Fix Security Misconfiguration in AdonisJS

AdonisJS is a high-performance framework, but default configurations or 'lazy' development settings can turn it into a reconnaissance goldmine. Security misconfigurations—specifically active debug modes in production and disabled Shield middleware—leak stack traces, environment variables, and expose endpoints to Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF). A hardened AdonisJS instance requires strict environment parity and a locked-down security provider.

The Vulnerable Pattern

// .env
NODE_ENV=development
APP_DEBUG=true
APP_KEY=some-weak-default-key
// config/shield.ts
export const shieldConfig: ShieldConfig = {
csp: { enabled: false },
csrf: { enabled: false }, // CRITICAL: CSRF protection disabled
xss: { enabled: false },
hsts: { enabled: false },
}

The Secure Implementation

The fix targets three critical layers: 1. Environment Hardening: Setting APP_DEBUG to false prevents the 'Youch' error handler from leaking source code and internal variables on 500 errors. 2. Shield Middleware: Enabling CSRF protection with 'httpOnly' and 'secure' flags prevents attackers from performing unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. 3. Security Headers: Enabling CSP, XSS protection, and HSTS via AdonisJS Shield adds defense-in-depth against script injection and protocol downgrade attacks. Always ensure NODE_ENV is set to production to trigger framework-level security optimizations.

// .env
NODE_ENV=production
APP_DEBUG=false
APP_KEY=GENERATED_SECURE_32_CHAR_KEY
// config/shield.ts
export const shieldConfig: ShieldConfig = {
csp: { enabled: true, directives: { defaultSrc: [“‘self’”] } },
csrf: {
enabled: true,
methods: [‘POST’, ‘PUT’, ‘DELETE’, ‘PATCH’],
cookieOptions: { httpOnly: true, sameSite: ‘lax’, secure: true },
},
xss: { enabled: true },
hsts: { enabled: true, maxAge: ‘180 days’, includeSubDomains: true },
}