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Security is a critical concern in web development, especially when building APIs or web applications that interact with users over the internet. In Node.js, Helmet is a popular middleware that helps secure your app by setting various HTTP headers.
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This guide will explain what Helmet is, how it works, and how to use it to protect your Node.js application from common security vulnerabilities.
What is Helmet?
Helmet is a collection of middleware functions for Express.js applications that automatically set HTTP headers in ways that help protect your application from several web vulnerabilities. By using Helmet, you can mitigate the risks of attacks such as:
- Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
- Clickjacking
- Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
- MIME-sniffing
While Helmet doesn’t make your app 100% secure on its own, it serves as an important part of a comprehensive security strategy.
Why Use Helmet?
Helmet helps protect against a wide range of potential security threats by setting secure HTTP headers. Here are some of the vulnerabilities that Helmet addresses: