NGINX Bot Protection: Opt for real-time detection and DDoS defense.

Of the world’s 100,000 busiest websites, more sites run on NGINX than on any other web server. That’s why it is important to know how to secure NGINX-based sites against automated threats performed by malicious bots. DataDome NGINX bot protection and DDoS defense solution that seamlessly integrates with Nginx.

You may be aware of the NGINX web application firewall (WAF). This article will cover the differences between the NGINX WAF and DataDome’s bot detection capabilities. DataDome provides a level of bot protection that goes far beyond what is available from NGINX. Installation is easy, and we provide clear step-by-step instructions.

NGINX Bot Protection: From Basic to Advanced and Beyond

The NGINX open source web server does not include built-in bad bot blocking, DDoS protection, or WAF capabilities. A separate NGINX WAF is available, but it operates on NGINX Plus. Therefore, you would need to acquire both NGINX Plus and NGINX WAF to safeguard your server against DDoS and bot attacks.

Now a part of F5, NGINX recommends putting an F5 box in front of NGINX with the F5 advanced WAF—not an optimized design. And even if you run the F5 Advanced WAF with its Proactive Bot Defense and Bot Signature Checking features, it still can’t detect bots that successfully mimic human behavior, as explained in our article on bot detection for F5.

The DataDome bot detection and DDoS protection solution goes beyond what the F5 advanced WAF can detect and protect against, thanks to our truly expert bot detection capabilities. The DataDome NGINX Module uses AI and machine learning to identify and block even the most sophisticated bots.

How DataDome NGINX Bot Protection Works

The DataDome NGINX bot blocker module integrates seamlessly with your web infrastructure, without requiring any changes to the architecture.

Once installed, the DataDome module analyzes every request to your servers. Before the regular NGINX process starts, the module makes a call to the DataDome API using a keep-alive connection. Depending on the API response, the module will either block the query or let NGINX continue the regular process.

The NGINX bot protection module is designed to protect user experience. If any errors were to occur during the process, or if the timeout is reached, the module will automatically disable its blocking process and allow those hits. Timeouts for the initial opening connection and API calls can be customized to meet specific requirements.

Key Benefits

By leveraging the DataDome bot detection and protection module for NGINX, you can expect:

• Expert bot detection fully integrated into NGINX.
• Improved site performance, thanks to the elimination of high volumes of illegitimate traffic.
• Real-time protection (< 2 milliseconds) from price scraping, DDoS attacks, credential stuffing, and all other OWASP automated threats.
• Unmatched customization options, thanks to a powerful custom rules engine.
• More reliable analytics, with data that reliably distinguishes humans from bots.

Implementing Bot Detection and DDoS Protection on NGINX

To start testing DataDome NGINX bot blocker today, click the Free trial button below and create your account (it takes less than a minute and you don’t need a credit card).

Then, follow the NGINX module installation instructions in our technical documentation. To help you fit the install to your needs, we offer several installation options:

• Install from the NGINX DataDome repository.
• Install from the source (nginx.org).
• Package NGINX with the DataDome module as a dynamic or a static package.

That’s it! You can now access your personal DataDome dashboard, and observe all bot traffic to all your vulnerability endpoints in real time.