Leave SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_EXEMPT_PATHS out of the request rate limits (closes #77)

A request is neither counted nor refused by the request rate limits
when the path the app will act on starts with one of the
comma-separated prefixes in SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_EXEMPT_PATHS. That path is
the request's path percent-decoded, with its . and .. segments and
repeated slashes resolved, so /assets/..%2Flogin is /login and is
counted. The static lists, bans and the country lists still apply. The
setting is empty by default, and a prefix that does not start with /
stops the start. README.md documents it.

Model: opus-5-5

README.md

@@ -13,22 +13,23 @@ JSON log line for every request.
 
 Status: the first two milestones are built
 (https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/smallwebwaf/issues/13 and
-https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/smallwebwaf/issues/14), and so are six parts of
+https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/smallwebwaf/issues/14), and so are seven parts of
-milestone 3: the static lists, the bans that broken rate limits lead to and the
+milestone 3: the static lists, the bans that broken rate limits lead to, the
-JSON state files, which come next in the build order, `observe` mode, which
+JSON state files and the paths the rate limits do not count, which come next in
-comes a little later, and the metrics endpoint and the header size and the idle
+the build order, `observe` mode, which comes a little later, and the metrics
-time as settings, which come last in it. `smallwebwaf` passes each request to
+endpoint and the header size and the idle time as settings, which come last in
-the app and the app's answer back, unchanged, within its timeouts and size
+it. `smallwebwaf` passes each request to the app and the app's answer back,
-limits, works out each client's address, bans a client that sends too many
+unchanged, within its timeouts and size limits, works out each client's address,
-requests, refuses a client that comes from a country you refuse or from a
+bans a client that sends too many requests, not counting those for the paths you
-network you refuse, lets the networks you choose through, keeps its bans, each
+choose, refuses a client that comes from a country you refuse or from a network
-client's counters and history, and GeoJS's answers in JSON files across
+you refuse, lets the networks you choose through, keeps its bans, each client's
-restarts, writes a JSON log line for every request, serves Prometheus metrics to
+counters and history, and GeoJS's answers in JSON files across restarts, writes
-a scraper that holds the metrics token, and in `observe` mode passes on the
+a JSON log line for every request, serves Prometheus metrics to a scraper that
-requests it would refuse, logging what it would have done with them. It comes as
+holds the metrics token, and in `observe` mode passes on the requests it would
-the image the app's own image is built on. The rest of the design comes after
+refuse, logging what it would have done with them. It comes as the image the
-that, in the order of the build order in [`SPEC.md`](SPEC.md). The survey of
+app's own image is built on. The rest of the design comes after that, in the
-existing tools that led to the design is in [`EVALUATION.md`](EVALUATION.md).
+order of the build order in [`SPEC.md`](SPEC.md). The survey of existing tools
+that led to the design is in [`EVALUATION.md`](EVALUATION.md).
 
 ## Getting started
 
@@ -79,12 +80,14 @@ in `bin/state` unless `SWWAF_STATE_DIR` is set.
 - Counts each client's requests over a minute, an hour and a day. A request that
   takes the client over one of the rate limits below is refused with
   `SWWAF_BAN_RESPONSE`, `403` by default, before anything reaches the app, and
-  bans the client. A client is one IPv4 address, or one IPv6 /64, since one
+  bans the client. A request whose path starts with one of
-  abuser usually holds a whole /64. Each window is counted in two fixed buckets,
+  `SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_EXEMPT_PATHS` is neither counted nor refused by the rate
-  the earlier one weighted by how much of it the window still covers. At most
+  limits; the static lists, bans and the country lists still apply to it. A
-  20,000 clients are kept, the least recently seen dropped first, with their
+  client is one IPv4 address, or one IPv6 /64, since one abuser usually holds a
-  history, and a restart gives no client a fresh allowance (see "State files"
+  whole /64. Each window is counted in two fixed buckets, the earlier one
-  below).
+  weighted by how much of it the window still covers. At most 20,000 clients are
+  kept, the least recently seen dropped first, with their history, and a restart
+  gives no client a fresh allowance (see "State files" below).
 - Bans a client that breaks a rate limit, as "Bans" in [`SPEC.md`](SPEC.md)
   describes: the first ban lasts an hour, and a limit broken again within a day
   of a ban ending bans for three times as long as that ban, so 1, 3, 9, 27 and
@@ -191,6 +194,18 @@ it, and the effective settings are logged at start.
   requests a client may make in a minute, an hour and a day. The defaults are
   several times what one busy person produces, since a browser loading a heavy
   page makes a few hundred requests and several people often share one address.
+- `SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_EXEMPT_PATHS` (default empty): path prefixes whose requests
+  the rate limits neither count nor refuse, such as `/assets/` for static
+  assets; each starts with `/`. A prefix is compared, character for character,
+  with the start of the path the app will act on: the request's path, before any
+  query string, percent-decoded, with its `.` and `..` segments and repeated
+  slashes resolved and without a trailing slash, which is not always what the
+  request log's `path` shows. `/assets/` matches `/assets/app.js`,
+  `/assets//img/logo.png` and `/static/../assets/app.js`, but not `/assets/`
+  itself, `/assets`, `/Assets/app.js`, `/static/assets/app.js` or
+  `/assets/..%2Flogin`, which is `/login`. A prefix is written without
+  percent-encoding, and there are no wildcards: `*` is a character like any
+  other.
 - `SWWAF_DENIED_COUNTRIES` (default empty): countries whose clients are refused,
   for example `cn,ru,kp`.
 - `SWWAF_EXCLUSIVELY_ALLOWED_COUNTRIES` (default empty): when set, the only

internal/config/config.go

@@ -75,6 +75,10 @@ type Config struct {
 	RateLimitPerMinute int64
 	RateLimitPerHour   int64
 	RateLimitPerDay    int64
+	// RateLimitExemptPaths are the path prefixes whose requests the rate
+	// limits neither count nor refuse (SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_EXEMPT_PATHS).
+	// Each starts with /.
+	RateLimitExemptPaths []string
 	// DeniedCountries are the countries whose clients are refused
 	// (SWWAF_DENIED_COUNTRIES). ExclusivelyAllowedCountries, when not
 	// empty, are the only countries whose clients are let through
@@ -166,8 +170,10 @@ var (
 		"is not the length of an IPv4 netblock, from 0 to 32, such as 24")
 	errNotAbsolutePath = errors.New(
 		"is not an absolute path, such as /var/lib/smallwebwaf")
-	errShortToken = errors.New("is shorter than 32 characters")
+	errShortToken    = errors.New("is shorter than 32 characters")
-	errNotMode    = errors.New("is not enforce or observe")
+	errNotMode       = errors.New("is not enforce or observe")
+	errNotPathPrefix = errors.New(
+		"is not a path prefix starting with /, such as /assets/")
 )
 
 // FromEnvironment reads the settings with lookupEnv, normally
@@ -195,6 +201,7 @@ func FromEnvironment(lookupEnv func(string) (string, bool)) (*Config, error) {
 		RateLimitPerMinute:      env.count("SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_PER_MINUTE", "1000"),
 		RateLimitPerHour:        env.count("SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_PER_HOUR", "10000"),
 		RateLimitPerDay:         env.count("SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_PER_DAY", "50000"),
+		RateLimitExemptPaths:    env.pathPrefixes("SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_EXEMPT_PATHS", ""),
 		DeniedCountries:         env.countries("SWWAF_DENIED_COUNTRIES", ""),
 		ExclusivelyAllowedCountries: env.countries(
 			"SWWAF_EXCLUSIVELY_ALLOWED_COUNTRIES", ""),
@@ -333,6 +340,14 @@ func (e *environment) count(name, defaultValue string) int64 {
 	return count
 }
 
+// pathPrefixes reads a setting that is a list of path prefixes.
+func (e *environment) pathPrefixes(name, defaultValue string) []string {
+	prefixes, err := parsePathPrefixes(e.value(name, defaultValue))
+	e.check(name, err)
+
+	return prefixes
+}
+
 // countries reads a setting that is a list of countries.
 func (e *environment) countries(name, defaultValue string) []string {
 	countries, err := parseCountries(e.value(name, defaultValue))
@@ -611,6 +626,23 @@ func parseNetblock(value string) (netip.Prefix, error) {
 	return netip.PrefixFrom(addr, addr.BitLen()), nil
 }
 
+// parsePathPrefixes reads a comma-separated list of path prefixes, each
+// starting with /.
+func parsePathPrefixes(value string) ([]string, error) {
+	prefixes, err := parseList(value)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	for _, prefix := range prefixes {
+		if !strings.HasPrefix(prefix, "/") {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("%q %w", prefix, errNotPathPrefix)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return prefixes, nil
+}
+
 // countryCodes are the two-letter codes ISO 3166-1 assigns today, and XK,
 // the code in common use for Kosovo. golang.org/x/text/language cannot
 // check them: it also takes withdrawn codes such as su, and reserved ones

internal/config/config_test.go

@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ const (
 	rateLimitPerMinute      = "SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_PER_MINUTE"
 	rateLimitPerHour        = "SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_PER_HOUR"
 	rateLimitPerDay         = "SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_PER_DAY"
+	rateLimitExemptPaths    = "SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_EXEMPT_PATHS"
 	deniedCountries         = "SWWAF_DENIED_COUNTRIES"
 	allowedCountries        = "SWWAF_EXCLUSIVELY_ALLOWED_COUNTRIES"
 	banResponse             = "SWWAF_BAN_RESPONSE"
@@ -120,6 +121,10 @@ func TestDefaults(t *testing.T) {
 	wantNetblocks(t, cfg.DenyNets)
 	wantCountries(t, deniedCountries, cfg.DeniedCountries)
 	wantCountries(t, allowedCountries, cfg.ExclusivelyAllowedCountries)
+
+	if len(cfg.RateLimitExemptPaths) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("%s gave %v, want none", rateLimitExemptPaths, cfg.RateLimitExemptPaths)
+	}
 }
 
 func TestValuesAsSet(t *testing.T) {
@@ -144,6 +149,7 @@ func TestValuesAsSet(t *testing.T) {
 		rateLimitPerMinute:      "60",
 		rateLimitPerHour:        "600",
 		rateLimitPerDay:         "6000",
+		rateLimitExemptPaths:    "/assets/, /favicon.ico",
 		deniedCountries:         "cn, RU,kp,Xk",
 		allowedCountries:        "de",
 		banResponse:             "429",
@@ -196,6 +202,24 @@ func TestValuesAsSet(t *testing.T) {
 	wantNetblocks(t, cfg.DenyNets, "198.51.100.0/24")
 	wantCountries(t, deniedCountries, cfg.DeniedCountries, "CN", "RU", "KP", "XK")
 	wantCountries(t, allowedCountries, cfg.ExclusivelyAllowedCountries, "DE")
+
+	if !slices.Equal(cfg.RateLimitExemptPaths, []string{"/assets/", "/favicon.ico"}) {
+		t.Errorf("%s gave %v, want /assets/ and /favicon.ico",
+			rateLimitExemptPaths, cfg.RateLimitExemptPaths)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPathPrefixNotStartingWithSlashStopsTheStart(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	_, err := config.FromEnvironment(
+		environment{rateLimitExemptPaths: "/favicon.ico,assets/"}.lookupEnv)
+
+	want := rateLimitExemptPaths + `: "assets/" is not a path prefix ` +
+		`starting with /, such as /assets/`
+	if err == nil || err.Error() != want {
+		t.Errorf("error %v, want %s", err, want)
+	}
 }
 
 func TestCodeOnBothCountryListsStopsTheStart(t *testing.T) {
@@ -339,6 +363,7 @@ func TestInvalidValueStopsTheStart(t *testing.T) {
 		{rateLimitPerHour, "1.5"},
 		{rateLimitPerDay, "-1"},
 		{rateLimitPerDay, "lots"},
+		{rateLimitExemptPaths, "/assets/,,/static/"},
 		{deniedCountries, "nk"},
 		{deniedCountries, "kp,,ir"},
 		{deniedCountries, "prk"},
@@ -447,6 +472,7 @@ func TestLogsEachSettingWithItsValue(t *testing.T) {
 		rateLimitPerMinute:      "1000",
 		rateLimitPerHour:        "10000",
 		rateLimitPerDay:         "50000",
+		rateLimitExemptPaths:    "",
 		deniedCountries:         "",
 		allowedCountries:        "",
 		banResponse:             "403",

internal/proxy/proxy_test.go

@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ const (
 	denyNets                = "SWWAF_DENY_NETS"
 	rateLimitPerMinute      = "SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_PER_MINUTE"
 	rateLimitPerDay         = "SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_PER_DAY"
+	rateLimitExemptPaths    = "SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_EXEMPT_PATHS"
 	deniedCountries         = "SWWAF_DENIED_COUNTRIES"
 	allowedCountries        = "SWWAF_EXCLUSIVELY_ALLOWED_COUNTRIES"
 	banResponse             = "SWWAF_BAN_RESPONSE"

internal/proxy/ratelimits_test.go

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"sync/atomic"
 	"testing"
 
+	"sneak.berlin/go/smallwebwaf/internal/lookup"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/smallwebwaf/internal/requestlog"
 )
 
@@ -69,3 +70,76 @@ func TestRateLimitRefusesBeforeTheApp(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("the app was called %d times, want 4", calls.Load())
 	}
 }
+
+func TestRateLimitExemptPathsAreNeitherCountedNorRefused(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	const denied = "192.0.2.50" // in SWWAF_DENY_NETS
+
+	s, _, server := startWithClock(t, "", map[string]string{
+		rateLimitPerMinute:   "1",
+		rateLimitExemptPaths: "/assets/,/favicon.ico",
+		denyNets:             denied,
+		deniedCountries:      "kp",
+	})
+
+	// The answers are kept before the requests, so that none waits for
+	// GeoJS.
+	server.GeoJS.Load([]lookup.Answer{
+		keptAnswer(client, "DE"), keptAnswer(fromKP, "KP"),
+	})
+
+	// With a limit of one request a minute, the requests for paths under a
+	// prefix are not counted, so client's first request for / is within
+	// the limit; and once client has reached it, they are not refused.
+	// The app acts on /static/../assets/app.js as /assets/app.js.
+	s.request(client, "/assets/app.js", http.StatusOK, requestlog.ActionForward)
+	s.request(client, "/favicon.ico?v=2", http.StatusOK, requestlog.ActionForward)
+	s.get(client, http.StatusOK, requestlog.ActionForward)
+	s.request(client, "/static/../assets/app.js",
+		http.StatusOK, requestlog.ActionForward)
+
+	line := s.request(client, "/assets/app.js", http.StatusOK, requestlog.ActionForward)
+	if line.LimitHit != "" {
+		t.Errorf("log line has limit_hit %q, want none", line.LimitHit)
+	}
+
+	// A path outside every prefix is counted: /assets is not under
+	// /assets/, and breaks the limit.
+	s.request(client, "/assets", http.StatusForbidden, requestlog.ActionRateLimited)
+
+	// A ban, SWWAF_DENY_NETS and the country lists still refuse a path
+	// under a prefix.
+	s.request(client, "/assets/app.js", http.StatusForbidden, requestlog.ActionBanned)
+	s.request(denied, "/assets/app.js", http.StatusForbidden, requestlog.ActionDenied)
+	s.request(fromKP, "/assets/app.js",
+		http.StatusForbidden, requestlog.ActionCountryDenied)
+}
+
+func TestRateLimitCountsPathsOutsideEveryExemptPrefix(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	// A prefix matches only at the start of the path, and the app acts on
+	// the last three paths as /login, once they are percent-decoded and
+	// their .. segments resolved.
+	for _, sent := range []string{
+		"/static/assets/app.js",
+		"/assets/../login",
+		"/assets/%2e%2e/login",
+		"/assets/..%2Flogin",
+	} {
+		t.Run(sent, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+
+			s, _, _ := startWithClock(t, "", map[string]string{
+				rateLimitPerMinute:   "1",
+				rateLimitExemptPaths: "/assets/",
+			})
+
+			// Counted, the second request breaks the limit of one request
+			// a minute.
+			s.request(client, sent, http.StatusOK, requestlog.ActionForward)
+			s.request(client, sent, http.StatusForbidden, requestlog.ActionRateLimited)
+		})
+	}
+}

internal/proxy/request.go

@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ import (
 	"net/http/httputil"
 	"net/netip"
 	"os"
+	"path"
+	"slices"
+	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"sync/atomic"
 	"time"
@@ -145,8 +148,9 @@ func (rq *request) check(ctx context.Context) *refusal {
 // client either refuses is not looked up, and then the country lists; a
 // request any of them refuses is not counted for the rate limits. Then
 // come the rate limits, unless the client is in
-// SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_EXEMPT_NETS, so that every other request is counted.
+// SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_EXEMPT_NETS or the path the app will act on starts
-// ctx is the request's own context.
+// with one of SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_EXEMPT_PATHS, so that every other request
+// is counted. ctx is the request's own context.
 func (rq *request) checkClient(ctx context.Context) string {
 	cfg := rq.h.config
 	if isInside(rq.client, cfg.AllowNets) {
@@ -167,13 +171,27 @@ func (rq *request) checkClient(ctx context.Context) string {
 		return requestlog.ActionCountryDenied
 	}
 
-	if !isInside(rq.client, cfg.RateLimitExemptNets) && rq.limitBroken(now) {
+	// The prefixes are matched against the path the app will act on:
+	// URL.Path is the request's path percent-decoded, and path.Clean
+	// resolves its . and .. segments and repeated slashes, and drops a
+	// trailing slash. So /assets/..%2Flogin is /login, outside /assets/,
+	// whatever the log line's path shows.
+	exempt := isInside(rq.client, cfg.RateLimitExemptNets) ||
+		startsWithAny(path.Clean(rq.in.URL.Path), cfg.RateLimitExemptPaths)
+	if !exempt && rq.limitBroken(now) {
 		return requestlog.ActionRateLimited
 	}
 
 	return ""
 }
 
+// startsWithAny reports whether s starts with one of prefixes.
+func startsWithAny(s string, prefixes []string) bool {
+	return slices.ContainsFunc(prefixes, func(prefix string) bool {
+		return strings.HasPrefix(s, prefix)
+	})
+}
+
 // forward passes the request to the app and the app's answer back. ctx
 // is the request's own context.
 func (rq *request) forward(ctx context.Context) {

internal/smallwebwaf/smallwebwaf_test.go

@@ -401,6 +401,7 @@ func wantStartingLine(t *testing.T, line map[string]any, appURL, dir string) {
 		"SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_PER_MINUTE":           "1000",
 		"SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_PER_HOUR":             "10000",
 		rateLimitPerDay:                         "50000",
+		"SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_EXEMPT_PATHS":         "",
 		"SWWAF_DENIED_COUNTRIES":                "",
 		"SWWAF_EXCLUSIVELY_ALLOWED_COUNTRIES":   "",
 		"SWWAF_BAN_RESPONSE":                    "403",