How do I restrict access to my site by IP address with the Firewall?

Introduction

Do you want your website to be accessible only from certain IP addresses? Or, on the contrary, do you want to block one or more specific IP addresses?

With Fasterize's Firewall app, you can create simple and effective IP filtering rules directly from the interface.

This is the ideal solution for securing a pre-production environment, restricting access to an internal network, or blocking unwanted traffic.

Why filter by IP address?

IP filtering allows you to:

• 🔒 Restrict access to a protected area, such as a pre-production environment
• 🪚 Grant access only to specific teams or vendors
• 🛡️ Block a malicious or overly aggressive IP address (attacks, scraping, etc.)

💡 Example: Do you want only your internal team to be able to access the pre-production version of the site? Create a rule using their static IP addresses.

How IP Filtering Works in Fasterize

In the CLIENT IP tab of the Firewall application, you can create two types of rules:

• Allowed IP addresses: only these IP addresses will be able to access your site → all others will be blocked
• Blocked IP addresses: only these IP addresses are blocked; all others are allowed

⚠️ Warning: If you enable a rule for allowed IP addresses, all other IP addresses will be blocked by default.

Here is an overview of the interface:

Allow only certain IP addresses

Steps:

1. Go to the Client IP tab
2. In the " Allowed IP Addresses" section, click " New Access Rule"
3. Give your rule a clear name (e.g., “Pre-production access – internal team”)
4. Add the IP addresses to allow (one per line)
5. Enable the rule
6. Click Save Settings

💡 Use this method to completely restrict access to a sensitive environment.

⚠️ Don't forget to add your own IP address to the list, or you'll be blocked!

Block certain IP addresses

Steps:

1. On the same tab, go to the " Blocked IP Addresses" section
2. Click New Access Rule
3. Name your rule (e.g., “Block IP scraping”)
4. Add the IP addresses to block
5. Enable the rule
6. Click Save Settings

💡 Ideal for blocking an IP address identified as malicious, without affecting the rest of the traffic.

Best practices to follow

• ✅ Always test your rules in a pre-production environment whenever possible
• 👁️ Check your own IP address before enabling a restrictive rule
• 🧠 Give your rules descriptive names to make them easier to manage
• 🔁 Keep a backup IP address (VPN, mobile, etc.) in case of accidental lockout

⚠️ If you forget to include your own IP address in an “Allowed IPs” rule, you and your teams will be completely blocked.

Conclusion

IP filtering with the Fasterize Firewall allows you to maintain precise control over access to your site.

Whether you want to whitelist or block specific addresses, it’s all done quickly through the interface.

💡 The right setup = greater security, without extra costs or complexity.

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