SPEC rework after review: each requirement once, gitea notes to docs/
check / check (push) Waiting to run

Every requirement is stated once, where it belongs, and linked from
elsewhere. The notes on gitea move to docs/gitea.md, which
script/gitea-requests points at. The list of settings that take off
is exact, the non-goal that contradicted the planned item is gone,
and the sentences the review named are split or reordered. The
package comments in internal/waf and internal/anomaly point at the
renamed sections.

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# smallwebwaf in front of gitea
These notes record what `smallwebwaf` does in front of gitea at the default
settings. They are observations, not requirements; the requirements are in
[`SPEC.md`](../SPEC.md). `script/gitea-requests` runs gitea behind the image and
sends through it a sample of gitea's ordinary use and the requests named below.
It reports each request the Core Rule Set refuses, so that these notes can be
checked again when gitea or the Core Rule Set changes version.
## What the defaults cover
- SSH access to gitea does not pass through `smallwebwaf` and is not protected
by it.
- A clone is a response. It fits the defaults of 30 minutes and 5 GiB for all
but the largest repositories and slowest links.
- A push is a request, and so is every other upload: a git push, an LFS object,
a container image layer, a package file or a release attachment. At the
defaults, an upload larger than 100 MiB or taking more than 60 seconds is cut
off. The client is answered `413` for a body that is too large, before
anything reaches gitea when the request announces its size. It is answered
`408` for a body it sends too slowly, or `504` if gitea is too slow to take
it. The upload fails, and no one is banned for it. A gitea that takes large
uploads needs `SWWAF_REQUEST_MAX_BYTES`, `SWWAF_CLIENT_REQUEST_TIMEOUT` and
`SWWAF_UPSTREAM_REQUEST_TIMEOUT` raised to fit. The Core Rule Set does not
read an upload's body, which streams through without being held in memory.
- Archive download and blame or history pages are what scrapers hammer. The
request limits do most of the work there.
- An Actions runner that reaches gitea through `smallwebwaf` sends requests all
day. One older than version 0.4 (April 2026) asks for work every 2 seconds,
43,200 requests a day, and reports a running job's log and state every second.
So it passes the day limit of 50,000 after about an hour and a quarter of
jobs. It is then banned, the job it is running fails, and each repeat within a
day makes the ban longer. Newer runners ask less often, but a busy one, or
several on one address, can still pass it. Put the runners' addresses in
`SWWAF_RATE_LIMIT_EXEMPT_NETS`. That takes them out of the request and byte
limits, while the error burst, attack detection and bans still apply.
## What the Core Rule Set lets through
At the defaults, the Core Rule Set lets gitea's ordinary use through, apart from
the refusals in the next section:
- browsing and views of files in a repository, with their history, blame and the
file tree;
- diffs, including their hidden lines and large files, and pull request review;
- git's clone, fetch and push over HTTP;
- signing in, including the return to the page a visitor came from, and sign-in
with Git Credential Manager, git-credential-oauth or tea;
- the API's calls for a file and its commits;
- pushing and pulling container images and packages;
- Actions runners, and artifacts uploaded with `actions/upload-artifact@v4`;
- posting issues, pull requests, comments, wiki pages and files saved in the web
editor, code included, since no body is read;
- the page gitea shows after a change, with its message naming what was done.
## What the Core Rule Set still refuses
Each refusal answers only that request, with `403`, and bans no one by itself.
It counts toward the error burst, which a person does not reach this way. The
request log names the rule in `waf_rule_ids`, which `SWWAF_WAF_DISABLED_RULES`
can switch off.
### A query string that reads as an attack
Most often this is a search. Every query parameter is checked against the Core
Rule Set's lists of system files and commands, except the ten named under
"Attack detection" in `SPEC.md`. A release attachment uploaded through the API
as `docker-compose.yml` is refused the same way. Examples:
- a name on those lists, such as `package.json`, `.gitignore` or
`docker-compose.yml`;
- text that starts with a command name, or whose first word has one right after
a `/`, such as `python3`, `ssh key` or `feat/docker-support`;
- a shell command with its options or a system path (`ls -la`, `sed -i`,
`/bin/sh`), or a command in backticks;
- script code (`fetch(`, `${VAR}`, `process.env`), HTML (`<img src=`) or an SQL
statement (`SELECT * FROM users WHERE`);
- a URL naming an IP address or `localhost`.
### A branch, tag or file name that starts with a command name
The Core Rule Set's list of commands (932260) holds names such as `docker-`,
`python3`, `ansible`, `base64` and `whoami`. A branch, tag or file name that
starts with one is refused. So is one that has such a name right after a `/`,
such as `feat/docker-support`, `fix/docker-build` or
`renovate/docker-build-push-action-6.x`. gitea's own pages send the name in a
query parameter that 930120, 932160 and 932260 still check:
- `refSubUrl`, the branch or tag of a directory listing. It is sent when the
listing asks for its entries' last commits in a second request, which it does
whenever gitea takes more than a second to work them out;
- `name`, when a branch is deleted or restored on the branches page;
- `tag`, when a release is started from a tag;
- `template`, the file of an issue template, when an issue is opened from it;
- `rule_name`, when a branch protection rule is opened for editing in the
repository's settings or has just been saved.
What a visitor sees, for a branch named `docker-build`:
- A directory listing that makes that second request leaves those last commits
out and shows an error.
- The branches page shows an error instead of deleting or restoring the branch.
- A release started from such a tag gets the `403` answer of `smallwebwaf` in
place of its form. So does an issue opened from such a template, and such a
rule opened for editing.
- Saving such a rule stores it. gitea then returns to the branch settings page,
which gets the `403` answer, so the save looks as if it failed.
### A file name in a query parameter that trips the code rules
The Core Rule Set's rules for Java, script, PowerShell and SQL find what they
look for in some file names. This holds in the parameters `smallwebwaf` leaves
out of 930120, 932160 and 932260 too (see the changes to the Core Rule Set under
"Attack detection" in `SPEC.md`). Examples:
- `runtime` in OpenJDK's `src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/Runtime.java`
(944110);
- a Java class, as in `java.lang.String.md` (944130);
- `document.write.js` (941180);
- `process.env.d.ts` (934100);
- `__proto__` (934130);
- the PowerShell command `Install-Script`, as in `install-script.sh` (932120);
- a database's name, as in PostgreSQL's `information_schema.sql` (942140).
For such a file, these requests are refused:
- the API's list of its commits (`path`);
- the API's call for the contents of files that names it in its query (`body`);
- the commit graph of that file alone (`file`);
- the hidden lines of its diff (`path`), which stay hidden;
- the sign-in page gitea sends a visitor to on the way to a page of the file
that needs signing in, such as its edit page (`redirect_to`). The visitor can
still sign in by opening the sign-in page itself.
### A path
- A file name ending in `~`, or an `.xhtml` file whose path holds a space.
- A path that holds what the Core Rule Set takes for a Java class (944130), as
`java.lang.String.md` and
`META-INF/services/org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory` do.
- A path that holds what it takes for Node.js code (934100), as
`process.env.d.ts` does.
- A path with a directory named `...` (930100, 930110), such as `.../notes.txt`.
For such a file, the page of the file, its raw file, its history, its blame and
its edit page are refused. The directory that holds it lists it, and a clone
carries it.
### A container image push that reuses a layer
A push can reuse a layer of an image docker has pushed to that gitea before.
docker then asks gitea to take the layer from that image, naming it in the query
parameter `from`, which 932260 checks. The request is refused when the image's
owner, or its name after the owner, starts with an entry on the list of
commands. Examples are `owner/python3-app`, `owner/docker-base`, and any image
of an owner named `ansible` or `docker-team`.
What happens next depends on docker's image store. A docker that keeps its
images in containerd's image store fails the push, and fails each new try the
same way. A new install of Docker Engine 29 does this. A docker that keeps them
in its own older image store uploads the layer instead. The push then succeeds
after one refusal for each layer it reuses, and each of those refusals counts
toward the error burst.
### Artifact uploads from `actions/upload-artifact@v3`
This action sends the header `Content-Range`, which the Core Rule Set refuses
(920450). The action sends two files at a time, does not retry a `403`, and
sends no further file once one is refused. So an upload is refused once or
twice, however many files it holds, and the step fails. One upload does not ban
the runner. More than 30 such refusals from its address within a minute, as when
many jobs upload at once, ban it through the error burst.
`actions/upload-artifact@v4` does not send the header.
## What `script/gitea-requests` sends
Of the requests above, the script sends:
- for each file named under "A file name in a query parameter that trips the
code rules", the API's list of its commits;
- for `Runtime.java` alone, the commit graph of that file, the hidden lines of
its diff, and the API's call for the contents of files that names it;
- the sign-in page gitea sends a visitor to on the way to the edit page of
`document.write.js`;
- the pages of `java.lang.String.md`,
`META-INF/services/org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory`, `process.env.d.ts`
and `.../notes.txt`;
- one container image push that reuses a layer, which it does not try again.
It does not send the raw file, history, blame or edit page of those four files,
or the pages of the directories `META-INF/services` and `...`. It also sends a
short sample of gitea's ordinary use:
- signing in;
- pages of files and commits, and a diff;
- the API;
- a push, and clone and fetch over HTTP;
- two container image pushes.
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// Package anomaly counts requests and bytes over a minute and an hour, per // Package anomaly counts requests and bytes over a minute and an hour, per
// client, per surrounding netblock, per AS number, for the whole service // client, per surrounding netblock, per AS number, for the whole service
// and per named netblock, and raises an anomaly alert for a count over its // and per named netblock, and raises an anomaly alert for a count over its
// threshold, as "Anomaly thresholds" under "Configuration surface" in // threshold, as "Anomaly thresholds" under "Settings" in SPEC.md
// SPEC.md describes. It refuses and bans nothing. At most 20,000 counters // describes. It refuses and bans nothing. At most 20,000 counters
// are kept, in memory, and written to alerts.json and read from it by the // are kept, in memory, and written to alerts.json and read from it by the
// state package. // state package.
package anomaly package anomaly
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// Package waf runs the OWASP Core Rule Set 4.25.0, through Coraza, on the // Package waf runs the OWASP Core Rule Set 4.25.0, through Coraza, on the
// method, the URL with its query and the headers of a request, and on its // method, the URL with its query and the headers of a request, and on its
// body while SWWAF_WAF_BODY_LIMIT is set, with the six changes smallwebwaf // body while SWWAF_WAF_BODY_LIMIT is set, with the six changes smallwebwaf
// makes to it, as "Attack detection" under "Configuration surface" in // makes to it, as "Attack detection" under "Settings" in SPEC.md describes
// SPEC.md describes them. It reads no response. // them. It reads no response.
// //
// smallwebwaf writes only to its state directory, so Coraza is built with // smallwebwaf writes only to its state directory, so Coraza is built with
// its no_fs_access tag, as the Dockerfile and script/build build it: of a // its no_fs_access tag, as the Dockerfile and script/build build it: of a
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# script/gitea-requests: build the image and run gitea 1.27.3 behind it, # script/gitea-requests: build the image and run gitea 1.27.3 behind it,
# with every setting of smallwebwaf at its default but SWWAF_UPSTREAM_URL, # with every setting of smallwebwaf at its default but SWWAF_UPSTREAM_URL,
# which names gitea's container. Then send through it the gitea requests # which names gitea's container. Then send through it the gitea requests
# that reading gitea's source found the Core Rule Set refuses, and a short # that reading gitea's source found the Core Rule Set refuses, which
# sample of gitea's ordinary use: signing in, pages of files and commits, # docs/gitea.md records, and a short sample of gitea's ordinary use:
# a diff, the API, a push, clone and fetch over HTTP, and two container # signing in, pages of files and commits, a diff, the API, a push, clone
# image pushes. Last, print each request smallwebwaf logged, with what it # and fetch over HTTP, and two container image pushes. Last, print each
# did with it and the ids of the Core Rule Set's rules that matched it. # request smallwebwaf logged, with what it did with it and the ids of the
# Core Rule Set's rules that matched it.
# Every request comes from one client, docker's gateway, so more than # Every request comes from one client, docker's gateway, so more than
# SWWAF_ERROR_BURST_THRESHOLD, 30, refusals in a minute would ban it, and # SWWAF_ERROR_BURST_THRESHOLD, 30, refusals in a minute would ban it, and
# the requests after would show as banned. The containers, the network, # the requests after would show as banned. The containers, the network,