Next.js Security Checklist

Use this checklist before shipping a Next.js app to production. Each item is a concrete action, not a vague principle.

Headers

• Content-Security-Policy is set with script-src restricted (no unsafe-inline without nonces)
• X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff is set
• X-Frame-Options: DENY is set (or use CSP frame-ancestors 'none')
• Strict-Transport-Security is set with a long max-age and includeSubDomains
• Referrer-Policy is set to strict-origin-when-cross-origin or stricter
• Permissions-Policy disables unused browser features (camera, microphone, geolocation)
• X-Powered-By header is removed (poweredByHeader: false in next.config.ts)

Reference: Next.js - Headers

Authentication and Sessions

• Sessions use HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite=Lax cookies
• Session tokens are validated server-side on every request
• Session expiry and rotation are configured
• Server Actions check authentication before executing
• Middleware protects authenticated routes

Reference: Next.js - Middleware

Server Components and Data

• server-only package is installed and used on sensitive modules
• No secrets or internal data are passed as props to Client Components
• Database queries run only in Server Components, Server Actions, or Route Handlers
• Error boundaries do not expose stack traces or internal details

Reference: Next.js - Server Components

Server Actions

• Every Server Action validates input with a schema library (Zod, Yup, etc.)
• Every Server Action checks authentication and authorization
• Server Actions do not accept arbitrary object shapes from the client
• CSRF protection is in place (validate Origin/Host for Server Actions or use framework/library CSRF protections)

Reference: Next.js - Server Actions Security

API Routes / Route Handlers

• HTTP methods are validated explicitly
• Content-Type is validated on POST/PUT/PATCH
• Rate limiting is applied to sensitive endpoints
• Error responses do not leak internal information
• CORS is configured explicitly if needed (not * in production)

Environment Variables

• No secrets in NEXT_PUBLIC_ variables
• All required environment variables are validated at build or startup
• .env.local is in .gitignore

Reference: Next.js - Environment Variables

SSRF

• User-supplied URLs are validated against an allowlist before server-side fetch
• Private IP ranges are blocked (10.x, 172.16-31.x, 192.168.x, 169.254.169.254)
• Redirects from server-side fetch are restricted or disabled

Dependencies

• npm audit runs in CI and fails on critical/high
• Lockfile is committed and reviewed
• Dependabot or Renovate is configured for automated updates
• Unused dependencies are removed

Reference: GitHub - Dependabot

Deployment

• output: "standalone" is used for minimal container images
• Telemetry is disabled: NEXT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1
• Source maps are not exposed publicly (or are uploaded to an error tracker privately)
• Build output does not include .env files
• Health check endpoints do not expose version or config details

Reference: Next.js - Deploying

File Uploads

• File type is validated server-side by content (magic bytes), not just extension
• File size limits are enforced
• Uploaded files are stored outside the public directory
• Filenames are regenerated (never use the user-supplied filename for storage)

Logging and Monitoring

• Authentication events (login, logout, failure) are logged
• Server Action failures are logged
• Logs do not contain passwords, tokens, or PII
• Error tracking (Sentry, Datadog, etc.) is configured for production

Related Guides

• How to Secure Next.js
• Next.js CSP Configuration
• Next.js SSRF Protection
• Secure File Uploads in Node.js