TODO.md

@@ -23,6 +23,13 @@ latest run passes.
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-10-04: password guesses at `/metrics` are rate limited (issue #104): each
+  client address, resolved through `TRUSTED_PROXIES` as for reports, may make 60
+  requests to `/metrics` a minute, counted by `go-chi/httprate` apart from its
+  reports; past that it gets 429 and its basic auth credentials are not checked.
+  The limit is a constant in `backend/internal/server/routes.go`. A test uses up
+  one client's allowance on wrong passwords, gets 429 with the right one, and
+  checks that another client behind the same nginx still gets in
 - 2026-10-04: the backend reports errors to Sentry (issue #95). With
   `SENTRY_DSN` set, it sets up `sentry-go` with the release `netwatch-server-`
   and its version, reports each panic in a handler through `sentryhttp`, the

backend/README.md

@@ -199,6 +199,14 @@ is recorded and `/metrics` answers 404. One without the other stops the server
 from starting, with an error naming both; so does a `METRICS_USERNAME`
 containing `:`, which basic auth cannot carry, with an error naming it.
 
+`/metrics` is rate limited, so that its password cannot be guessed quickly: each
+client address, resolved through `TRUSTED_PROXIES`, may make 60 requests to it a
+minute, whatever their credentials. Past that it gets 429 with
+`Retry-After: 60`, and its credentials are not checked. The minute slides as it
+does for reports (see [Report limits](#report-limits)), so a scraper polling
+every 2 seconds or less often is never refused. This allowance is apart from the
+one for reports.
+
 ### Sentry
 
 With `SENTRY_DSN` set, the server sends its errors to that Sentry project: each

backend/internal/server/export_test.go

@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@ func (s *Server) Router() *chi.Mux {
 // external tests.
 const MaxRequestBodyBytes = maxRequestBodyBytes
 
+// MetricsRequestsPerMinute exposes the /metrics rate limit to the
+// external tests.
+const MetricsRequestsPerMinute = metricsRequestsPerMinute
+
 // ListenAddr exposes the address the server listens on to the
 // external tests.
 func (s *Server) ListenAddr() string {

backend/internal/server/routes.go

@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@ const (
 	// can mount s.mw.MaxBodyBytes with a smaller value to lower
 	// its bound, but cannot raise it: this cap runs first.
 	maxRequestBodyBytes int64 = 1 << 20 // 1 MiB
+
+	// metricsRequestsPerMinute is how many requests to /metrics each
+	// client address may make a minute, whatever their credentials. A
+	// scraper polling every 2 seconds sends half of it, which httprate
+	// never refuses.
+	metricsRequestsPerMinute = 60
 )
 
 // SetupRoutes configures the chi router with middleware and
@@ -66,10 +72,14 @@ func (s *Server) SetupRoutes() {
 			Post("/api/v1/reports", s.h.HandleReport())
 	})
 
+	// The rate limit comes before the basic auth, so a client past it
+	// gets 429 and its password is not checked.
 	if s.params.Config.MetricsUsername != "" {
-		s.router.With(s.mw.MetricsAuth()).
-			Get("/metrics", promhttp.HandlerFor(
-				registry, promhttp.HandlerOpts{},
-			).ServeHTTP)
+		s.router.With(
+			s.mw.RateLimit(metricsRequestsPerMinute),
+			s.mw.MetricsAuth(),
+		).Get("/metrics", promhttp.HandlerFor(
+			registry, promhttp.HandlerOpts{},
+		).ServeHTTP)
 	}
 }

backend/internal/server/routes_test.go

@@ -188,6 +188,50 @@ func TestMetricsBehindBasicAuth(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestMetricsAreRateLimited: a client that has used up its /metrics
+// allowance on wrong passwords gets 429 even with the right one, which
+// is then not checked, while another client behind the same nginx
+// still gets in.
+func TestMetricsAreRateLimited(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("METRICS_USERNAME", "prometheus")
+	t.Setenv("METRICS_PASSWORD", "right")
+	// As in the container: nginx connects from loopback and names the
+	// client in X-Forwarded-For.
+	t.Setenv("TRUSTED_PROXIES", "127.0.0.1/32")
+
+	srv := newServer(t)
+	srv.SetupRoutes()
+
+	get := func(client, password string) int {
+		rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+		req := httptest.NewRequestWithContext(t.Context(),
+			http.MethodGet, "/metrics", http.NoBody)
+		req.RemoteAddr = "127.0.0.1:40000"
+		req.Header.Set("X-Forwarded-For", client)
+		req.SetBasicAuth("prometheus", password)
+		srv.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+
+		return rec.Code
+	}
+
+	for i := range server.MetricsRequestsPerMinute {
+		if code := get("203.0.113.7", "wrong"); code != http.StatusUnauthorized {
+			t.Fatalf("guess %d: status = %d, want %d",
+				i+1, code, http.StatusUnauthorized)
+		}
+	}
+
+	if code := get("203.0.113.7", "right"); code != http.StatusTooManyRequests {
+		t.Fatalf("right password past the limit: status = %d, want %d",
+			code, http.StatusTooManyRequests)
+	}
+
+	if code := get("203.0.113.8", "right"); code != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("another client: status = %d, want %d",
+			code, http.StatusOK)
+	}
+}
+
 // TestMetricsInTwoServers: two servers in one process can both have
 // metrics on.
 func TestMetricsInTwoServers(t *testing.T) {