Skip to content
Network as Code

Traffic Shaping Configuration

Dashboard Location: Security and SD-WAN > Configure > SD-WAN & Traffic Shaping

Network Traffic Management and Optimization

Section titled “Network Traffic Management and Optimization”

Traffic Shaping configuration in Meraki appliances provides administrators with comprehensive bandwidth management and quality of service capabilities, enabling intelligent traffic prioritization, application-aware bandwidth allocation, uplink optimization, and performance class management. This functionality supports enterprise network optimization, business-critical application prioritization, bandwidth utilization control, and network performance enhancement through granular traffic control policies and dynamic bandwidth allocation based on application requirements and network conditions.

Diagram

Section titled “Diagram”
Diagram

Classes

Section titled “Classes”

appliance (meraki.domains.organizations.networks)

Section titled “appliance (meraki.domains.organizations.networks)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
traffic_shapingClass[traffic_shaping]No

traffic_shaping (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance)

Section titled “traffic_shaping (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
global_bandwidth_limitsClass[global_bandwidth_limits]No
custom_performance_classesList[custom_performance_classes]No
rulesClass[rules]No
uplink_bandwidth_limitsClass[uplink_bandwidth_limits]No
uplink_selectionClass[uplink_selection]No
vpn_exclusionsClass[vpn_exclusions]No

global_bandwidth_limits (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping)

Section titled “global_bandwidth_limits (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
limit_upIntegermin: 0, max: 1000000No
limit_downIntegermin: 0, max: 1000000No

custom_performance_classes (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping)

Section titled “custom_performance_classes (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
nameStringmin: 1, max: 127No
max_latencyIntegermin: 1, max: 1000No
max_jitterIntegermin: 1, max: 1000No
max_loss_percentageIntegermin: 1, max: 100No

rules (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping)

Section titled “rules (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
rulesList[rules]No
default_rulesBooleantrue, falseNo

Section titled “uplink_bandwidth_limits (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
wan1Class[wan1]No
wan2Class[wan2]No
cellularClass[cellular]No

Section titled “uplink_selection (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
default_uplinkChoicewan1, wan2No
wan_traffic_uplink_preferencesList[wan_traffic_uplink_preferences]No
vpn_traffic_uplink_preferencesList[vpn_traffic_uplink_preferences]No
active_active_auto_vpnBooleantrue, falseNo
load_balancingBooleantrue, falseNo
failover_and_failback_immediateBooleantrue, falseNo

vpn_exclusions (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping)

Section titled “vpn_exclusions (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
customList[custom]No
major_applicationsListString[min: 1, max: 127]Yes

rules (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.rules)

Section titled “rules (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.rules)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
nameStringmin: 1, max: 127Yes
definitionsList[definitions]Yes
per_client_bandwidth_limitsClass[per_client_bandwidth_limits]No
dscp_tag_valueIntegermin: 0, max: 63No
priorityChoicelow, normal, highNo

Section titled “wan1 (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.uplink_bandwidth_limits)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
limit_upIntegermin: 0, max: 1000000No
limit_downIntegermin: 0, max: 1000000No

Section titled “wan2 (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.uplink_bandwidth_limits)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
limit_upIntegermin: 0, max: 1000000No
limit_downIntegermin: 0, max: 1000000No

Section titled “cellular (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.uplink_bandwidth_limits)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
limit_upIntegermin: 0, max: 1000000No
limit_downIntegermin: 0, max: 1000000No

Section titled “wan_traffic_uplink_preferences (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.uplink_selection)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
nameStringmin: 1, max: 127Yes
traffic_filtersList[traffic_filters]Yes
preferred_uplinkChoicewan1, wan2Yes

Section titled “vpn_traffic_uplink_preferences (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.uplink_selection)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
nameStringmin: 1, max: 127Yes
traffic_filtersList[traffic_filters]Yes
preferred_uplinkChoicebestForVoIP, defaultUplink, loadBalancing, wan1, wan2Yes
fail_over_criterionChoicepoorPerformance, uplinkDownNo
performance_classClass[performance_class]No

custom (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.vpn_exclusions)

Section titled “custom (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.vpn_exclusions)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
protocolChoiceany, dns, icmp, tcp, udpYes
destinationAnyString[matches: ^(([a-zA-Z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9-]{0,61}[a-zA-Z0-9])\.)+[a-zA-Z]{2,}$] or IPNo
portAnyInteger[min: 1, max: 65535] or String[matches: `(?:[1-9][0-9]3[1-5][0-9]46[0-4][0-9]3

definitions (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.rules.rules)

Section titled “definitions (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.rules.rules)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
typeChoiceapplication, applicationCategory, host, ipRange, localNet, portYes
valueStringmin: 1, max: 127Yes

per_client_bandwidth_limits (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.rules.rules)

Section titled “per_client_bandwidth_limits (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.rules.rules)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
settingsChoicenetwork default, ignore, customNo
bandwidth_limitsClass[bandwidth_limits]No

Section titled “traffic_filters (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.uplink_selection.wan_traffic_uplink_preferences)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
typeChoicecustomYes
valueClass[value]Yes

Section titled “traffic_filters (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.uplink_selection.vpn_traffic_uplink_preferences)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
typeChoiceapplication, applicationCategory, customYes
valueClass[value]Yes

Section titled “performance_class (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.uplink_selection.vpn_traffic_uplink_preferences)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
typeChoicebuiltin, customYes
builtin_performance_class_nameChoiceVoIPNo
custom_performance_class_nameStringNo

bandwidth_limits (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.rules.rules.per_client_bandwidth_limits)

Section titled “bandwidth_limits (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.rules.rules.per_client_bandwidth_limits)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
limit_upIntegermin: 0, max: 1000000No
limit_downIntegermin: 0, max: 1000000No

Section titled “value (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.uplink_selection.wan_traffic_uplink_preferences.traffic_filters)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
protocolChoiceany, icmp6, tcp, udpNo
sourceClass[source]Yes
destinationClass[destination]Yes

Section titled “value (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.uplink_selection.vpn_traffic_uplink_preferences.traffic_filters)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
idStringmin: 1, max: 127No
protocolChoiceany, icmp, icmp6, tcp, udpNo
sourceClass[source]No
destinationClass[destination]No

Section titled “source (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.uplink_selection.wan_traffic_uplink_preferences.traffic_filters.value)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
portAnyInteger[min: 0, max: 65535] or String[matches: `(?:[1-9][0-9]3[1-5][0-9]46[0-4][0-9]3
cidrStringRegex: ^(?i:any|(\d{1,3}\.){3}\d{1,3}(\/\d{1,2})?)(,(any|(\d{1,3}\.){3}\d{1,3}(\/\d{1,2})?))*$No
vlanAnyInteger[min: 1, max: 4094] or String[matches: `(?:[1-9][1-9][0-9][1-9][0-9]2
hostIntegermin: 1, max: 254No

Section titled “destination (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.uplink_selection.wan_traffic_uplink_preferences.traffic_filters.value)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
portAnyInteger[min: 0, max: 65535] or String[matches: `(?:[1-9][0-9]3[1-5][0-9]46[0-4][0-9]3
cidrStringRegex: ^(?i:any|(\d{1,3}\.){3}\d{1,3}(\/\d{1,2})?)(,(any|(\d{1,3}\.){3}\d{1,3}(\/\d{1,2})?))*$No

Section titled “source (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.uplink_selection.vpn_traffic_uplink_preferences.traffic_filters.value)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
portAnyInteger[min: 0, max: 65535] or String[matches: `(?:[1-9][0-9]3[1-5][0-9]46[0-4][0-9]3
cidrStringRegex: ^(?i:any|(\d{1,3}\.){3}\d{1,3}(\/\d{1,2})?)(,(any|(\d{1,3}\.){3}\d{1,3}(\/\d{1,2})?))*$No
networkStringmin: 1, max: 127No
vlanAnyInteger[min: 1, max: 4094] or String[matches: `(?:[1-9][1-9][0-9][1-9][0-9]2
hostIntegermin: 1, max: 254No

Section titled “destination (meraki.domains.organizations.networks.appliance.traffic_shaping.uplink_selection.vpn_traffic_uplink_preferences.traffic_filters.value)”
NameTypeConstraintMandatoryDefault Value
portAnyInteger[min: 0, max: 65535] or String[matches: `(?:[1-9][0-9]3[1-5][0-9]46[0-4][0-9]3
cidrStringRegex: ^(?i:any|(\d{1,3}\.){3}\d{1,3}(\/\d{1,2})?)(,(any|(\d{1,3}\.){3}\d{1,3}(\/\d{1,2})?))*$No
networkStringmin: 1, max: 127No
vlanAnyInteger[min: 1, max: 4094] or String[matches: `(?:[1-9][1-9][0-9][1-9][0-9]2
hostIntegermin: 1, max: 254No
fqdnStringmin: 1, max: 1024No

Examples

Section titled “Examples”

Example-1: Basic traffic shaping with bandwidth limits and application-based rules. Note that wan_traffic_uplink_preferences should not be used together with sdwan_internet_policies as they share the same API data and can override each other.

meraki:
  domains:
    - name: !env domain
      administrator:
        name: !env org_admin
      organizations:
        - name: !env org
          networks:
            - name: !env network_name
              product_types:
                - appliance
                - camera
                - switch
                - wireless
                - cellularGateway
              appliance:
                traffic_shaping:
                  global_bandwidth_limits:
                    limit_up: 10000
                    limit_down: 10000
                  custom_performance_classes:
                    - name: Radius
                      max_latency: 30
                      max_jitter: 30
                      max_loss_percentage: 5
                  rules:
                    default_rules: false
                    rules:
                      - name: Rule 01
                        definitions:
                          - type: applicationCategory
                            value: "meraki:layer7/category/24"
                          - type: application
                            value: meraki:layer7/application/332
                          - type: application
                            value: meraki:layer7/application/2249
                          - type: application
                            value: meraki:layer7/application/351
                          - type: application
                            value: meraki:layer7/application/2248
                          - type: application
                            value: meraki:layer7/application/2542
                        per_client_bandwidth_limits:
                          settings: custom
                          bandwidth_limits:
                            limit_up: 1000
                            limit_down: 1000
                        dscp_tag_value: 18
                        priority: high
                      - name: Rule 02
                        definitions:
                          - type: applicationCategory
                            value: "meraki:layer7/category/24"
                          - type: application
                            value: meraki:layer7/application/332
                        per_client_bandwidth_limits:
                          settings: ignore
                        dscp_tag_value: 18
                        priority: high
                      - name: Rule 03
                        definitions:
                          - type: host
                            value: google.com
                          - type: ipRange
                            value: 158.43.128.0/24
                          - type: localNet
                            value: 192.168.0.0/16
                          - type: port
                            value: "161"
                        per_client_bandwidth_limits:
                          settings: custom
                          bandwidth_limits:
                            limit_up: 1000
                            limit_down: 1000
                        dscp_tag_value: 18
                        priority: high
                  uplink_bandwidth_limits:
                    wan1:
                      limit_up: 700000
                      limit_down: 700000
                    wan2:
                      limit_up: 700000
                      limit_down: 700000
                  uplink_selection:
                    default_uplink: wan1
                    active_active_auto_vpn: true
                    load_balancing: true
                    failover_and_failback_immediate: true

Example-2: VPN traffic steering configuration with application-aware routing and performance classes for optimizing VPN traffic flow across different uplinks.

meraki:
  domains:
    - name: !env domain
      administrator:
        name: !env org_admin
      organizations:
        - name: !env org
          networks:
            - name: !env network_name
              product_types:
                - appliance
                - camera
                - switch
                - wireless
                - cellularGateway
              appliance:
                traffic_shaping:
                  custom_performance_classes:
                    - name: Radius
                      max_latency: 30
                      max_jitter: 30
                      max_loss_percentage: 5
                  uplink_selection:
                    default_uplink: wan1
                    vpn_traffic_uplink_preferences:
                      - name: policy 1
                        preferred_uplink: wan1
                        traffic_filters:
                          - type: application
                            value:
                              id: meraki:layer7/application/375
                          - type: "custom"
                            value:
                              protocol: any
                              source:
                                port: any
                                cidr: any
                              destination:
                                port: any
                                cidr: any
                        fail_over_criterion: poorPerformance
                        performance_class:
                          type: builtin
                          builtin_performance_class_name: VoIP
                      - name: policy 2
                        preferred_uplink: wan1
                        traffic_filters:
                          - type: application
                            value:
                              id: meraki:layer7/application/4
                          - type: "custom"
                            value:
                              protocol: any
                              source:
                                port: any
                                cidr: any
                              destination:
                                port: any
                                cidr: any
                        fail_over_criterion: poorPerformance
                        performance_class:
                          type: builtin
                          builtin_performance_class_name: VoIP
                      - name: policy 3
                        preferred_uplink: wan2
                        traffic_filters:
                          - type: applicationCategory
                            value:
                              id: meraki:layer7/category/3
                          - type: "custom"
                            value:
                              protocol: any
                              source:
                                port: any
                                cidr: any
                              destination:
                                port: any
                                cidr: any
                        fail_over_criterion: poorPerformance
                        performance_class:
                          type: custom
                          custom_performance_class_name: Radius

Example-3: Spoke VPN exclusions configuration for hub-and-spoke topologies. This allows specific applications to bypass the VPN tunnel and go directly to the internet, reducing latency for cloud services while maintaining security for internal traffic. Please note this can only be utilised with spoke networks.

meraki:
  domains:
    - name: !env domain
      administrator:
        name: !env org_admin
      organizations:
        - name: !env org
          networks:
            - name: !env network_name
              product_types:
                - appliance
                - camera
                - switch
                - wireless
                - cellularGateway
              appliance:
                traffic_shaping:
                  vpn_exclusions:
                    custom:
                      - name: VPN Exclusion 01
                        protocol: tcp
                        destination: zoom.us
                        port: 443
                      - name: VPN Exclusion 02
                        protocol: tcp
                        destination: office365.com
                        port: 443
                    major_applications:
                      - Zoom
                      - Webex