# Visualizing AWS WAF Rules

If you’ve ever worked with **AWS WAF rules**, you know the struggle: creating rules directly via JSON works, but when you go back to the AWS console, you often get stuck with this dreaded message:

> **Cannot switch from JSON editor to visual editor.**  
> *A rule that contains nested statements or more than 5 statements is not supported. You must view the rule in the JSON viewer.*

That means once your rules get a little more complex, with nested **AND/OR statements** or more than five conditions, the visual editor in AWS just throws up its hands. You’re left staring at raw JSON, which isn’t exactly easy to parse at a glance.

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## Why This Is a Problem

* **Hard to understand**: Nested JSON statements can get messy very quickly.
    
* **Hard to review**: Security and DevOps teams often need a quick way to review rules before deploying.
    
* **Hard to debug**: If something doesn’t behave as expected, reading JSON doesn’t make troubleshooting easier.
    

In short: AWS gives us *power*, but not *clarity*.

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## Enter WAFViz

That’s why I built **WAFViz**, a simple tool to visualize AWS WAF rules.

Instead of drowning in JSON, WAFViz turns your rules into a clear, *human-friendly* visualization. You can:

* Upload or paste your JSON rule.
    
* See the hierarchy of **AND/OR/NOT conditions**.
    
* Share visualizations with your team for reviews.
    

*No more guessing what a deeply nested JSON statement really means.*

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## Example: Before and After

**Before**: A wall of JSON that only the person who wrote it can decipher.

**After**: Visualization where you can instantly see what conditions are combined and how.

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1759445164120/b0e3f876-632c-4634-ab4e-3d45b6c02f1e.png align="center")

This makes **security reviews faster, collaboration easier, and debugging far less painful.**

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## Try It Out

You can check it out here 👉 [https://wafviz.ardd.cloud](https://wafviz.ardd.cloud/)

If you’re working with AWS WAF rules in JSON, this tool will *save you time and sanity.*

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## What’s Next

I’m planning to expand **WAFViz** with features like:

* Import directly from AWS.
    
* Export visual diagrams as **PNG/PDF** for documentation.
    
* Collaboration mode for teams.
    

Feedback is super welcome… feel free to reach out and let me know how **WAFViz** can be more useful for you.