# Middlewares configuration

🤓 Different types of middlewares

In Strapi, 2 middleware concepts coexist:

Strapi middlewares are configured and enabled as global middlewares for the entire Strapi server application. The present documentation describes how to configure Strapi middlewares.
Strapi also offers the ability to implement your own custom middlewares (see middlewares customization documentation).
Route middlewares have a more limited scope and are configured and used as middlewares at the route level. They are described in the route middlewares documentation.

The ./config/middlewares.js file is used to define all the Strapi middlewares that should be applied by the Strapi server.

Only the middlewares present in ./config/middlewares.js are applied. Loading middlewares happens in a specific loading order, with some naming conventions and an optional configuration for each middleware.

Strapi pre-populates the ./config/middlewares.js file with built-in, internal middlewares that all have their own configuration options.

# Loading order

The ./config/middlewares.js file exports an array, where order matters and controls the execution order of the middleware stack:

// path: ./config/middlewares.js

module.exports = [
  // The array is pre-populated with internal, built-in middlewares, prefixed by `strapi::`
  'strapi::errors',
  'strapi::security',
  'strapi::cors',

  // custom middleware that does not require any configuration
  'my-custom-node-module', 

  // custom name to find a package or a path
  {
    name: 'my-custom-node-module',
    config: {
      foo: 'bar',
    },
  },

  // custom resolve to find a package or a path
  {
    resolve: '../some-dir/custom-middleware',
    config: {
      foo: 'bar',
    },
  },

  // custom configuration for internal middleware
  {
    name: 'strapi::poweredBy',
    config: {
      poweredBy: 'Some awesome company',
    },
  },

  // remaining internal & built-in middlewares
  'strapi::logger',
  'strapi::query',
  'strapi::body',
  'strapi::session',
  'strapi::favicon',
  'strapi::public',
];

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If you aren't sure where to place a middleware in the stack, add it to the end of the list.

# Naming conventions

Strapi middlewares can be classified into different types depending on their origin, which defines the following naming conventions:

Middleware type	Origin	Naming convention
Internal	Built-in middlewares (i.e. included with Strapi), automatically loaded	`strapi::middleware-name`
Application-level	Loaded from the `./src/middlewares` folder	`global::middleware-name`
API-level	Loaded from the `./src/api/[api-name]/middlewares` folder	`api::api-name.middleware-name`
Plugin	Exported from `strapi-server.js` in the `middlewares` property of the plugin interface	`plugin::plugin-name.middleware-name`
External	Can be: either node modules installed with npm (opens new window) or local middlewares (i.e. custom middlewares created locally and configured in `./config/middlewares.js`.)	- As they are directly configured and resolved from the configuration file, they have no naming convention.

# Optional configuration

Middlewares can have an optional configuration with the following parameters:

Parameter	Description	Type
`config`	Used to define or override the middleware configuration	`Object`
`resolve`	Path to the middleware's folder (useful for external middlewares)	`String`

# Internal middlewares configuration reference

Strapi's core includes the following internal middlewares, mostly used for performances, security and error handling:

Middleware	Added by Default	Required
body	Yes	Yes
compression	No	No
cors	Yes	Yes
errors	Yes	Yes
favicon	Yes	Yes
ip	No	No
logger	Yes	No
poweredBy	Yes	No
query	Yes	Yes
response-time	No	No
responses	Yes	Yes
public	Yes	Yes
security	Yes	Yes
session	Yes	No

# `body`

The body middleware is based on koa-body (opens new window). It accepts the following options:

Option	Description	Type	Default
`multipart`	Parse multipart bodies	`Boolean`	`true`
`patchKoa`	Patch request body to Koa's `ctx.request`	`Boolean`	`true`
`jsonLimit`	The byte (if integer) limit of the JSON body	`String` or `Integer`	`1mb`
`formLimit`	The byte (if integer) limit of the form body	`String` or `Integer`	`56kb`
`textLimit`	The byte (if integer) limit of the text body	`String` or `Integer`	`56kb`
`encoding`	Sets encoding for incoming form fields	`String`	`utf-8`
`formidable`	Options to pass to the `formidable` multipart parser (see node-formidable documentation (opens new window)).	`Object`	`undefined`

For a full list of available options for koa-body, check the koa-body documentation (opens new window).

Example: Custom configuration for the body middleware

// path: ./config/middlewares.js

module.exports = {
  // ...
  {
    name: 'strapi::body',
    config: {
      jsonLimit: '3mb',
      formLimit: '10mb',
      textLimit: '256kb',
      encoding: 'gbk',
    },
  },
  // ...
}

# `compression`

The compression middleware is based on koa-compress (opens new window). It accepts the following options:

Option	Description	Type	Default
`threshold`	Minimum response size in bytes to compress	`String` or `Integer`	`1kb`
`br`	Toggle Brotli compression	`Boolean`	`true`
`gzip`	Toggle gzip compression	`Boolean`	`false`
`deflate`	Toggle deflate compression	`Boolean`	`false`
`defaultEncoding`	Specifies what encoders to use for requests without Accept-Encoding header	`String`	`identity`

Example: Custom configuration for the compression middleware

// path: ./config/middlewares.js

module.exports = {
  // ...
  {
    name: 'strapi::compression',
    config: {
      br: false
    },
  },
  // ...
}

# `cors`

This security middleware is about cross-origin resource sharing (CORS) and is based on @koa/cors (opens new window). It accepts the following options:

Option	Type	Description	Default value
`origin`	Configure the `Access-Control-Allow-Origin` header	`String` or `Array`	`'*'`
`maxAge`	Configure the `Access-Control-Max-Age` header, in seconds	`String` or `Number`	`31536000`
`credentials`	Configure the `Access-Control-Allow-Credentials` header	`Boolean`	`true`
`methods`	Configure the `Access-Control-Allow-Methods` header	`Array` or `String`	`['GET', 'POST', 'PUT', 'DELETE', 'HEAD', 'OPTIONS']`
`headers`	Configure the `Access-Control-Allow-Headers` header	`Array` or `String`	Request headers passed in `Access-Control-Request-Headers`
`keepHeaderOnError`	Add set headers to `err.header` if an error is thrown	`Boolean`	`false`

Example: Custom configuration for the cors middleware

// path: ./config/middlewares.js

module.exports = {
  // ...
  {
    name: 'strapi::cors',
    config: {
      origin: ['example.com', 'subdomain.example.com', 'someotherwebsite.org'],
      methods: ['GET', 'POST', 'PUT', 'PATCH', 'DELETE', 'HEAD', 'OPTIONS'],
      headers: ['Content-Type', 'Authorization', 'Origin', 'Accept'],
      keepHeaderOnError: true,
    },
  },
  // ...
}

# `errors`

The errors middleware handles errors thrown by the code. Based on the type of error it sets the appropriate HTTP status to the response. By default, any error not supposed to be exposed to the end user will result in a 500 HTTP response.

The middleware doesn't have any configuration options.

# `favicon`

The favicon middleware serves the favicon and is based on koa-favicon (opens new window). It accepts the following options:

Option	Description	Type	Default value
`path`	Path to the favicon file	`String`	`'favicon.ico'`
`maxAge`	Cache-control max-age directive, in milliseconds	`Integer`	`86400000`

Example: Custom configuration for the favicon middleware

// path: ./config/middlewares.js

module.exports = {
  // ...
  {
    name: 'strapi::favicon',
    config: {
      path: './public/uploads/custom-fav-abc123.ico'
    },
  },
  // ...
}

# `ip`

The ip middleware is an IP filter middleware based on koa-ip (opens new window). It accepts the following options:

Option	Description	Type	Default value
`whitelist`	Whitelisted IPs	`Array`	`[]`
`blacklist`	Blacklisted IPs	`Array`	`[]`

💡 TIP

The whitelist and blacklist options support wildcards (e.g. whitelist: ['192.168.0.*', '127.0.0.*']) and spreads (e.g. whitelist: ['192.168.*.[3-10]']).

Example: Custom configuration for the ip middleware

// path: ./config/middlewares.js

module.exports = {
  // ...
  {
    name: 'strapi::ip',
    config: {
      whitelist: ['192.168.0.*', '192.168.1.*', '123.123.123.123'],
      blacklist: ['1.116.*.*', '103.54.*.*'],
    },
  },
  // ...
}

# `logger`

The logger middleware is used to log requests.

To define a custom configuration for the logger middleware, create a dedicated configuration file (./config/logger.js). It should export an object that must be a complete or partial winstonjs (opens new window) logger configuration. The object will be merged with Strapi's default logger configuration on server start.

Example: Custom configuration for the logger middleware

// path: ./config/logger.js

'use strict';

const {
  winston,
  formats: { prettyPrint, levelFilter },
} = require('@strapi/logger');

module.exports = {
  transports: [
    new winston.transports.Console({
      level: 'http',
      format: winston.format.combine(
        levelFilter('http'),
        prettyPrint({ timestamps: 'YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss.SSS' })
      ),
    }),
  ],
};

# `poweredBy`

The poweredBy middleware adds a X-Powered-By parameter to the response header. It accepts the following options:

Option	Description	Type	Default value
`poweredBy`	Value of the `X-Powered-By` header	`String`	`'Strapi <strapi.io>'`

Example: Custom configuration for the poweredBy middleware

// path: ./config/middlewares.js

module.exports = {
  // ...
  {
    name: 'strapi::poweredBy',
    config: {
      poweredBy: 'Some Awesome Company <example.com>'
    },
  },
  // ...
}

# `query`

The query middleware is a query parser based on qs (opens new window). It accepts the following options:

Option	Description	Type	Default value
`strictNullHandling`	Distinguish between null values and empty strings (see qs documentation (opens new window))	`Boolean`	`true`
`arrayLimit`	Maximum index limit when parsing arrays (see qs documentation (opens new window))	`Number`	`100`
`depth`	Maximum depth of nested objects when parsing objects (see qs documentation (opens new window))	`Number`	`20`

Example: Custom configuration for the query middleware

// path: ./config/middlewares.js

module.exports = {
  // ...
  {
    name: 'strapi::query',
    config: {
      arrayLimit: 50,
      depth: 10,
    },
  },
  // ...
}

# `response-time`

The response-time middleware enables the X-Response-Time (in milliseconds) for the response header.

The middleware doesn't have any configuration options.

# `public`

The public middleware is a static file serving middleware, based on koa-static (opens new window). It accepts the following options:

Option	Description	Type	Default value
`maxAge`	Cache-control max-age directive, in milliseconds	`Integer`	`60000`
`hidden`	Allow transfer of hidden files	`Boolean`	`false`
`defer`	If `true`, serves after `return next()`, allowing any downstream middleware to respond first	`Boolean`	`false`
`index`	Default file name	`String`	`index.html`
`defaultIndex`	Display default index page at `/` and `/index.html`	`Boolean`	`true`

💡 TIP

You can customize the path of the public folder by editing the server configuration file.

Example: Custom configuration for the public middleware

// path: ./config/middlewares.js

module.exports = {
  // ...
  {
    name: 'strapi::public',
    config: {
      defer: true,
      index: env('INDEX_PATH', 'index-dev.html')
    },
  },
  // ...
}

# `security`

The security middleware is based on koa-helmet (opens new window). It accepts the following options:

Option	Description	Type	Default value
`crossOriginEmbedderPolicy`	Set the `Cross-Origin-Embedder-Policy` header to `require-corp`	`Boolean`	`false`
`crossOriginOpenerPolicy`	Set the `Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy` header	`Boolean`	`false`
`crossOriginOpenerPolicy`	Set the `Cross-Origin-Resource-Policy` header	`Boolean`	`false`
`originAgentCluster`	Set the `Origin-Agent-Cluster` header	`Boolean`	`false`
`contentSecurityPolicy`	Set the `Content-Security-Policy` header	`Boolean`	`false`
`xssFilter`	Disable browsers' cross-site scripting filter by setting the `X-XSS-Protection` header to `0`	`Boolean`	`false`
`hsts`	Set options for the HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) policy.	`Object`	-
`hsts.maxAge`	Number of seconds HSTS is in effect	`Integer`	`31536000`
`hsts.includeSubDomains`	Applies HSTS to all subdomains of the host	`Boolean`	`true`
`frameguard`	Set `X-Frame-Options` header to help mitigate clickjacking attacks, set to `false` to disable	`Boolean` or `Object`	-
`frameguard.action`	Value must be either `deny` or `sameorigin`	`String`	`sameorigin`

💡 TIP

When using any 3rd party upload provider, generally it's required to set a custom configuration here. Please see the provider documentation for which configuration options are required.

✏️ NOTE

The default directives include a dl.airtable.com value. This value is set for the in-app market and is safe to keep.

Example: Custom configuration for the security middleware for using the AWS-S3 provider

// path: ./config/middlewares.js

module.exports = {
  // ...
  {
    name: 'strapi::security',
    config: {
      contentSecurityPolicy: {
        useDefaults: true,
        directives: {
          'connect-src': ["'self'", 'https:'],
          'img-src': [
            "'self'",
            'data:',
            'blob:',
            'dl.airtable.com',
            'yourBucketName.s3.yourRegion.amazonaws.com',
          ],
          'media-src': [
            "'self'",
            'data:',
            'blob:',
            'dl.airtable.com',
            'yourBucketName.s3.yourRegion.amazonaws.com',
          ],
          upgradeInsecureRequests: null,
        },
      },
    },
  },
  // ...
}

# `session`

The session middleware allows the use of cookie-based sessions, based on koa-session (opens new window). It accepts the following options:

Option	Description	Type	Default value
`key`	Cookie key	`String`	`'koa.sess'`
`maxAge`	Maximum lifetime of the cookies, in milliseconds. Using `'session'` will expire the cookie when the session is closed.	`Integer` or `'session'`	`86400000`
`autoCommit`	Automatically commit headers	`Boolean`	`true`
`overwrite`	Can overwrite or not	`Boolean`	`true`
`httpOnly`	Is httpOnly or not. Using `httpOnly` helps mitigate cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.	`Boolean`	`true`
`signed`	Sign the cookies	`Boolean`	`true`
`rolling`	Force a session identifier cookie to be set on every response.	`Boolean`	`false`
`renew`	Renew the session when the session is nearly expired, so the user keeps being logged in.	`Boolean`	`false`
`secure`	Force the use of HTTPS	`Boolean`	`true` in production, `false` otherwise
`sameSite`	Restrict the cookies to a first-party or same-site context	`String`	`null`

Example: Custom configuration for the session middleware

// path: ./config/middlewares.js

module.exports = {
  // ...
  {
    name: 'strapi::session',
    config: {
      rolling: true
      renew: true
    },
  },
  // ...
}

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# Middlewares configuration

# Loading order

# Naming conventions

# Optional configuration

# Internal middlewares configuration reference

# body

# compression

# cors

# errors

# favicon

# ip

# logger

# poweredBy

# query

# response-time

# public

# security

# session

# `body`

# `compression`

# `cors`

# `errors`

# `favicon`

# `ip`

# `logger`

# `poweredBy`

# `query`

# `response-time`

# `public`

# `security`

# `session`