If you need inline inspection of VPC traffic but do not want to use AWS Network Firewall, the closest alternative is a third-party firewall or intrusion-prevention appliance integrated with AWS Gateway Load Balancer (GWLB). For several VPCs, you can route selected traffic through a centralized inspection VPC using AWS Transit Gateway. The right choice depends on the inspection features, network paths, and operating model you need—not on a universal ranking of products. AWS WAF, AWS Shield, and VPC Traffic Mirroring address different security tasks, so they are not direct substitutes for an inline VPC firewall.
Which alternatives actually inspect VPC traffic inline?
For traffic that must pass through a firewall before reaching its destination, compare AWS Network Firewall with third-party firewall or IPS appliances behind GWLB. Both are inline inspection approaches; the appliance option gives you a vendor-specific feature set and operating model, while AWS Network Firewall is a managed AWS service. AWS Well-Architected guidance describes both as choices for inspection-based protection.
| Option | What it does | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| AWS Network Firewall | Managed stateful and stateless network filtering, including Suricata-compatible stateful rules. | You want AWS-managed firewall infrastructure and its documented inspection capabilities meet your policy and topology needs. |
| Third-party firewall or IPS behind GWLB | Inserts vendor appliances into selected traffic paths; GWLB provides appliance load balancing and health checks. | You need capabilities or a policy and operations model offered by a particular appliance, and can operate its deployment and routing architecture. |
| VPC Traffic Mirroring | Sends copies of traffic to an analysis system outside the forwarding path. | You need packet analysis or visibility, not an inline allow-or-deny control. |
| AWS WAF | Filters supported HTTP(S) application requests. | You need web-application-layer protection for supported endpoints rather than general VPC network inspection. |
| AWS Shield | Addresses DDoS risks; Shield Advanced is the AWS service identified for volumetric DDoS mitigation. | You need DDoS protection, which is a separate objective from network firewall inspection. |
AWS Network Firewall supports per-VPC, centralized, and hybrid deployment patterns, so replacing it is not automatically necessary just because you need centralized control or multiple VPCs. First compare its documented features with the requirements that are driving the search.
What to compare before choosing
Inspection and policy requirements
AWS Network Firewall documentation describes stateful and stateless rules, Suricata-compatible stateful rules, domain filtering, and deep packet inspection. Appliance capabilities vary by vendor and product. Validate the specific protocols, rules, threat controls, and TLS behavior you require against current service or vendor documentation. If inspection requires TLS unwrapping, treat that as a specific design requirement: AWS Well-Architected guidance flags TLS unwrapping support as a decision point, but the implementation details must be confirmed for the selected service or appliance.
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Topology, routing, and address visibility
Choose where inspection belongs: inside each VPC, in a shared inspection VPC, or across a hybrid network. The topology affects route design, failure domains, policy consistency, and which flows you can select for inspection. Also determine whether the design needs to preserve original source and destination IP visibility; NAT and routing choices can affect what the inspection point sees.
Operations and cost
AWS manages Network Firewall’s service infrastructure, but you still define policies and route traffic through its endpoints. With a third-party appliance, your team must deploy and configure the appliances and GWLB integration, and follow the vendor’s guidance for lifecycle management and high availability. Consider existing vendor expertise, policy administration, fleet management, and incident response responsibilities.
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There is no supported price comparison here. For either approach, check current regional charges and build an estimate around the actual traffic path, availability design, logging, management, and routing. Appliance designs may involve software licensing, compute, GWLB, and traffic charges; AWS service and traffic-path charges also depend on the selected region and architecture.
How a GWLB appliance design works
GWLB lets you insert third-party appliances into traffic paths and provides load balancing and health checks. For inline use, route the flows you want inspected through GWLB endpoints. AWS Prescriptive Guidance covers VPC-to-VPC, VPC-to-on-premises, and outbound inspection scenarios; the correct route setup depends on the selected scenario and current AWS guidance.
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Keep stateful flows symmetric
A stateful appliance must see both directions of a connection through the same appliance. AWS Prescriptive Guidance puts the key constraint plainly: “Because firewalls are stateful appliances, the flow from source to destination and the traffic’s return flow must remain on the same firewall appliance.” Asymmetric routing can break stateful inspection, so verify forward and return routes rather than checking only the outbound path.
Centralize inspection across VPCs
For a multi-VPC design, Transit Gateway can route selected traffic through a separate security VPC. AWS’s architecture guidance describes using AZ-aware route tables and Transit Gateway appliance mode to support symmetric paths through the same Availability Zone path. Its example uses separate subnets for the Transit Gateway attachment and firewall endpoints in each AZ. Treat those as design details to validate against your own route tables, supported traffic paths, and deployment region.
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Define security zones and deliberately select which traffic crosses the inspection VPC. Sending every flow through a central point may increase cost and routing complexity; routing only required flows makes the inspection scope explicit. AWS Well-Architected guidance frames the granularity decision this way: “Determine if you can scope inspection rules broadly, such as through an inspection VPC, or if you require a more granular per-VPC approach.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When AWS Network Firewall may still be the better fit
Do not rule out AWS Network Firewall without matching a concrete requirement to a capability gap. AWS documents it as a managed stateful network firewall and IDS/IPS for VPCs, with Suricata-compatible stateful rules and several deployment patterns. For perimeter filtering, its developer guide describes traffic associated with internet gateways, NAT gateways, VPN, and Direct Connect when routes send that traffic through firewall endpoints.
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Topology support matters: the developer guide lists VPC peering among unsupported architectures. Check the current guide for the exact traffic path you intend to protect, including any peering, Transit Gateway, VPN, or Direct Connect components. A requirement that depends on a specific unsupported path may be a reason to consider a different design, but do not generalize that limitation to other topologies.
Named GWLB appliance options
AWS’s GWLB partner page names Check Point, F5, Fortinet, and Palo Alto Networks, and presents their CloudGuard, BIG-IP, FortiGate Virtual Firewall, and VM-Series integrations. These are partner examples, not a comparative ranking or independent evidence that one product is more secure, faster, or less expensive. Product features, integration details, licensing, and regional Marketplace availability can change; verify them directly for the product and deployment region you are considering.
Compare specific offerings against your requirements for inspection features, TLS handling, routing symmetry, policy management, support, and total deployment cost. Do not infer current availability or pricing from a vendor name on a partner page.
Quick Recap
When WAF, Shield, or Traffic Mirroring is the right control
- Choose WAF for HTTP(S) application filtering. It addresses web requests at the application layer, not general VPC network inspection.
- Consider Shield for DDoS protection. Volumetric DDoS mitigation is a distinct security objective; Network Firewall is not intended to replace Shield Advanced for that purpose.
- Use Traffic Mirroring for out-of-band analysis. Mirrored packets go to an analysis system rather than through an inline enforcement point, so mirroring alone does not block traffic. AWS notes that mirrored packets count against interface bandwidth and incur the same data transfer charges as non-mirrored traffic.
A practical selection sequence
- Define the security task. Decide whether you need inline VPC network inspection, HTTP(S) application filtering, DDoS protection, or packet visibility.
- Map the traffic paths. Identify the VPCs, destinations, and hybrid connections in scope, then check whether the intended topology is supported.
- Write down inspection requirements. Specify protocols, rule formats, threat controls, TLS inspection or unwrapping needs, and required source-address visibility.
- Choose deployment scope. Decide between per-VPC, centralized inspection, or a hybrid pattern; for centralized inspection, design Transit Gateway routing and AZ-aware symmetry deliberately.
- Compare operating and cost models. Account for policy ownership, appliance operations, regional availability, licensing, traffic, logging, and high-availability design.
- Validate the exact implementation. Check current AWS service documentation and vendor guidance for route behavior, supported paths, TLS handling, health checks, and regional product listings before deployment.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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