next-secure-headers

⛑️ Sets secure response headers for Next.js. 🌻

1// /next.config.js
2
3module.exports = {
4  async headers() {
5    return [{
6      source: "/(.*)",
7      headers: createSecureHeaders({
8        contentSecurityPolicy: {
9          directives: {
10            defaultSrc: "'self'",
11            styleSrc: ["'self'", "https://stackpath.bootstrapcdn.com"],
12          },
13        },
14        forceHTTPSRedirect: [true, { maxAge: 60 * 60 * 24 * 4, includeSubDomains: true }],
15        referrerPolicy: "same-origin",
16      })
17    }];
18  },
19};

Table of Contents

• Table of Contents
• Features
  • Why use next-secure-headers instead of Helmet?
    • next-secure-headers vs Helmet
• Quick Start
  • Requirements
  • Installation
  • Setup
    • Use createSecureHeaders in next.config.js (RECOMMENDED)
    • Use withSecureHeaders in page components
• Rules
  • forceHTTPSRedirect
  • frameGuard
  • noopen
  • nosniff
  • xssProtection
  • contentSecurityPolicy
  • expectCT
  • referrerPolicy
• API
  • createSecureHeaders
  • withSecureHeaders
  • createHeadersObject
• Recipes
  • How to remove X-Powered-By header
  • Overrides headers in a specific page using withSecureHeaders
• Contributing to next-secure-headers
• License

Features

FEATURES	WHAT YOU CAN DO
⚛️ Designed for Next.js	Use for next.config.js or page components in /pages
✨ Default applied rules	Help your project even if you don't have knowledge
🎩 Type Safe	You can use with TypeScript

Why use next-secure-headers instead of Helmet?

next-secure-headers is a similar to Helmet, which sets HTTP response headers related to security for Express.js.

Next.js supports to be used in Node.js frameworks such as Express.js. So you can use Helmet with your Next.js project if you create a custom server, but the Next.js development team does not recommend a custom server. Also, they are working to implement in order to be possible to use Next.js without a custom server. In fact, Next.js 9 supports Dynamic Routing, so we don't need to build a custom server in order to implement it using such as next-routes, which requires a custom server.

1// /next.config.js
2const { createSecureHeaders } = require("next-secure-headers");
3
4module.exports = {
5  async headers() {
6    return [{ source: "/(.*)", headers: createSecureHeaders() }];
7  },
8};

If you want to use Helmet, it requires to use a custom server against a recommended way. To solve this problem, next-secure-headers was born. next-secure-headers is built for Next.js project so that you can specify any headers in next.config.js or page components.

next-secure-headers vs Helmet

The following are rules next-secure-headers has and Helmet has. next-secure-headers is inspired by Helmet, but it doesn't have some rules for some reason.

	next-secure-headers	Helmet	Comment
Strict-Transport-Security	forceHTTPSRedirect	hsts
X-Frame-Options	frameGuard	frameguard
X-Download-Options	noopen	ieNoOpen
X-Content-Type-Options	nosniff	noSniff
X-XSS-Protection	xssProtection	xssFilter
Content-Security-Policy	contentSecurityPolicy	contentSecurityPolicy
Expect-CT	expectCT	expectCt
Referrer-Policy	referrerPolicy	referrerPolicy
X-DNS-Prefetch-Control	-	dnsPrefetchControl	This has privacy implications but this improves performance.
Feature-Policy	-	featurePolicy	Feature Policy improves security but it is working draft yet.
X-Powered-By	-	hidePoweredBy	Next.js supports to remove this header in next.config.js.
Related to cache	-	nocache	As Helmet said, caching has lots of benefits.
X-Permitted-Cross-Domain-Policies	-	crossdomain	Adobe Flash is one of old web technologies.

Quick Start

Requirements

• npm or Yarn
• Node.js 10.0.0 or higher
• Next.js 8.0.0 or higher

Installation

1$ npm install -D next-secure-headers

If you are using Yarn, use the following command.

1$ yarn add -D next-secure-headers

❗️ For withSecureHeaders . If you want to use withSecureHeaders , you have to install without -D option (i.e., installing as dependencies not devDependencies ).

Setup

There are two ways to specify headers. One is to use createSecureHeaders in next.config.js , and another is to use withSecureHeaders in page components.

Use createSecureHeaders in next.config.js (RECOMMENDED)

❗️ Next.js 9.5 or higher is required. headers function has been supported since Next.js 9.5, so you have to use Next.js 9.5 or higher if you want to use this way.

🤔 For Next.js 10 and I18n routes. If your project uses Next.js 10 and built-in I18n routes, and you want to apply rules for all pages, you have to specify "/:path*" to source property instead of "/(.*)" . Conversely, if your project doesn't use I18n routes even if using Next.js 10, you have to specify "/(.*)" instead. These limitations are maybe bugs in Next.js .

This way uses createSecureHeaders function and a built-in header configuration way by Next.js. This is not required any servers, can be used in static pages, and can retain Automatic Static Optimization. If your project does not use any servers (using static pages or SSG) or you have just created a Next.js project, I recommend retaining static pages and adopting this way.

Import createSecureHeaders from next-secure-headers and use it in headers async function in next.config.js .

1// /next.config.js
2const { createSecureHeaders } = require("next-secure-headers");
3
4module.exports = {
5  async headers() {
6    return [{ source: "/(.*)", headers: createSecureHeaders() }];
7  },
8};

By default, next-secure-headers applies some rules. If you want to enable or disable rules, you can give options to the first argument of the function.

1module.exports = {
2  async headers() {
3    return [{
4      source: "/(.*)",
5      headers: createSecureHeaders({
6        contentSecurityPolicy: {
7          directives: {
8            defaultSrc: "'self'",
9            styleSrc: ["'self'", "https://stackpath.bootstrapcdn.com"],
10          },
11        },
12        forceHTTPSRedirect: [true, { maxAge: 60 * 60 * 24 * 4, includeSubDomains: true }],
13        referrerPolicy: "same-origin",
14      }),
15    }];
16  },
17};

Also, you can configure different headers by URLs following the official documents.

Use withSecureHeaders in page components

❗️ Servers are required. This way requires any servers because withSecureHeaders uses getServerSideProps of Next.js.

Use an exported function for your Next.js application in /pages/_app.tsx . Also, you can use in any page components in /pages/xxx.tsx instead.

1// /pages/_app.tsx
2import { withSecureHeaders } from "next-secure-headers";
3
4class Application extends App {
5  ...
6}
7
8export default withSecureHeaders()(Application);

By default, next-secure-headers applies some rules. If you want to enable or disable rules, you can give options to the first argument of the function.

1export default withSecureHeaders({
2  contentSecurityPolicy: {
3    directives: {
4      defaultSrc: "'self'",
5      styleSrc: ["'self'", "https://stackpath.bootstrapcdn.com"],
6    },
7  },
8  forceHTTPSRedirect: [true, { maxAge: 60 * 60 * 24 * 4, includeSubDomains: true }],
9  referrerPolicy: "same-origin",
10})(Application);

Rules

forceHTTPSRedirect

1{
2  forceHTTPSRedirect: boolean | [true, Partial<{ maxAge: number; includeSubDomains: boolean; preload: boolean }>];
3}

Default Value	MDN
[true, { maxAge: 63072000 }]	https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/HTTP/Headers/Strict-Transport-Security

This is to set "Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS)" header and it's to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks during redirects from HTTP to HTTPS. To enable this is highly recommended if you use HTTPS (SSL) on your servers.

You can give true if you want to enable this rule, or you can specify options by giving [true, OPTION_OBJECT] . By default, this sets max-age to two years (63,072,000 seconds).

frameGuard

1{
2  frameGuard: false | "deny" | "sameorigin" | ["allow-from", { uri: string | URL }];
3}

Default Value	MDN
"deny"	https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/HTTP/Headers/X-Frame-Options

This is to set "X-Frame-Options" header and it's to prevent clickjacking attacks. "deny" is highly recommended if you don't use frame elements such as iframe .

noopen

1{
2  noopen: false | "noopen";
3}

Default Value	MDN
"noopen"	https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/HTTP/Headers/X-Download-Options

This is to set "X-Download-Options" header and it's to prevent to open downloaded files automatically for IE8+ (MIME Handling attacks).

nosniff

1{
2  nosniff: false | "nosniff";
3}

Default Value	MDN
"nosniff"	https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/HTTP/Headers/X-Content-Type-Options

This is to set "X-Content-Type-Options" header and it's to prevent MIME Sniffing attacks.

xssProtection

1{
2  xssProtection: false | "sanitize" | "block-rendering" | ["report", { uri: string | URL }];
3}

Default Value	MDN
"sanitize"	https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/HTTP/Headers/X-XSS-Protection

This is to set "X-XSS-Protection" header and it's to prevent XSS attacks.

If you specify "sanitize" , this sets the header to "1" and browsers will sanitize unsafe area. If you specify "block-rendering" , this sets the header to "1; mode=block" and browsers will block rendering a page. "X-XSS-Protection" blocks many XSS attacks, but Content Security Policy is recommended to use compared to this.

contentSecurityPolicy

1{
2  contentSecurityPolicy:
3    | false
4    | {
5        directives:
6          & Partial<{
7            childSrc: string | string[];
8            connectSrc: string | string[];
9            defaultSrc: string | string[];
10            fontSrc: string | string[];
11            frameSrc: string | string[];
12            imgSrc: string | string[];
13            manifestSrc: string | string[];
14            mediaSrc: string | string[];
15            prefetchSrc: string | string[];
16            objectSrc: string | string[];
17            scriptSrc: string | string[];
18            scriptSrcElem: string | string[];
19            scriptSrcAttr: string | string[];
20            styleSrc: string | string[];
21            styleSrcElem: string | string[];
22            styleSrcAttr: string | string[];
23            workerSrc: string | string[];
24          }>
25          & Partial<{
26            baseURI: string | string[];
27            pluginTypes: string | string[];
28            sandbox:
29              | true
30              | "allow-downloads-without-user-activation"
31              | "allow-forms"
32              | "allow-modals"
33              | "allow-orientation-lock"
34              | "allow-pointer-lock"
35              | "allow-popups"
36              | "allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"
37              | "allow-presentation"
38              | "allow-same-origin"
39              | "allow-scripts"
40              | "allow-storage-access-by-user-activation"
41              | "allow-top-navigation"
42              | "allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation";
43          }>
44          & Partial<{
45            formAction: string | string[];
46            frameAncestors: string | string[];
47            navigateTo: string | string[];
48            reportURI: string | URL | (string | URL)[];
49            reportTo: string;
50          }>;
51        reportOnly?: boolean;
52      };
53}

Default Value	MDN
false	https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/HTTP/Headers/Content-Security-Policy

This is to set "Content-Security-Policy" or "Content-Security-Policy-Report-Only" header and it's to prevent to load and execute non-allowed resources.

If you give true to reportOnly , this sets "Content-Security-Policy-Report-Only" to value instead of "Content-Security-Policy".

Also you can specify directives using chain-case names such as child-src instead of childSrc .

❗️ When setting frameAncestors :X-Frame-Options takes priority. Section "Relation to X-Frame-Options" of the CSP Spec says: "If a resource is delivered with a policy that includes a directive named frame-ancestors and whose disposition is "enforce", then the X-Frame-Options header MUST be ignored", but Chrome 40 & Firefox 35 ignore the frame-ancestors directive and follow the X-Frame-Options header instead.

Therefore, if setting frameAncestors you should set frameGuard to false.

expectCT

1{
2  expectCT: boolean | [true, Partial<{ maxAge: number; enforce: boolean; reportURI: string | URL }>];
3}

Default Value	MDN
false	https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/HTTP/Headers/Expect-CT

This is to set "Expect-CT" header and it's to tell browsers to expect Certificate Transparency.

referrerPolicy

1{
2  referrerPolicy:
3    | false
4    | "no-referrer" | "no-referrer-when-downgrade" | "origin" | "origin-when-cross-origin" | "same-origin" | "strict-origin" | "strict-origin-when-cross-origin"
5    | ("no-referrer" | "no-referrer-when-downgrade" | "origin" | "origin-when-cross-origin" | "same-origin" | "strict-origin" | "strict-origin-when-cross-origin")[];
6}

Default Value	MDN
false	https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/HTTP/Headers/Referrer-Policy

This is to set "Referrer-Policy" header and it's to prevent to be got referrer by other servers. You can specify one or more values for legacy browsers which does not support a specific value.

API

createSecureHeaders

1import { createSecureHeaders } from "next-secure-headers";
2
3createSecureHeaders({ referrerPolicy: "same-origin" });
4// [
5//   {
6//     key: "Referrer-Policy",
7//     value: "same-origin",
8//   },
9// ]

createSecureHeaders is a function to return headers as object following a format like { key, value } .

1createSecureHeaders(OPTIONS);

The first argument accepts options for rules.

withSecureHeaders

1import { withSecureHeaders } from "next-secure-headers";
2
3export default withSecureHeaders({ referrerPolicy: "same-origin" })(Page);

withSecureHeaders is a HOC to specify headers using getServerSideProps . You can use this function for application ( /pages/_app.tsx ) and page components ( /pages/xxx.tsx ). THIS IS NOT AVAILBLE IN next.config.js .

1withSecureHeaders(OPTIONS)(APPLICATION_OR_COMPONENT);

The first argument accepts options for rules, and the argument of the returned function accepts application or page components. The returned value is a new React component.

createHeadersObject

1import { createHeadersObject } from "next-secure-headers";
2
3createHeadersObject({ referrerPolicy: "same-origin" });
4// {
5//   "Referrer-Policy": "same-origin",
6// }

createHeadersObject is a function to return headers as object.

1createHeadersObject(OPTIONS);

The first argument accepts options for rules.

Recipes

How to remove X-Powered-By header

In general, X-Powered-By HTTP response header should be removed from response headers because it helps hackers to get the server information.

next-secure-headers does not support to remove X-Powered-By header, but Next.js supports to do.

1// next.config.js
2module.exports = {
3  poweredByHeader: false,
4};

If you give false to poweredByHeader in next.config.js , Next.js removes the header from response headers.

Overrides headers in a specific page using withSecureHeaders

1// /pages/_app.tsx
2export default withSecureHeaders({ referrerPolicy: "same-origin" })(Application);
3
4// /pages/about.tsx
5export default withSecureHeaders({ referrerPolicy: "no-referrer-when-downgrade" })(Page);
6// But actually the server responds "same-origin"...

next-secure-headers does not support to override response headers in child page components because of being restricted by Next.js architecture.

1// /config/secure-headers.ts
2import { withSecureHeaders } from "next-secure-headers";
3
4export const secureHeadersDefaultOption: Parameters<typeof withSecureHeaders>[0] = {
5  referrerPolicy: "same-origin",
6};
7
8// /pages/_app.tsx
9import { secureHeadersDefaultOption } from "../config/secure-headers";
10
11export default withSecureHeaders(secureHeadersDefaultOption)(Application);
12
13// /pages/about.tsx
14export default withSecureHeaders({
15  ...secureHeadersDefaultOption,
16  referrerPolicy: "no-referrer-when-downgrade",
17})(Page);

To solve this, you should define the option as one module, then you should import and merge the object.

Contributing to next-secure-headers

Bug reports and pull requests are welcome on GitHub at https://github.com/jagaapple/next-secure-headers. This project is intended to be a safe, welcoming space for collaboration, and contributors are expected to adhere to the Contributor Covenant code of conduct.

Please read Contributing Guidelines before development and contributing.

License

The library is available as open source under the terms of the MIT License.

Copyright 2020 Jaga Apple. All rights reserved.