · AvailabilityScope: global · AvailableCountries: … · NotAvailableCountries: … | highsource · 2026-10-13 · 75% |
Pricing
Security
Is AWS Shield the right choice for you?
Tell us the job, the constraints and what you weigh most, and we will rank AWS Shield against the rest of the ddos protection we index, using the same dated evidence weighted your way.
Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works
Is this your product?
This profile was built from public sources without asking you. You can take the badge below and use it anywhere, and you can claim the profile to correct anything we got wrong. Both are free, and neither moves AWS Shield up or down: nobody can buy rank here, including you.
Take the badge
Live, always current, and free to use on your own site. It shows AWS Shield's independent score and links back to this profile.
<a href="https://www.vioscale.ai/software/aws-shield" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
<img src="https://www.vioscale.ai/badge/software/aws-shield.svg" alt="AWS Shield, verified on vioscaleAI" width="330" height="76" loading="lazy" />
</a>Markdown, for a README →
[](https://www.vioscale.ai/software/aws-shield)Claim the profile
Verify you control the domain, then point us at the pages that state the facts about AWS Shield and add your own description and media. Free, and it does not change the score.
- Correct anything wrong, with evidence
- Point our crawler at the pages that matter
- Write your own description and add media
Not the owner? How vendor profiles work