Application Filtering in UniFi

UniFi’s Next-Gen Firewall (NGFW) is equipped with powerful application control, allowing you to quickly block or allow specific applications or entire categories of applications. For a full overview of UniFi’s Traffic Management capabilities, see here.

UniFi Network 8.6.9 (Official Release)

To filter applications:

1. Navigate to Settings > Security > Traffic & Firewall Rules.
2. Create a Simple rule.
3. Create a rule for your desired outcome:
   • Action: Speed Limit, Block, etc
   • Source: Choose a Network, Device, etc.
   • Destination: Choose an App or App group.
4. Once added, your rule will appear in the table and take effect immediately.

Example Configuration

• Scheduled Application-Based Restrictions: Block certain websites or applications after bedtime.

• Action: Block
• Source: [Select a device]
• Category: App
  • Select an app such as YouTube or Twitch
• Schedule: Custom
  • Every week from Monday to Friday, 9:00PM to 8:00AM.

For application-based QoS, see here.

UniFi Network 9.0.92+ (Early Access)

In Network 9.0.92+, there are two methods for filtering applications, depending on the level of granularity and control that you need:

• Simple App Blocking allows you to filter select application(s) for specified networks and/or client devices.
• Zone-Based Firewall, an extension of simple application blocking, allows you to filter entire application categories, set schedules, and apply rules to entire firewall zones.

Simple Application Filtering

To set up basic application filtering:

1. Navigate to Settings > Security > Protection > Simple App Blocking.
2. Select the devices or networks where you want to apply filtering.
3. Multi-select the applications you want to block from the available list.

Zone-Based Firewall Application Filtering

For users seeking enhanced application filtering capabilities:

1. Navigate to Settings > Routing > Zone-Based Firewall.
2. Create a rule with the Destination Zone configured as follows:
   • External
   • App
   • Specific or Category
3. Select the Applications or Categories to block.
4. (Optional) Set up a Schedule for when the rule should apply.

For advanced configuration details and examples, check out our Firewall Guide.