--- description: JSON object structure for rulesets and rules in API requests. title: JSON objects image: https://developers.cloudflare.com/og-docs.png --- [Skip to content](#main-content) > Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.cloudflare.com/ruleset-engine/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # JSON objects Last updated Aug 25, 2026|Copy as Markdown|[View as Markdown](https://4f1c5cd2.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/ruleset-engine/rulesets-api/json-object/index.md)|[Agent setup](https://4f1c5cd2.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/agent-setup/) This page describes the JSON objects used in API requests creating or updating rulesets and their rules via Rulesets API, as well as the objects returned by the API. ## Ruleset object A fully populated ruleset object has the following JSON structure. ```json { "id": "6a359df138c442b385d20140d4d96919", "name": "Example Ruleset", "description": "Description of Example Ruleset", "kind": "custom", "version": "2", "phase": "http_request_firewall_custom", "rules": [ { "id": "fdb0dd271f3f40b19679cc5d91396024", "version": "2", "action": "block", "expression": "cf.zone.name eq \"example.com\" ", "last_updated": "2022-07-20T10:44:29.124515Z" } ], "last_updated": "2022-07-20T10:44:29.124515Z" } ``` For details on the properties of rules items in the `rules` array, refer to the [Rule object structure and properties](#rule-object-structure-and-properties) section. ### Properties The ruleset object has the following properties: * `id` `String` * A 32-character UUIDv4 string that represents the unique Cloudflare-generated identifier for a given version of a ruleset. * Unique, read-only. * `name` `String` * A human-readable name for the ruleset. * The name is immutable. You cannot change the name over the lifetime of the ruleset. * `description` `String` * Optional description for the ruleset. * You can change the description over the lifetime of the ruleset. * `kind` `String` * The kind of ruleset the JSON object represents. * One of `root`, `zone`, `managed`, `custom`. * `kind` is immutable. * `version` `Integer` * The version of the ruleset. * Read-only value starting at `1` and incremented by `1` each time the ruleset is modified. * `rules` `Array` * A list of rules to include in the ruleset. Refer to [Rule object structure and properties](#rule-object-structure-and-properties) for details. * `last_updated` `Timestamp` * The time (UTC) when the ruleset was last updated in ISO 8601 format: `YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.TZD`. * Read-only. ## Rule object structure and properties A fully populated rule JSON object has the following structure: ```json { "id": "fdb0dd271f3f40b19679cc5d91396024", "version": "2", "ref": "", "description": "", "action": "block", "action_parameters": [ // action parameters vary according to the action ], "categories": ["", ""], "expression": "cf.zone.name eq \"example.com\"", "last_updated": "2025-07-20T10:44:29.124515Z", "enabled": true } ``` The JSON object properties for a rule are defined as follows: * `id` `String` * A 32-character UUIDv4 string that represents the unique Cloudflare-generated identifier for a given version of a rule. * Unique, read-only. * `version` `Integer` * The version of the rule. * Read-only value starting at `1` and incremented by `1` each time the rule is modified. * Changing the order of a rule in a ruleset does not change its version. * `ref` `String` * A user-defined external identifier that must be unique for each rule in a ruleset. * Use this field in your Terraform configuration to prevent Terraform from recreating the rule on changes. Refer to [How to keep the same rule ID between modifications](https://4f1c5cd2.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/terraform/troubleshooting/rule-id-changes/#how-to-keep-the-same-rule-id-between-modifications) for more information. * `description` `String` * A descriptive name of the rule. * `action` `String` * Defines what happens when there is a match for the rule expression. * The available [actions](https://4f1c5cd2.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/ruleset-engine/rules-language/actions/) depend on the [phase](https://4f1c5cd2.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/ruleset-engine/about/phases/) where the rule's ruleset is executed. * `action_parameters` `Object` * One or more parameters configuring the rule action. * The exact properties vary according to the action. Refer to each Cloudflare product's API instructions for more information. * `categories` `Array` * Tags associated with the current rule. You can define overrides that affect rules with a given tag. * Read-only. Only available in [WAF Managed Rules](https://4f1c5cd2.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/waf/managed-rules/) and [DDoS managed rulesets](https://4f1c5cd2.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/ddos-protection/managed-rulesets/). * `expression` `String` * Criteria defining when there is a match for the current rule. * The fields and functions you can use in a rule expression depend on the phase where the rule's ruleset is executed. * `last_updated` `Timestamp` * The time (UTC) when the rule was last updated in ISO 8601 format: `YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.TZD`. * Read-only. * `enabled` `Boolean` * When set to `true`, the current rule is enabled. Was this helpful? 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