feat(core): Setup helmet.js for setting security headers (#9027)

packages/cli/package.json

@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@
     "@types/basic-auth": "^1.1.3",
     "@types/bcryptjs": "^2.4.2",
     "@types/compression": "1.0.1",
-    "@types/connect-history-api-fallback": "^1.3.1",
     "@types/convict": "^6.1.1",
     "@types/cookie-parser": "^1.4.2",
     "@types/express": "^4.17.21",
@@ -115,7 +114,6 @@
     "class-transformer": "0.5.1",
     "class-validator": "0.14.0",
     "compression": "1.7.4",
-    "connect-history-api-fallback": "1.6.0",
     "convict": "6.2.4",
     "cookie-parser": "1.4.6",
     "csrf": "3.1.0",
@@ -132,6 +130,7 @@
     "formidable": "3.5.1",
     "google-timezones-json": "1.1.0",
     "handlebars": "4.7.8",
+    "helmet": "7.1.0",
     "infisical-node": "1.3.0",
     "inquirer": "7.3.3",
     "ioredis": "5.3.2",

packages/cli/src/AbstractServer.ts

@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ export abstract class AbstractServer {
 
 	protected externalHooks: ExternalHooks;
 
-	protected protocol: string;
+	protected protocol = config.getEnv('protocol');
 
 	protected sslKey: string;
 
@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@ export abstract class AbstractServer {
 		const proxyHops = config.getEnv('proxy_hops');
 		if (proxyHops > 0) this.app.set('trust proxy', proxyHops);
 
-		this.protocol = config.getEnv('protocol');
 		this.sslKey = config.getEnv('ssl_key');
 		this.sslCert = config.getEnv('ssl_cert');
 

packages/cli/src/Server.ts

@@ -6,20 +6,16 @@
 import { Container, Service } from 'typedi';
 import { exec as callbackExec } from 'child_process';
 import { access as fsAccess } from 'fs/promises';
-import { join as pathJoin } from 'path';
 import { promisify } from 'util';
 import cookieParser from 'cookie-parser';
 import express from 'express';
+import helmet from 'helmet';
 import { engine as expressHandlebars } from 'express-handlebars';
-import type { ServeStaticOptions } from 'serve-static';
-
 import { type Class, InstanceSettings } from 'n8n-core';
-
 import type { IN8nUISettings } from 'n8n-workflow';
 
 // @ts-ignore
 import timezones from 'google-timezones-json';
-import history from 'connect-history-api-fallback';
 
 import config from '@/config';
 import { Queue } from '@/Queue';
@@ -31,6 +27,7 @@ import {
 	inE2ETests,
 	N8N_VERSION,
 	TEMPLATES_DIR,
+	Time,
 } from '@/constants';
 import { CredentialsController } from '@/credentials/credentials.controller';
 import type { APIRequest, CurlHelper } from '@/requests';
@@ -248,30 +245,6 @@ export class Server extends AbstractServer {
 		const { restEndpoint, app } = this;
 		setupPushHandler(restEndpoint, app);
 
-		const nonUIRoutes: Readonly<string[]> = [
-			'assets',
-			'healthz',
-			'metrics',
-			'e2e',
-			this.restEndpoint,
-			this.endpointPresetCredentials,
-			isApiEnabled() ? '' : publicApiEndpoint,
-			...config.getEnv('endpoints.additionalNonUIRoutes').split(':'),
-		].filter((u) => !!u);
-		const nonUIRoutesRegex = new RegExp(`^/(${nonUIRoutes.join('|')})/?.*$`);
-
-		// Make sure that Vue history mode works properly
-		this.app.use(
-			history({
-				rewrites: [
-					{
-						from: nonUIRoutesRegex,
-						to: ({ parsedUrl }) => parsedUrl.pathname!.toString(),
-					},
-				],
-			}),
-		);
-
 		if (config.getEnv('executions.mode') === 'queue') {
 			await Container.get(Queue).init();
 		}
@@ -381,19 +354,10 @@ export class Server extends AbstractServer {
 			);
 		}
 
+		const maxAge = Time.days.toMilliseconds;
+		const cacheOptions = inE2ETests ? {} : { maxAge };
 		const { staticCacheDir } = Container.get(InstanceSettings);
 		if (frontendService) {
-			const staticOptions: ServeStaticOptions = {
-				cacheControl: false,
-				setHeaders: (res: express.Response, path: string) => {
-					const isIndex = path === pathJoin(staticCacheDir, 'index.html');
-					const cacheControl = isIndex
-						? 'no-cache, no-store, must-revalidate'
-						: 'max-age=86400, immutable';
-					res.header('Cache-Control', cacheControl);
-				},
-			};
-
 			const serveIcons: express.RequestHandler = async (req, res) => {
 				// eslint-disable-next-line prefer-const
 				let { scope, packageName } = req.params;
@@ -402,7 +366,7 @@ export class Server extends AbstractServer {
 				if (filePath) {
 					try {
 						await fsAccess(filePath);
-						return res.sendFile(filePath);
+						return res.sendFile(filePath, cacheOptions);
 					} catch {}
 				}
 				res.sendStatus(404);
@@ -411,19 +375,68 @@ export class Server extends AbstractServer {
 			this.app.use('/icons/@:scope/:packageName/*/*.(svg|png)', serveIcons);
 			this.app.use('/icons/:packageName/*/*.(svg|png)', serveIcons);
 
+			const isTLSEnabled = this.protocol === 'https' && !!(this.sslKey && this.sslCert);
+			const isPreviewMode = process.env.N8N_PREVIEW_MODE === 'true';
+			const securityHeadersMiddleware = helmet({
+				contentSecurityPolicy: false,
+				xFrameOptions: isPreviewMode || inE2ETests ? false : { action: 'sameorigin' },
+				dnsPrefetchControl: false,
+				// This is only relevant for Internet-explorer, which we do not support
+				ieNoOpen: false,
+				// This is already disabled in AbstractServer
+				xPoweredBy: false,
+				// Enable HSTS headers only when n8n handles TLS.
+				// if n8n is behind a reverse-proxy, then these headers needs to be configured there
+				strictTransportSecurity: isTLSEnabled
+					? {
+							maxAge: 180 * Time.days.toSeconds,
+							includeSubDomains: false,
+							preload: false,
+						}
+					: false,
+			});
+
+			// Route all UI urls to index.html to support history-api
+			const nonUIRoutes: Readonly<string[]> = [
+				'assets',
+				'types',
+				'healthz',
+				'metrics',
+				'e2e',
+				this.restEndpoint,
+				this.endpointPresetCredentials,
+				isApiEnabled() ? '' : publicApiEndpoint,
+				...config.getEnv('endpoints.additionalNonUIRoutes').split(':'),
+			].filter((u) => !!u);
+			const nonUIRoutesRegex = new RegExp(`^/(${nonUIRoutes.join('|')})/?.*$`);
+			const historyApiHandler: express.RequestHandler = (req, res, next) => {
+				const {
+					method,
+					headers: { accept },
+				} = req;
+				if (
+					method === 'GET' &&
+					accept &&
+					(accept.includes('text/html') || accept.includes('*/*')) &&
+					!nonUIRoutesRegex.test(req.path)
+				) {
+					res.setHeader('Cache-Control', 'no-cache, no-store, must-revalidate');
+					securityHeadersMiddleware(req, res, () => {
+						res.sendFile('index.html', { root: staticCacheDir, maxAge, lastModified: true });
+					});
+				} else {
+					next();
+				}
+			};
+
 			this.app.use(
 				'/',
-				express.static(staticCacheDir),
+				express.static(staticCacheDir, cacheOptions),
-				express.static(EDITOR_UI_DIST_DIR, staticOptions),
+				express.static(EDITOR_UI_DIST_DIR, cacheOptions),
+				historyApiHandler,
 			);
-
-			const startTime = new Date().toUTCString();
-			this.app.use('/index.html', (req, res, next) => {
-				res.setHeader('Last-Modified', startTime);
-				next();
-			});
 		} else {
-			this.app.use('/', express.static(staticCacheDir));
+			this.app.use('/', express.static(staticCacheDir, cacheOptions));
 		}
 	}
 

pnpm-lock.yaml

@@ -544,9 +544,6 @@ importers:
       compression:
         specifier: 1.7.4
         version: 1.7.4
-      connect-history-api-fallback:
-        specifier: 1.6.0
-        version: 1.6.0
       convict:
         specifier: 6.2.4
         version: 6.2.4
@@ -595,6 +592,9 @@ importers:
       handlebars:
         specifier: 4.7.8
         version: 4.7.8
+      helmet:
+        specifier: 7.1.0
+        version: 7.1.0
       infisical-node:
         specifier: 1.3.0
         version: 1.3.0
@@ -764,9 +764,6 @@ importers:
       '@types/compression':
         specifier: 1.0.1
         version: 1.0.1
-      '@types/connect-history-api-fallback':
-        specifier: ^1.3.1
-        version: 1.3.5
       '@types/convict':
         specifier: ^6.1.1
         version: 6.1.1
@@ -9555,13 +9552,6 @@ packages:
       '@types/node': 18.16.16
     dev: true
 
-  /@types/connect-history-api-fallback@1.3.5:
-    resolution: {integrity: sha512-h8QJa8xSb1WD4fpKBDcATDNGXghFj6/3GRWG6dhmRcu0RX1Ubasur2Uvx5aeEwlf0MwblEC2bMzzMQntxnw/Cw==}
-    dependencies:
-      '@types/express-serve-static-core': 4.17.43
-      '@types/node': 18.16.16
-    dev: true
-
   /@types/connect@3.4.35:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-cdeYyv4KWoEgpBISTxWvqYsVy444DOqehiF3fM3ne10AmJ62RSyNkUnxMJXHQWRQQX2eR94m5y1IZyDwBjV9FQ==}
     dependencies:
@@ -13027,11 +13017,6 @@ packages:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-JsPKdmh8ZkmnHxDk55FZ1TqVLvEQTvoByJZRN9jzI0UjxK/QgAmsphz7PGtqgPieQZ/CQcHWXCR7ATDNhGe+YA==}
     dev: true
 
-  /connect-history-api-fallback@1.6.0:
-    resolution: {integrity: sha512-e54B99q/OUoH64zYYRf3HBP5z24G38h5D3qXu23JGRoigpX5Ss4r9ZnDk3g0Z8uQC2x2lPaJ+UlWBc1ZWBWdLg==}
-    engines: {node: '>=0.8'}
-    dev: false
-
   /consola@3.2.3:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-I5qxpzLv+sJhTVEoLYNcTW+bThDCPsit0vLNKShZx6rLtpilNpmmeTPaeqJb9ZE9dV3DGaeby6Vuhrw38WjeyQ==}
     engines: {node: ^14.18.0 || >=16.10.0}
@@ -16404,6 +16389,11 @@ packages:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-2bsegYkkHO+h/9MGbn6KWcE45cHZgPANo5LXF7EvWdT0yT2EguSVO1nDgU5c8+ZOPwp2vMNa7YFsJhVcDR9Sdg==}
     dev: false
 
+  /helmet@7.1.0:
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-g+HZqgfbpXdCkme/Cd/mZkV0aV3BZZZSugecH03kl38m/Kmdx8jKjBikpDj2cr+Iynv4KpYEviojNdTJActJAg==}
+    engines: {node: '>=16.0.0'}
+    dev: false
+
   /help-me@4.2.0:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-TAOnTB8Tz5Dw8penUuzHVrKNKlCIbwwbHnXraNJxPwf8LRtE2HlM84RYuezMFcwOJmoYOCWVDyJ8TQGxn9PgxA==}
     dependencies: