Over the past year, we have made a lot of investment to pave the way for partners and customers to have API access to WatchGuard products. Earlier this year we released an API for AuthPoint Authentication and now we are excited to announce that live in production this week is the first Firebox Management API aimed at configuring Global Exceptions.

Global exceptions are rules that can override the current settings on the Firebox and include:

• Adding to blocked sites (one of the top use cases!)
• Blocked sites exceptions
• Botnet exceptions
• File exceptions
• Geolocation exceptions
• Intrusion prevention service (IPS) exceptions
• WebBlocker exceptions

There are several reasons why partners and customers may be interested in having access via API, today to make any changes to Firebox configuration users need to log into and use one of our management systems, whether that is WSM, the WebUI, or WatchGuard Cloud. In certain scenarios, it would be more efficient if configuration changes can be setup from an outside platform, a couple of real examples are partners who built for end customers a mobile app or customer portal, or a MSSP tool used for remote monitoring or professional services automation. MSSP partners who need more flexibility in setting up and changing Firebox configurations, often across multiple customers can benefit from using an API by:

• Making changes quickly without having to log into a WG management system
• Building platforms and apps that can trigger actions through an API integration
• Giving more people the ability to make low impact changes instead of submitting service desk tickets

This is only the beginning for Firebox Management APIs, in future we will bring onboard policy management as well as APIs for WatchGuard Cloud to manage account hierarchies, devices, reporting, and more.

Learn more about WatchGuard APIs by visiting our publicly available and centralized API Documentation site.

Setting up API access is available to all WatchGuard Cloud accounts and a very easy process. For a demo of all the basic API calls required to create and deploy a Global Exception, check out the video below: