---
title: req.backend.is_shield
summary: null
url: >-
  https://www.fastly.com/documentation/reference/vcl/variables/backend-connection/req-backend-is-shield
---

**Type:** BOOL  
**Access:** read-only

**Available in:** all subroutines

Indicates whether the backend currently assigned to the request is a Fastly Shield POP.

[Shielding](https://www.fastly.com/documentation/guides/concepts/shielding) directs traffic from the Fastly POPs closest to the end user to the Fastly POP closest to your origin server, before they are finally forwarded onward to your servers.  It is therefore possible for a resource to be fetched from a backend that is another Fastly POP.  When this is the case, `req.backend.is_shield` will be `true` and `req.backend.is_origin` will be `false`.

Conversely, if a request is being forwarded from Fastly to a server outside of the Fastly network, `req.backend.is_shield` will  be `false` and `req.backend.is_origin` will be `true`.

> **WARNING:** The value of this variable depends on a backend having already been assigned to `req.backend`. [VCL snippets](https://www.fastly.com/documentation/guides/vcl/using/#vcl-snippets) run before the default backend assignment, so in `vcl_recv` this variable is only effective if you are using [custom VCL](https://www.fastly.com/documentation/guides/vcl/using/#custom-vcl) and your custom VCL code is inserted after the `#FASTLY recv` macro.  In subroutines other than `vcl_recv`, snippets can be used, and in general, the best place to interact with this variable is in `vcl_miss` and `vcl_pass`.