secure
A Go HTTP middleware that provides essential security headers and protections for web applications.
What is secure?
Secure is a Go HTTP middleware package that helps developers implement essential web security protections. It provides configurable security headers, host validation, HTTPS enforcement, and other security features that can be easily integrated into Go web applications. The middleware helps prevent common web vulnerabilities like clickjacking, XSS attacks, and protocol downgrades.
Go developers building web applications who need to implement security best practices with minimal configuration. It's particularly useful for developers using frameworks like Chi, Echo, Gin, or Gorilla Mux who want to add security headers without writing custom middleware.
Secure offers a comprehensive, battle-tested solution for web security in Go applications with sensible defaults and extensive customization options. Unlike piecing together individual security measures, it provides a unified middleware that's framework-agnostic and follows security best practices out of the box.
Overview
HTTP middleware for Go that facilitates some quick security wins.
Use Cases
Best For
- Adding security headers to Go web applications
- Enforcing HTTPS across an entire application
- Implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) in Go
- Preventing clickjacking with X-Frame-Options
- Restricting access to specific hostnames
- Securing Go applications behind reverse proxies
Not Ideal For
- Projects using non-Go web frameworks or programming languages
- Applications requiring dynamic, per-request security policy changes beyond static configuration
- Teams needing built-in security auditing, logging, or advanced threat detection features
- High-performance microservices where middleware overhead must be minimized
Pros & Cons
Pros
Integrates seamlessly with popular Go frameworks like Chi, Echo, Gin, and Gorilla Mux, as shown in the README's extensive examples, making it easy to add to existing projects.
Covers a broad range of security headers including CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options, and newer ones like PermissionsPolicy, with customizable values to meet modern web standards.
The IsDevelopment option disables restrictive features like HTTPS redirects and host validation during local work, preventing workflow interruptions, as highlighted in the README.
Offers sensible out-of-the-box configurations while allowing extensive customization through options, such as custom handlers and request functions, enabling both quick wins and fine-grained control.
Cons
With over 20 configuration options, setting up Secure can be verbose and error-prone, especially for developers new to web security, as seen in the lengthy options list.
Limited to Go applications, making it unsuitable for projects using other programming languages or needing cross-stack security solutions, which restricts its applicability.
Security policies are defined at middleware initialization; dynamic adjustments per request require implementing custom AllowRequestFunc, adding complexity for advanced use cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
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