ComparisonAWS Bedrock Guardrails
Policy Gateway vs AWS Bedrock Guardrails
AWS-native filters vs full policy control.
Amazon Bedrock Guardrails provide content filters, denied topics, word filters, sensitive information filters, and contextual grounding checks to block or mask harmful content. Policy Gateway adds policy-as-code, audits, and OpenAI-compatible enforcement.
Feature Comparison
| Capability | AWS Bedrock Guardrails | Policy Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Guardrail controls | Content filters, denied topics, word filters, sensitive info filters, contextual grounding checks. | Policy-as-code rules, allow/deny lists, and response patterns. |
| Sensitive info handling | Block or mask sensitive data such as PII. | Redact PII with structured reason codes. |
| Action modes | Block, detect-only, or mask sensitive info. | Allow / Rewrite / Redact / Escalate / Refuse. |
| Customization surface | Denied topics and custom word lists. | Full policy engine with JSON policy configuration. |
| Scope | Guardrails applied to Amazon Bedrock model interactions. | OpenAI-compatible gateway for any client or app. |
Choose Bedrock Guardrails when
- Your models run on Amazon Bedrock and you want AWS-native guardrails
- You need content filters, denied topics, and word filters out of the box
- You want detect or block modes within the Bedrock runtime
Choose Policy Gateway when
- You need provider-agnostic governance across apps and teams
- You want rewrite/redact/escalate actions beyond block-only filters
- You need audit log exports for SIEM and compliance reporting
Move from filters to policy enforcement
Centralize governance rules in Policy Gateway while keeping your existing client code and workflows.
1
Route traffic through the gateway Send requests to the Policy Gateway endpoint for enforcement.
2
Define policy-as-code Configure categories, quotas, and response patterns per project.
3
Audit every decision Stream decision metadata to Splunk, Datadog, or S3.
Need enterprise-grade AI governance?
See how Policy Gateway adds audit trails, rollouts, and quotas in minutes.