README.md

@@ -347,9 +347,9 @@ minute, failed logins included; beyond that it answers `429 Too Many Requests`
 without checking the password. A Prometheus server scraping every 15 seconds
 sends 4 a minute. IPv6 addresses in one /64 count as one client. When the
 request comes from a private or loopback address, such as a reverse proxy's,
-the client address is taken from the `X-Real-IP` or `X-Forwarded-For` header
-the proxy sets; a proxy that sets neither makes all its clients share one
-allowance.
+the client address is taken from the `X-Real-IP` header the proxy sets, or else
+from `X-Forwarded-For`, as the last address in it that is not private or
+loopback. A proxy that sets neither makes all its clients share one allowance.
 
 **`DNSWATCHER_DNS_INTERVAL` and `DNSWATCHER_TLS_INTERVAL`** take a positive
 duration: a number followed by a unit such as `s`, `m` or `h`, for example

TODO.md

@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ nameserver IP address changes: https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/dnswatcher/issues/105
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-10-01: the client address from `X-Forwarded-For` is the last entry that
+  is not a trusted proxy, not the first, which the client sets (closes #181).
 - 2026-10-01: a nameserver that does not answer is saved as `error` with the
   reason, and NS failure and NS recovery are notified (closes #104).
 - 2026-10-01: a `DNSWATCHER_DNS_INTERVAL` or `DNSWATCHER_TLS_INTERVAL` that is

internal/middleware/export_test.go

@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 package middleware
 
-import "time"
+import (
+	"net/http"
+	"time"
+)
 
 // The /metrics rate limit, exported so the tests can count requests
 // against it.
@@ -8,3 +11,9 @@ const (
 	MetricsRequestLimit                = metricsRequestLimit
 	MetricsRequestWindow time.Duration = metricsRequestWindow
 )
+
+// RealIP is realIP, exported so the tests can check which address it
+// takes as the client's.
+func RealIP(r *http.Request) string {
+	return realIP(r)
+}

internal/middleware/middleware.go

@@ -209,6 +209,12 @@ func isTrustedProxy(ip net.IP) bool {
 
 // realIP extracts the client's real IP address from the request.
 // Proxy headers are only trusted from RFC1918/loopback addresses.
+//
+// Each proxy adds to the end of X-Forwarded-For the address it got the
+// request from, so the client can write every entry before the one the
+// first trusted proxy added. The client address is therefore the
+// rightmost entry that is not a trusted proxy, or the leftmost entry
+// when they all are.
 func realIP(r *http.Request) string {
 	addr := ipFromHostPort(r.RemoteAddr)
 	remoteIP := net.ParseIP(addr)
@@ -223,16 +229,26 @@ func realIP(r *http.Request) string {
 		return ip
 	}
 
-	if xff := r.Header.Get("X-Forwarded-For"); xff != "" {
-		if parts := strings.SplitN(
-			xff, ",", 2, //nolint:mnd
-		); len(parts) > 0 {
-			if ip := strings.TrimSpace(parts[0]); ip != "" {
-				return ip
-			}
+	// A proxy may add its entry as a header line of its own instead of
+	// appending to the line the client sent, so all lines form one list.
+	entries := strings.Split(
+		strings.Join(r.Header.Values("X-Forwarded-For"), ","), ",",
+	)
+	client := strings.TrimSpace(entries[0])
+
+	for i := len(entries) - 1; i > 0; i-- {
+		entry := strings.TrimSpace(entries[i])
+		if !isTrustedProxy(net.ParseIP(entry)) {
+			client = entry
+
+			break
 		}
 	}
 
+	if client != "" {
+		return client
+	}
+
 	return addr
 }
 

internal/middleware/middleware_test.go

@@ -342,9 +342,9 @@ func TestDashboardRendersWithSecurityHeaders(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// Addresses for the rate limit tests: a client connecting directly, a
-// trusted proxy, and a client behind that proxy as its X-Real-IP
-// header names it.
+// Addresses for the rate limit and realIP tests: a client connecting
+// directly, a trusted proxy, and a client behind that proxy as the
+// proxy's X-Real-IP or X-Forwarded-For header names it.
 const (
 	directClient  = "198.51.100.1:4000"
 	trustedProxy  = "10.0.0.1:4000"
@@ -482,3 +482,84 @@ func TestMetricsRateLimitKeysOnClientAddress(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+// TestRealIP checks which address realIP takes as the client's. Each
+// element of forwardedFor is sent as an X-Forwarded-For header line of
+// its own, and 198.51.100.9 is always an entry the client wrote itself.
+func TestRealIP(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name         string
+		remoteAddr   string
+		xRealIP      string
+		forwardedFor []string
+		want         string
+	}{
+		{
+			"untrusted peer, both headers ignored",
+			directClient, proxiedClient, []string{"198.51.100.9"},
+			"198.51.100.1",
+		},
+		{
+			"X-Real-IP from a trusted proxy wins",
+			trustedProxy, proxiedClient, []string{"203.0.113.8"},
+			proxiedClient,
+		},
+		{
+			"client's own entry, then the one the proxy added",
+			trustedProxy, "", []string{"198.51.100.9, 203.0.113.1"},
+			proxiedClient,
+		},
+		{
+			"several trusted proxies",
+			trustedProxy, "",
+			[]string{"198.51.100.9, 203.0.113.1, 10.0.0.3, 10.0.0.2"},
+			proxiedClient,
+		},
+		{
+			"proxy adds a header line of its own",
+			trustedProxy, "", []string{"198.51.100.9", proxiedClient},
+			proxiedClient,
+		},
+		{
+			"every entry a trusted proxy",
+			trustedProxy, "", []string{"10.0.0.3, 10.0.0.2"},
+			"10.0.0.3",
+		},
+		{
+			"empty where the client address belongs",
+			trustedProxy, "", []string{"203.0.113.1, , 10.0.0.2"},
+			"10.0.0.1",
+		},
+		{
+			"no headers from a trusted proxy",
+			trustedProxy, "", nil,
+			"10.0.0.1",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+
+			req := httptest.NewRequestWithContext(
+				t.Context(), http.MethodGet, "/", nil,
+			)
+			req.RemoteAddr = tt.remoteAddr
+
+			if tt.xRealIP != "" {
+				req.Header.Set("X-Real-IP", tt.xRealIP)
+			}
+
+			for _, line := range tt.forwardedFor {
+				req.Header.Add("X-Forwarded-For", line)
+			}
+
+			got := middleware.RealIP(req)
+			if got != tt.want {
+				t.Errorf("realIP = %q, want %q", got, tt.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}