How does WAA differ from a CDN?

WAA operates at the OCI Load Balancer level rather than at globally distributed edge points of presence (PoPs). It provides caching and compression for traffic that already passes through your load balancer, reducing origin server load and improving response times. A CDN distributes content globally across many edge locations. WAA is suited for applications primarily serving a single region, while a CDN is better for globally distributed audiences.

Can WAA cache dynamic content?

WAA can cache any HTTP response based on the URL pattern, HTTP method, response headers (Cache-Control), and custom rules. For dynamic content, you can configure short TTLs (seconds to minutes) to reduce origin load while keeping content relatively fresh. Use cache key customization to include query parameters or headers that differentiate responses. Truly dynamic, per-user content should bypass the cache using no-cache rules.

OCI WAA Policy Builder

NetworkingOCI

Build Web Application Acceleration caching policies with compression and purge rules.

OCI Web Application Acceleration Configuration

Build Web Application Acceleration caching policies with compression and purge rules.

Required Fields

compartmentIddisplayNamepolicyConfig

{
  "compartmentId": "ocid1.compartment.oc1..aaaaaaaexample",
  "displayName": "ecommerce-waa-policy",
  "webAppAccelerationId": "ocid1.webappacceleration.oc1.iad.aaaaaaaexample",
  "policyConfig": {
    "cachingRules": [
      {
        "name": "static-assets-cache",
        "action": "CACHE",
        "isEnabled": true,
        "criteria": [
          {
            "condition": "URL_ENDS_WITH",
            "value": ".css"
          },
          {
            "condition": "URL_ENDS_WITH",
            "value": ".js"
          },
          {
            "condition": "URL_ENDS_WITH",
            "value": ".png"
          },
          {
            "condition": "URL_ENDS_WITH",
            "value": ".jpg"
          }
        ],
        "cachingDuration": "PT24H",
        "clientCachingDuration": "PT1H"
      },
      {
        "name": "api-no-cache",
        "action": "BYPASS_CACHE",
        "isEnabled": true,
        "criteria": [
          {
            "condition": "URL_STARTS_WITH",
            "value": "/api/"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "compressionPolicy": {
      "isEnabled": true,
      "compressionType": "GZIP",
      "isAutoCompressionEnabled": true
    },
    "purgeConfiguration": {
      "purgeType": "ENTIRE_CACHE"
    },
    "responseHeaderTransformations": [
      {
        "action": "ADD_HTTP_RESPONSE_HEADER",
        "header": "X-Cache-Status",
        "value": "HIT"
      }
    ]
  },
  "loadBalancerId": "ocid1.loadbalancer.oc1.iad.aaaaaaaexample",
  "freeformTags": {
    "application": "ecommerce",
    "team": "platform"
  }
}

Generated Output

Output will appear here...

About This Tool

OCI Web Application Acceleration (WAA) improves web application performance by caching content at the edge, compressing responses, and optimizing connection handling. WAA policies define caching rules, compression settings, and purging strategies for content served through OCI load balancers. This builder helps you configure WAA policies with cache control rules, content compression settings, cache purging configurations, and integration with OCI Load Balancer backends.

When to Use This Tool

•Configuring a WAA policy that caches static assets (images, CSS, JavaScript) at the edge with appropriate TTLs while bypassing cache for API endpoints
•Building response compression rules that apply gzip compression to text-based content types to reduce bandwidth and improve page load times
•Setting up cache purging rules that automatically invalidate cached content when backend deployments occur
•Creating a WAA policy with conditional caching based on request headers, query parameters, or cookie values for personalized content

Frequently Asked Questions

How does WAA differ from a CDN?: WAA operates at the OCI Load Balancer level rather than at globally distributed edge points of presence (PoPs). It provides caching and compression for traffic that already passes through your load balancer, reducing origin server load and improving response times. A CDN distributes content globally across many edge locations. WAA is suited for applications primarily serving a single region, while a CDN is better for globally distributed audiences.
Can WAA cache dynamic content?: WAA can cache any HTTP response based on the URL pattern, HTTP method, response headers (Cache-Control), and custom rules. For dynamic content, you can configure short TTLs (seconds to minutes) to reduce origin load while keeping content relatively fresh. Use cache key customization to include query parameters or headers that differentiate responses. Truly dynamic, per-user content should bypass the cache using no-cache rules.

Related Learning Guides

OCI VCN Networking Deep Dive25 min read

Disclaimer: This tool runs entirely in your browser. No data is sent to our servers. Always verify outputs before using them in production. AWS, Azure, and GCP are trademarks of their respective owners.

OCI WAA Policy Builder

NetworkingOCI

Build Web Application Acceleration caching policies with compression and purge rules.

OCI Web Application Acceleration Configuration

Build Web Application Acceleration caching policies with compression and purge rules.

Required Fields

compartmentIddisplayNamepolicyConfig

Generated Output

Output will appear here...

About This Tool

When to Use This Tool

•Configuring a WAA policy that caches static assets (images, CSS, JavaScript) at the edge with appropriate TTLs while bypassing cache for API endpoints
•Building response compression rules that apply gzip compression to text-based content types to reduce bandwidth and improve page load times
•Setting up cache purging rules that automatically invalidate cached content when backend deployments occur
•Creating a WAA policy with conditional caching based on request headers, query parameters, or cookie values for personalized content

Frequently Asked Questions

How does WAA differ from a CDN?: WAA operates at the OCI Load Balancer level rather than at globally distributed edge points of presence (PoPs). It provides caching and compression for traffic that already passes through your load balancer, reducing origin server load and improving response times. A CDN distributes content globally across many edge locations. WAA is suited for applications primarily serving a single region, while a CDN is better for globally distributed audiences.
Can WAA cache dynamic content?: WAA can cache any HTTP response based on the URL pattern, HTTP method, response headers (Cache-Control), and custom rules. For dynamic content, you can configure short TTLs (seconds to minutes) to reduce origin load while keeping content relatively fresh. Use cache key customization to include query parameters or headers that differentiate responses. Truly dynamic, per-user content should bypass the cache using no-cache rules.

Related Learning Guides

OCI VCN Networking Deep Dive25 min read