Unset TRUSTED_PROXIES trusts RFC 1918, empty trusts none (closes #129)

The backend's own TRUSTED_PROXIES now follows the ruling for every app:
unset, it trusts 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12 and 192.168.0.0/16, no longer
loopback; a list replaces that; set and empty, it trusts no proxy.

viper reads an empty environment variable as unset, so an empty value
got the default. config.New now checks os.LookupEnv for this one
setting. viper's AllowEmptyEnv would do it too, but for every setting,
so an empty PORT or DEBUG would stop the start instead of counting as
unset.

bin/entrypoint.sh still starts the backend with
TRUSTED_PROXIES=127.0.0.1/32.

Model: opus-5-5

README.md

@@ -197,23 +197,25 @@ image, `make run` builds it and runs it on port 8080.
 | `DATA_DIR`             | `./data/reports`     | Directory for compressed reports                                                                         |
 | `DATA_DIR_MAX_BYTES`   | `1073741824` (1 GiB) | Most bytes of report files kept in `DATA_DIR`, oldest deleted first; see [Report limits](#report-limits) |
 | `DEBUG`                | `false`              | Enable debug logging                                                                                     |
-| `TRUSTED_PROXIES`      | loopback + RFC1918   | Comma-separated CIDRs whose `X-Forwarded-For` / `X-Real-IP` headers are trusted for client IP resolution |
+| `TRUSTED_PROXIES`      | RFC 1918 ranges      | Comma-separated CIDRs whose `X-Forwarded-For` / `X-Real-IP` headers are trusted for client IP resolution |
 | `REPORTS_PER_MINUTE`   | `60`                 | Reports each client address may send a minute; see [Report limits](#report-limits)                       |
 | `CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS` | empty                | Comma-separated origins whose pages may call the API; see [CORS](#cors)                                  |
 | `METRICS_USERNAME`     | empty                | Basic auth user name for `/metrics`; see [Metrics](#metrics)                                             |
 | `METRICS_PASSWORD`     | empty                | Basic auth password for `/metrics`; see [Metrics](#metrics)                                              |
 | `SENTRY_DSN`           | empty                | DSN of the Sentry project to send errors to; see [Sentry](#sentry)                                       |
 
-`TRUSTED_PROXIES` defaults to
-`127.0.0.1/32,::1/128,10.0.0.0/8,172.16.0.0/12,192.168.0.0/16`. The loopback
-entries cover a reverse proxy on the same host. A request whose direct peer is
-outside this set has its forwarded headers ignored, and the direct peer is
-logged and rate-limited instead. The container image does not use this default;
-see [Deployment](#deployment).
+`TRUSTED_PROXIES` defaults to `10.0.0.0/8,172.16.0.0/12,192.168.0.0/16`. A list
+replaces the default; set and empty, the server trusts no proxy. Loopback is not
+in the default, so a reverse proxy on the same host has to be named, as in
+`TRUSTED_PROXIES=127.0.0.1/32`. A request whose direct peer is outside this set
+has its forwarded headers ignored, and the direct peer is logged and
+rate-limited instead. The container image does not use this default; see
+[Deployment](#deployment).
 
 A variable set to a value the server cannot use, such as `PORT=abc`,
 `DEBUG=maybe` or a `BIND_ADDRESS` that is not an IP address, stops it from
-starting, with an error naming the variable. An empty variable counts as unset.
+starting, with an error naming the variable. An empty variable counts as unset,
+except `TRUSTED_PROXIES`.
 
 #### Report storage
 

TODO.md

@@ -21,6 +21,12 @@ Run `make frontend-viewport-test` in CI as its own step; it is not part of
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-10-14: the backend's own `TRUSTED_PROXIES`
+  ([#129](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/netwatch/issues/129)), unset, trusts
+  `10.0.0.0/8`, `172.16.0.0/12` and `192.168.0.0/16`, no longer loopback; set
+  and empty, it trusts no proxy, where it got the default because viper reads an
+  empty environment variable as unset; a list replaces the default. The image
+  still starts the backend with `TRUSTED_PROXIES=127.0.0.1/32`
 - 2026-10-14: the repo has the layout `REPO_POLICIES.md` gives
   ([#30](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/netwatch/issues/30)). The Go module is at the
   root (`go.mod`, `go.sum`, `.golangci.yml`, `cmd/netwatch-server/`,

internal/config/config.go

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"math"
 	"net/netip"
 	"net/url"
+	"os"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -21,13 +22,11 @@ import (
 )
 
 // defaultTrustedProxies lists the networks whose forwarded
-// headers are honoured by default: IPv4 and IPv6 loopback,
-// for a reverse proxy on the same host, and the RFC1918
-// ranges. The container image does not use it:
+// headers are honoured when TRUSTED_PROXIES is unset: the
+// RFC 1918 ranges. The container image does not use it:
 // bin/entrypoint.sh gives the server 127.0.0.1/32, since
 // nginx is its only client there.
-const defaultTrustedProxies = "127.0.0.1/32,::1/128," +
-	"10.0.0.0/8,172.16.0.0/12,192.168.0.0/16"
+const defaultTrustedProxies = "10.0.0.0/8,172.16.0.0/12,192.168.0.0/16"
 
 // Default limits on stored reports; README.md gives the reasons for
 // these values.
@@ -135,6 +134,13 @@ func New(
 			viper.GetString("DEBUG"), errNotBool)
 	}
 
+	// viper reads an empty environment variable as unset, which would
+	// give the default here; an empty TRUSTED_PROXIES trusts no proxy.
+	trustedProxies := viper.GetString("TRUSTED_PROXIES")
+	if value, set := os.LookupEnv("TRUSTED_PROXIES"); set && value == "" {
+		trustedProxies = ""
+	}
+
 	s := &Config{
 		BindAddress:        viper.GetString("BIND_ADDRESS"),
 		CORSAllowedOrigins: splitList(viper.GetString("CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS")),
@@ -146,7 +152,7 @@ func New(
 		Port:               port,
 		ReportsPerMinute:   viper.GetInt("REPORTS_PER_MINUTE"),
 		SentryDSN:          viper.GetString("SENTRY_DSN"),
-		TrustedProxies:     splitList(viper.GetString("TRUSTED_PROXIES")),
+		TrustedProxies:     splitList(trustedProxies),
 		log:                log,
 		params:             &params,
 	}

internal/config/config_test.go

@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package config_test
 
 import (
+	"os"
+	"slices"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -29,6 +31,60 @@ func requireConfigError(t *testing.T, setting string) {
 	}
 }
 
+// requireTrustedProxies builds the config as main does and fails the
+// test unless its TrustedProxies are want.
+func requireTrustedProxies(t *testing.T, want []string) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	var cfg *config.Config
+
+	app := fx.New(
+		fx.NopLogger,
+		fx.Provide(globals.New, logger.New, config.New),
+		fx.Populate(&cfg),
+	)
+
+	err := app.Err()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("config error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if !slices.Equal(cfg.TrustedProxies, want) {
+		t.Fatalf("TrustedProxies = %q, want %q", cfg.TrustedProxies, want)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestTrustedProxiesUnsetTrustsRFC1918: unset, the server trusts the
+// RFC 1918 ranges and nothing else, loopback included.
+func TestTrustedProxiesUnsetTrustsRFC1918(t *testing.T) {
+	// t.Setenv puts the variable back as it was after the test.
+	t.Setenv("TRUSTED_PROXIES", "")
+
+	err := os.Unsetenv("TRUSTED_PROXIES")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	requireTrustedProxies(t,
+		[]string{"10.0.0.0/8", "172.16.0.0/12", "192.168.0.0/16"})
+}
+
+// TestTrustedProxiesEmptyTrustsNothing: viper reads an empty variable
+// as unset, which would give the default.
+func TestTrustedProxiesEmptyTrustsNothing(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("TRUSTED_PROXIES", "")
+
+	requireTrustedProxies(t, []string{})
+}
+
+// TestTrustedProxiesListReplacesDefault: a list is used as given, with
+// none of the default ranges added.
+func TestTrustedProxiesListReplacesDefault(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("TRUSTED_PROXIES", "172.17.0.1/32, 2001:db8::/32")
+
+	requireTrustedProxies(t, []string{"172.17.0.1/32", "2001:db8::/32"})
+}
+
 // TestSettingsLoadAsGiven: valid values pass the checks and are used
 // as given. bin/entrypoint.sh starts the server with these
 // BIND_ADDRESS and PORT values.