# DDoS protection, explained

> DDoS protection keeps a website or network online during a distributed denial-of-service attack, when thousands of compromised devices flood it with traffic. Protection works by spreading traffic across a large network, recognising attack patterns, and dropping bad requests while real visitors get through.

This site is run by Vigilbase (https://vigilbase.com), a managed security provider. It covers: ddos protection.

## How a DDoS attack works

Attackers control botnets of hacked computers, routers and cameras, or abuse open servers that reflect and amplify traffic. They point all of it at one target. The aim is to use up bandwidth, connections or server capacity so real users cannot get in.

## How DDoS protection works

- Absorb: an anycast network spreads traffic across many data centres, so no single link fills up.
- Detect: traffic is compared with normal patterns to spot floods within seconds.
- Filter: attack packets and requests are dropped at the edge while legitimate traffic is passed through.
- Challenge: suspicious clients get a browser or bot challenge instead of a hard block.

## The layers you need

- Network layer (3 and 4): protection against volumetric floods, usually from your hosting or edge provider.
- Application layer (7): WAF rules, rate limits and bot management tuned to your login, search and checkout pages.
- Origin shielding: hide your server's real IP address so attackers cannot bypass the protection.

## Protection that someone runs for you

Vigilbase Shield combines Cloudflare's DDoS protection with a managed WAF and bot protection, configured and watched by Vigilbase's team. If an attack gets through the defaults, the team changes the rules while it is happening.

## FAQ

### How do I know if I am under a DDoS attack?

The site becomes slow or unreachable, and your analytics or hosting graphs show a sudden spike in requests or bandwidth from many sources at once.

### Is DDoS protection the same as a firewall?

No. A firewall blocks unwanted connections, but a large flood can overwhelm it. DDoS protection works upstream on a network big enough to absorb the attack.

### Can I stop a DDoS attack myself?

Small attacks, sometimes, with rate limits. Large ones need a provider with network capacity far larger than the attack.

## Related

- [See Vigilbase Shield](https://vigilbase.com/shield)
- [DDoS protection service details](https://vigilbase.com/cloudflare/ddos-protection)
- [Vigilbase Shield (managed WAF)](https://vigilbase.com/shield)
- [Vigilbase OS (security operations)](https://vigilbase.com/os)
- [Managed SOC](https://vigilbase.com/managed-soc)
- [DDoS protection](https://vigilbase.com/cloudflare/ddos-protection)
- [Free security tools](https://vigilbase.com/tools)