Security audit patterns for FastAPI applications covering authentication dependencies, CORS configuration, and middleware security.
</overview> <vulnerabilities>Core Risks to Check
Missing Auth on Routes
FastAPI expects authentication/authorization via dependencies on routes or routers. If no Depends()/Security() usage exists, review every route for unintended public access.
from fastapi import Depends, Security
@app.get("/private")
async def private_route(user=Depends(get_current_user)):
return {"ok": True}
@app.get("/scoped")
async def scoped_route(user=Security(get_current_user, scopes=["items"])):
return {"ok": True}
API Key Schemes
If using API keys, SHOULD prefer header-based schemes (APIKeyHeader) and validate the key server-side.
from fastapi import Depends, FastAPI
from fastapi.security import APIKeyHeader
api_key = APIKeyHeader(name="x-api-key")
@app.get("/items")
async def read_items(key: str = Depends(api_key)):
return {"key": key}
CORS: Avoid Wildcards with Credentials
Using allow_origins=["*"] excludes credentialed requests (cookies/Authorization). For authenticated browser clients, MUST explicitly list allowed origins.
from fastapi.middleware.cors import CORSMiddleware
app.add_middleware(
CORSMiddleware,
allow_origins=["https://app.example.com"],
allow_credentials=True,
allow_methods=["*"],
allow_headers=["*"],
)
Host Header and HTTPS Enforcement
SHOULD use Starlette middleware to prevent host-header attacks and enforce HTTPS in production.
from starlette.middleware.trustedhost import TrustedHostMiddleware
from starlette.middleware.httpsredirect import HTTPSRedirectMiddleware
app.add_middleware(TrustedHostMiddleware, allowed_hosts=["example.com", "*.example.com"])
app.add_middleware(HTTPSRedirectMiddleware)
</vulnerabilities>
<commands>
Quick Audit Commands
# Detect FastAPI usage
rg -n "fastapi" pyproject.toml requirements*.txt
# Find routes
rg -n "@app\.(get|post|put|patch|delete)" . -g "*.py"
# Check for auth dependencies
rg -n "Depends\(|Security\(" . -g "*.py"
# CORS config and wildcards
rg -n "CORSMiddleware|allow_origins|allow_credentials" . -g "*.py"
# TrustedHost/HTTPS middleware
rg -n "TrustedHostMiddleware|HTTPSRedirectMiddleware" . -g "*.py"
</commands>
<checklist>
Hardening Checklist
- [ ] All sensitive routes require
Depends()orSecurity()auth dependencies - [ ] API key schemes use headers (
APIKeyHeader), not query params - [ ]
allow_originsis explicit whenallow_credentials=True - [ ]
TrustedHostMiddlewareconfigured for production domains - [ ]
HTTPSRedirectMiddlewareenabled in production (or enforced by proxy)
Scripts
scripts/scan.sh- First-pass FastAPI security scan