Unset TRUSTED_PROXIES trusts the RFC 1918 ranges (closes #119)

With TRUSTED_PROXIES unset, bin/entrypoint.sh gives nginx one
set_real_ip_from line for each of 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12 and
192.168.0.0/16, as sneak ruled on 2026-09-22 for every app. A list
replaces them, and set and empty trusts no proxy; each entry is checked
as before. The backend inside the container still trusts only
127.0.0.1/32. Both READMEs, nginx.conf and the comment in
script/frontend-viewport-test say the new default.

Model: opus-5-5

README.md

@@ -273,7 +273,8 @@ which listens only inside the container, on `127.0.0.1:8081`. The image:
 
 - Listens on port 8080 by default (override with `PORT` env var)
 - Takes the client address from `X-Forwarded-For` only on requests from the
-  reverse proxies named in `TRUSTED_PROXIES`, and by default from none
+  reverse proxies named in `TRUSTED_PROXIES`, by default from any address in
+  `10.0.0.0/8`, `172.16.0.0/12` or `192.168.0.0/16`
 - Sends access logs to stdout
 - Caches static assets with immutable headers
 - Sends the security headers `REPO_POLICIES.md` requires on every response, as
@@ -291,9 +292,9 @@ What the [upaas](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/upaas) app for netwatch needs:
 
 - **Port:** container port `8080`.
 - **Volume:** container path `/data`; the reports are kept in `/data/reports`.
-- **Environment variables:** none is required. An empty one counts as unset, and
-  one set to a value netwatch cannot use stops the container at start, with the
-  reason in its log.
+- **Environment variables:** none is required. An empty one counts as unset,
+  except `TRUSTED_PROXIES`, and one set to a value netwatch cannot use stops the
+  container at start, with the reason in its log.
     - `PORT`, default `8080`: the container port, from 1 to 65535. `8081` cannot
       be used: the backend listens on it inside the container
     - `REPORTS_PER_MINUTE`, default `60`: reports each client address may send a
@@ -307,16 +308,17 @@ What the [upaas](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/upaas) app for netwatch needs:
       in: `/data` or a path below it, with no `.` or `..` part and no extra `/`.
       The container also stops if the path goes through a symbolic link that
       leads out of `/data` or is written as a full path
-    - `TRUSTED_PROXIES`, default empty: set it to the address the reverse proxy
-      in front of the container connects from, as an IP address or CIDR; several
-      are separated by commas. nginx takes the client address from
-      `X-Forwarded-For` only on a request from one of them, and the rate limit
-      counts that address. Unset, `X-Forwarded-For` is ignored and every client
-      behind the proxy shares the proxy's one allowance of `REPORTS_PER_MINUTE`.
-      Name only addresses nothing but the proxy connects from: any client that
-      connects from one can write its own `X-Forwarded-For`, and through a port
-      Docker publishes, every client may connect from the Docker network's
-      gateway, such as `172.17.0.1`.
+    - `TRUSTED_PROXIES`, default `10.0.0.0/8,172.16.0.0/12,192.168.0.0/16`: the
+      addresses the reverse proxy in front of the container connects from, as IP
+      addresses or CIDRs separated by commas. nginx takes the client address
+      from `X-Forwarded-For` only on a request from one of them, and the rate
+      limit counts that address. A list replaces the default. Set and empty,
+      `X-Forwarded-For` is ignored and every client behind the proxy shares the
+      proxy's one allowance of `REPORTS_PER_MINUTE`. Any client that connects
+      from one of these addresses can write its own `X-Forwarded-For`, and
+      through a port Docker publishes, every client may connect from the Docker
+      network's gateway, such as `172.17.0.1`, which the default includes; where
+      that matters, name only the addresses nothing but the proxy connects from.
     - `METRICS_USERNAME` and `METRICS_PASSWORD`, default empty: with both set,
       the backend records Prometheus metrics of its requests and serves them at
       `/metrics` on the container port, to requests with this user name and

TODO.md

@@ -22,6 +22,12 @@ Decide whether the repo moves to the layout `REPO_POLICIES.md` gives, with
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-10-14: with `TRUSTED_PROXIES` unset, the container's nginx trusts the
+  three private ranges of RFC 1918, `10.0.0.0/8`, `172.16.0.0/12` and
+  `192.168.0.0/16` ([#119](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/netwatch/issues/119)), as
+  sneak ruled on 2026-09-22 for every app; it trusted no proxy before. A list
+  replaces them, and set and empty it trusts none. The backend inside the
+  container still trusts only `127.0.0.1/32`
 - 2026-10-07: the files shared from `sneak/prompts` are its copies at commit
   `dd4027b` ([#113](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/netwatch/issues/113)), with this
   repository's own entries after the shared content in `.gitignore`,

backend/README.md

@@ -121,12 +121,14 @@ replaces the security headers this server sets with those in the root
 The container's own `TRUSTED_PROXIES` goes to nginx instead: IP addresses or
 CIDRs, separated by commas, of the reverse proxies in front of the container.
 nginx takes the client address from `X-Forwarded-For` only on a request from one
-of them. Unset or empty, nginx trusts no proxy, and the client address is the
-one each request comes from, so every client behind a proxy shares one rate
-limit. An entry that is not an IP address or CIDR, such as a hostname or
-`1.2.3`, stops the container at start with an error naming `TRUSTED_PROXIES`:
-the entrypoint checks each entry with `netwatch-server check-cidr`, which parses
-it as this server parses its own `TRUSTED_PROXIES`.
+of them. Unset, nginx trusts `10.0.0.0/8`, `172.16.0.0/12` and `192.168.0.0/16`,
+and a list replaces them. Set and empty, nginx trusts no proxy, and the client
+address is the one each request comes from, so every client behind a proxy
+shares one rate limit. An entry that is not an IP address or CIDR, such as a
+hostname or `1.2.3`, stops the container at start with an error naming
+`TRUSTED_PROXIES`: the entrypoint checks each entry with
+`netwatch-server check-cidr`, which parses it as this server parses its own
+`TRUSTED_PROXIES`.
 
 ### Report storage
 

bin/entrypoint.sh

@@ -34,9 +34,11 @@ fi
 
 # TRUSTED_PROXIES names the reverse proxies in front of the container,
 # as IP addresses or CIDRs separated by commas. nginx takes the client
-# address from X-Forwarded-For only on a request from one of them, so
-# unset or empty, it trusts no one. nginx.conf includes the file written
-# here, one set_real_ip_from line per entry.
+# address from X-Forwarded-For only on a request from one of them.
+# Unset, they are the three private ranges of RFC 1918; set and empty,
+# nginx trusts no one, which is why the default below follows - and not
+# :-. nginx.conf includes the file written here, one set_real_ip_from
+# line per entry.
 #
 # nginx looks up an entry it cannot read as an address as a hostname,
 # and trusts what it finds (1.2.3 is found as 1.2.0.3). So each entry
@@ -45,7 +47,7 @@ fi
 # TRUSTED_PROXIES. Its error, naming the CIDR, is dropped for the one
 # below, naming the entry as written. set -f keeps a * in an entry from
 # becoming a list of file names.
-TRUSTED_PROXIES="${TRUSTED_PROXIES:-}"
+TRUSTED_PROXIES="${TRUSTED_PROXIES-10.0.0.0/8,172.16.0.0/12,192.168.0.0/16}"
 set -f
 for proxy in $(printf '%s' "$TRUSTED_PROXIES" | tr ',' ' '); do
     case "$proxy" in

nginx.conf

@@ -18,9 +18,10 @@ server {
 
     # The client address comes from X-Forwarded-For only on a request
     # from the reverse proxies in TRUSTED_PROXIES: bin/entrypoint.sh
-    # writes one set_real_ip_from line for each into this file, and
-    # leaves it empty when TRUSTED_PROXIES is unset, so that by default
-    # the client address is the one each request comes from.
+    # writes one set_real_ip_from line for each into this file. Unset,
+    # TRUSTED_PROXIES is the three private ranges of RFC 1918; set and
+    # empty, the file is empty and the client address is the one each
+    # request comes from.
     include /etc/nginx/trusted-proxies.conf;
     real_ip_header X-Forwarded-For;
     real_ip_recursive on;

script/frontend-viewport-test

@@ -64,8 +64,9 @@ main() {
     # nginx.conf is a template: the image renders it over its own
     # default.conf, with the same port and limit bin/entrypoint.sh uses.
     # The empty file it includes trusts no proxy, as bin/entrypoint.sh
-    # writes it when TRUSTED_PROXIES is unset. nginx.conf also includes
-    # the security headers, so the page runs under the shipped policy.
+    # writes it when TRUSTED_PROXIES is set and empty. nginx.conf also
+    # includes the security headers, so the page runs under the shipped
+    # policy.
     docker run -d --rm --name "$SERVER" \
         --network "$NETWORK" --network-alias netwatch \
         -e PORT=8080 -e NGINX_ENVSUBST_FILTER='^PORT$' \