Manually creating access control lists

Varnish allows you to use access control lists (ACLs), a feature that enables fast matching of a client's IP address against a list of defined IP addresses. An ACL looks like this:

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# Who is allowed access ...
acl local {
  "localhost";
  "192.0.2.0"/24; /* and everyone on the local network */
  ! "192.0.2.1"/32; /* except for the dial-in router */
}

Defining an ACL

Using ACLs requires you to create and add custom VCL to Fastly's boilerplate VCL. To define an ACL in your Fastly configuration:

1. Read about how to mix and match custom VCL with Fastly VCL.

2. Create a custom VCL file with your ACL definitions included in the appropriate location. Use the example shown below as a guide. You can reference the ACL in your configuration (vcl_recv) using a match operation that can be located above or below #FASTLY recv. The placement only matters for the order of operations within Varnish's execution of your configuration.

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   # If you are using the "include" keyword
   include "myACL1.vcl";
   
   # And/or if you are using an actual ACL block
   acl local {
     "localhost";
     "192.0.2.0"/24; /* and everyone on the local network */
     ! "192.0.2.1"/32; /* except for the dial-in router */
   }
   
   sub vcl_recv {
     # block any requests to Admin pages not from local IPs
     if (req.url ~ "^/admin" && req.http.Fastly-Client-IP !~ local) {
       error 403 "Forbidden";
     }
   }

3. Upload the file in the Varnish Configuration area of your service.