If you need help knowing how to create your first rule, this guide will walk you through the process of creating a rule.
Rules only work on devices that you've connected to your Content Policy.
You can create a rule from the Content Policy page either starting from scratch or from a preset.
Selecting a Rule Type
There are several rule types for you to choose from:
- Block: The most common rule you'll probably create restricts access to online content.
- Allow: If a website or app is blocked in another rule, an Allow rule can be used to create an exception. The allow rule must be ordered above the block rule. Learn more about customizing blocking behavior with rule order.
- SafeSearch: The SafeSearch mode for search engines like Google, which support SafeSearch, can be automatically turned on using the SafeSearch rule type. You can use our preset to enable SafeSearch and also block search engines that don't support SafeSearch. It's important to note that you should avoid adding an Allow rule for the Search Engine category or specific search engine websites like Google. This will override SafeSearch. Learn more about enforcing SafeSearch
- Youtube Restricted: YouTube has their own content filter, which you can enable by specifying this rule type.
Naming your Rule
Use a descriptive label for your rule so that you can keep your Content Policy organized and easy to maintain. Try to avoid ambiguous labeling.
Enable or Disable a Rule
When you first create a rule, it should be enabled by default. However, some rules that are created from presets need to be enabled after you finish customizing them.
For rules like Internet Downtime, make sure you customize your schedule before enabling the rule.
Content Selection
Specify the online content that the rule is applied to:
- DNS Category: Almost every website on the internet is categorized in multiple ways. Apply a rule to a category allows you to match many different websites automatically.
- DNS Apps: Apps use many different domains to function properly. Blocking an App will block all domains associated with the app.
- Domains: Websites on the internet have an associated domain name, like "example.com." You can specify domain names to apply an action to.
- Domain Keywords: Instead of specifying an exact domain name, you can use a keyword, such as "example," to match websites that use that word in the domain name.
Learn more: Configure Rule Content Selection
Customizing a Schedule
Rules are always applied unless you assign a schedule for certain recurring days and times.
To add a schedule to a rule, choose it from your Content Policy page. Select the Schedules tab and choose "Add a Schedule".
Learn more: Configuring rule schedules.
Scoping a Rule to a Device
Rules are applied to all connected devices unless you scope your rule to a specific device.
Learn more: Configure Rule Audience
Change History
Rules have a change history associated with them. You can view this at any time by selecting the "Updated At" timestamp near the top of the Rule viewer.