Search is designed with security as a primary concern. This document outlines security features and best practices.

• Session-based authentication for admin panel
• Bearer token authentication for API access
• CSRF protection on all forms
• Rate limiting to prevent brute force attacks
• 2FA support (TOTP)

• TLS/SSL encryption
• Let's Encrypt integration
• HSTS headers when SSL is enabled
• Secure cookies with HttpOnly and SameSite flags

Search sets the following security headers:

• No logging of search queries
• No user tracking
• Image proxy to prevent third-party tracking
• Encrypted backups (AES-256-GCM)

Always use SSL in production:

server:
  ssl:
    enabled: true
    letsencrypt:
      enabled: true
      email: "admin@example.com"
      domains:
        - "search.example.com"

Use a strong, unique password for the admin account. The password should be:

• At least 12 characters
• Include uppercase and lowercase letters
• Include numbers and symbols
• Not used elsewhere

• Generate unique tokens for each integration
• Set appropriate expiration dates
• Revoke unused tokens
• Never share tokens publicly

Enable and configure rate limiting:

server:
  rate_limit:
    enabled: true
    requests_per_minute: 60
    burst: 10

Keep Search updated to receive security patches:

search --update yes

Restrict access to the admin panel:

# Example: Only allow admin access from internal network
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -s 192.168.1.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -j DROP

If you discover a security vulnerability, please report it responsibly:

1. Do not disclose publicly until fixed
2. Email security details to the maintainers
3. Include steps to reproduce
4. Allow time for a fix before disclosure

Search serves a security.txt file at /.well-known/security.txt with contact information for security reports.

All admin actions are logged to the audit log:

• Login attempts (success and failure)
• Configuration changes
• Backup and restore operations
• Token creation and revocation

View audit logs at /admin/logs or in the log files.

For enhanced privacy, enable Tor:

server:
  tor:
    enabled: true

This creates a .onion address for your instance, accessible via the Tor network.

Block or allow traffic from specific countries:

server:
  geoip:
    enabled: true
    deny_countries:
      - CN
      - RU
    # Or use allowlist mode:
    # allowed_countries:
    #   - US
    #   - CA
    #   - GB

When running in Docker:

• The container runs as a non-root user
• Uses tini as init system for proper signal handling
• Minimal attack surface (Alpine-based)
• Read-only root filesystem support

docker run --read-only \
  --tmpfs /tmp \
  -v search_data:/data \
  ghcr.io/apimgr/search:latest