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Security Settings

Production Security Critical Proper security configuration is critical for production deployments. Always use:

  • ✅ Strong SECRET_KEY (50+ characters)
  • ✅ Reverse proxy with SSL/TLS (nginx, Cloudflare, traefik)
  • ✅ Specific security_domains for production (never use ['*'])
  • ✅ Environment variables for secrets

Django-CFG provides automatic security configuration based on your domains and environment.

Overview

Environment-Aware Security Django-CFG provides environment-aware security - development is fully open for convenience, production is strict and secure.

How it works:

Development Mode (debug=True or no security_domains):

  • ✅ CORS - Fully open (CORS_ALLOW_ALL_ORIGINS=True)
  • ✅ ALLOWED_HOSTS - Accepts all (['*'])
  • ✅ Docker - Automatic Docker IP support
  • ✅ Localhost - All ports allowed

Production Mode (when security_domains specified):

  • ✅ ALLOWED_HOSTS - Generated from security_domains
  • ✅ CORS - Strict whitelist with credentials
  • ✅ CSRF - Trusted origins from domains
  • ✅ Security headers - Automatic configuration
  • ✅ SSL - Assumes reverse proxy (nginx/Cloudflare)

security_domains Field

The security_domains field is the foundation of security configuration:

from django_cfg import DjangoConfig
 
class MyConfig(DjangoConfig):
    secret_key: str = "your-secret-key"
    debug: bool = False
 
    # Production domains (flexible format - Django-CFG normalizes automatically)
    security_domains: list = [
        "myapp.com",              # ✅ No protocol
        "https://api.myapp.com",  # ✅ With protocol
        "admin.myapp.com:8443",   # ✅ With port
    ]
 
# Development: security_domains optional (CORS fully open by default)
class DevConfig(DjangoConfig):
    debug: bool = True
    # security_domains not needed - auto-configured for development

Auto-Generated Settings

From security_domains, Django-CFG automatically generates:

Development Mode (no security_domains):

# CORS fully open
CORS_ALLOW_ALL_ORIGINS = True
CORS_ALLOW_CREDENTIALS = False
 
# All hosts accepted
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['*']
 
# CSRF only for popular dev ports
CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS = [
    'http://localhost:3000',
    'http://localhost:5173',
    # ... 7 popular dev ports
]

Production Mode (security_domains specified):

# Strict CORS from security_domains
CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS = [
    'https://myapp.com',
    'https://api.myapp.com',
    'https://admin.myapp.com',
]
CORS_ALLOW_CREDENTIALS = True
 
# Hosts from security_domains + Docker IPs (if detected)
ALLOWED_HOSTS = [
    'myapp.com',
    'api.myapp.com',
    'admin.myapp.com',
    # Docker IPs added automatically if /.dockerenv detected
    'r"172\.(1[6-9]|2[0-9]|3[0-1])\..*',  # Docker range
]
 
# CSRF from security_domains
CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS = [
    'https://myapp.com',
    'https://api.myapp.com',
    'https://admin.myapp.com',
]

SSL/TLS Configuration

Reverse Proxy Best Practice Django-CFG assumes SSL/TLS termination happens at the reverse proxy level (nginx, Cloudflare, traefik, AWS ALB). This is the industry-standard approach.

class MyConfig(DjangoConfig):
    secret_key: str = "your-secret-key"
    debug: bool = False
    security_domains: list = ["myapp.com"]
 
    # ssl_redirect not specified - Django-CFG defaults to None (disabled)
    # SSL handled by reverse proxy (nginx, Cloudflare, etc.)

Default behavior:

  • ✅ SECURE_SSL_REDIRECT = False - Reverse proxy handles redirects
  • ✅ SECURE_PROXY_SSL_HEADER = ('HTTP_X_FORWARDED_PROTO', 'https') - Trust proxy headers
  • ✅ SESSION_COOKIE_SECURE = True - Secure cookies in production
  • ✅ CSRF_COOKIE_SECURE = True - Secure CSRF tokens

Explicit SSL Redirect (Rare)

Only for Bare Metal Set ssl_redirect=True ONLY if Django handles SSL directly without a reverse proxy. This is rare in modern deployments.

class MyConfig(DjangoConfig):
    secret_key: str = "your-secret-key"
    debug: bool = False
    security_domains: list = ["myapp.com"]
 
    # Explicit SSL redirect - ONLY if Django handles SSL directly
    ssl_redirect: bool = True

When to use:

  • ❌ Don’t use with nginx/Cloudflare/traefik (causes redirect loops)
  • ✅ Use only for bare metal Django with direct SSL certificates
  • ✅ Use only for testing SSL redirects in development

CORS Configuration

Automatic CORS

class MyConfig(DjangoConfig):
    secret_key: str = "your-secret-key"
    debug: bool = False
    security_domains: list = ["myapp.com"]

Automatic CORS headers:

CORS_ALLOW_HEADERS = [
    'accept',
    'accept-encoding',
    'authorization',
    'content-type',
    'dnt',
    'origin',
    'user-agent',
    'x-csrftoken',
    'x-requested-with',
]

Custom CORS Headers

class MyConfig(DjangoConfig):
    secret_key: str = "your-secret-key"
    debug: bool = False
    security_domains: list = ["myapp.com"]
 
    # Add custom headers
    cors_allow_headers: list = [
        'x-api-key',
        'x-custom-header',
    ]

Result: Merges default headers + custom headers

CORS for API

class MyConfig(DjangoConfig):
    secret_key: str = "your-secret-key"
    debug: bool = False
    security_domains: list = ["api.myapp.com", "myapp.com"]
 
    cors_allow_headers: list = [
        'x-api-key',
        'authorization',
    ]

Generated settings:

CORS_ALLOW_CREDENTIALS = True
CORS_ORIGIN_WHITELIST = [
    'https://api.myapp.com',
    'https://www.api.myapp.com',
    'https://myapp.com',
    'https://www.myapp.com',
    'http://localhost:3000',
]

Complete Security Example

Production Configuration

# config.py
from django_cfg import DjangoConfig
 
class ProductionConfig(DjangoConfig):
    secret_key: str = "your-production-secret-key-minimum-50-characters"
    debug: bool = False
    project_name: str = "My Production App"
 
    # Security domains (flexible format - auto-normalized)
    security_domains: list = [
        "myapp.com",                # ✅ No protocol
        "https://api.myapp.com",    # ✅ With protocol
        "admin.myapp.com:8443",     # ✅ With port
    ]
 
    # ssl_redirect: Optional - defaults to None (reverse proxy handles SSL)
    # CORS auto-configured from domains
    # ALLOWED_HOSTS auto-generated

Generated security settings:

# ALLOWED_HOSTS (from security_domains + Docker IPs if detected)
ALLOWED_HOSTS = [
    'myapp.com',
    'api.myapp.com',
    'admin.myapp.com',
    # Docker IPs added automatically if /.dockerenv exists:
    'r"172\.(1[6-9]|2[0-9]|3[0-1])\..*',  # Docker bridge
    'r"192\.168\..*',                      # Docker compose
]
 
# SSL/TLS (assumes reverse proxy)
SECURE_SSL_REDIRECT = False  # Reverse proxy handles redirect
SECURE_PROXY_SSL_HEADER = ('HTTP_X_FORWARDED_PROTO', 'https')
SESSION_COOKIE_SECURE = True
CSRF_COOKIE_SECURE = True
SECURE_HSTS_SECONDS = 31536000
SECURE_HSTS_INCLUDE_SUBDOMAINS = True
SECURE_HSTS_PRELOAD = True
 
# CORS (strict whitelist with credentials)
CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS = [
    'https://myapp.com',
    'https://api.myapp.com',
    'https://admin.myapp.com',
]
CORS_ALLOW_CREDENTIALS = True
 
# CSRF (from security_domains)
CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS = [
    'https://myapp.com',
    'https://api.myapp.com',
    'https://admin.myapp.com',
]
 
# Security headers
SECURE_CONTENT_TYPE_NOSNIFF = True
SECURE_BROWSER_XSS_FILTER = True
X_FRAME_OPTIONS = 'DENY'

Development Configuration

# config.py
from django_cfg import DjangoConfig
 
class DevelopmentConfig(DjangoConfig):
    secret_key: str = "dev-secret-key-minimum-50-characters-long-string"
    debug: bool = True
    project_name: str = "My Dev App"
 
    # security_domains: Optional - not needed in development
    # Django-CFG auto-configures for development convenience

Generated security settings:

# CORS (fully open for development)
CORS_ALLOW_ALL_ORIGINS = True
CORS_ALLOW_CREDENTIALS = False  # Must be False with ALLOW_ALL
 
# ALLOWED_HOSTS (accept everything)
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['*']
 
# CSRF (popular dev ports only)
CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS = [
    'http://localhost:3000',  # React/Next.js
    'http://localhost:5173',  # Vite
    'http://localhost:8080',  # Webpack
    'http://localhost:4200',  # Angular
    # ... 7 popular ports
]
 
# SSL/TLS (disabled in development)
SECURE_SSL_REDIRECT = False
SESSION_COOKIE_SECURE = False
CSRF_COOKIE_SECURE = False

Environment-Specific Security

Using Environment Detection

from django_cfg import DjangoConfig
 
class MyConfig(DjangoConfig):
    secret_key: str = "your-secret-key"
    project_name: str = "My App"
 
    @property
    def debug(self) -> bool:
        return self._environment == "development"
 
    @property
    def security_domains(self) -> list:
        if self._environment == "production":
            return ["myapp.com", "api.myapp.com"]
        elif self._environment == "staging":
            return ["staging.myapp.com"]
        return []  # Development
 
    @property
    def ssl_redirect(self) -> bool:
        return self._environment in ["production", "staging"]

Using YAML Configuration

# config.production.yaml
secret_key: "${SECRET_KEY}"  # From environment
debug: false
security_domains:
  - myapp.com              # ✅ Flexible format
  - https://api.myapp.com  # ✅ With protocol
  - admin.myapp.com:8443   # ✅ With port
 
# ssl_redirect: Optional - not needed (defaults to reverse proxy mode)
 
# config.development.yaml
secret_key: "dev-secret-key-minimum-50-chars"
debug: true
 
# security_domains: Optional - not needed in development
# Django-CFG auto-configures CORS fully open for development
# config.py
from django_cfg import load_config
 
config = load_config()  # Loads environment-specific YAML

Security Best Practices

Security Checklist Follow all these practices for production security. Skipping any can expose your application to attacks.

SECRET_KEY

1. Always Set Strong SECRET_KEY

Weak SECRET_KEY Never use:

  • Default values like “changeme” or “insecure-key”
  • Short keys (< 50 characters)
  • Predictable patterns or dictionary words
  • Keys committed to version control

Consequences:

  • Session hijacking
  • CSRF token forgery
  • Password reset token prediction
  • Data tampering

❌ Bad:

secret_key: str = "changeme"  # ❌ NEVER DO THIS
secret_key: str = "django-insecure-key"  # ❌ Too weak

✅ Good:

# Use environment variable
secret_key: str = os.environ["SECRET_KEY"]  # ✅ Secure
 
# Or generate new key:
from django.core.management.utils import get_random_secret_key
print(get_random_secret_key())

Key Generation Generate a cryptographically secure key:

python -c "from django.core.management.utils import get_random_secret_key; print(get_random_secret_key())"

Environment Variables

2. Use Environment Variables for Secrets

Never Hardcode Secrets Hardcoded secrets in code can be:

  • Found in git history (even after deletion)
  • Leaked through GitHub search
  • Exposed in error messages
  • Copied to forks and backups

❌ Bad:

class MyConfig(DjangoConfig):
    secret_key: str = "my-actual-secret-key-abc123"  # ❌ EXPOSED
    database_url: str = "postgresql://user:password@host/db"  # ❌ LEAKED

✅ Good:

import os
 
class MyConfig(DjangoConfig):
    secret_key: str = os.environ["SECRET_KEY"]  # ✅ From environment
    database_url: str = os.environ["DATABASE_URL"]  # ✅ Secure
 
    # Optional: provide dev fallback
    debug: bool = os.getenv("DEBUG", "false").lower() == "true"

SSL/TLS

3. Enable SSL at Reverse Proxy

Reverse Proxy SSL Termination Best practice: Handle SSL/TLS at the reverse proxy level (nginx, Cloudflare, traefik, AWS ALB). This is more secure, performant, and flexible than Django-level SSL.

✅ Default (recommended):

class MyConfig(DjangoConfig):
    debug: bool = False
    security_domains: list = ["myapp.com"]
    # ssl_redirect not specified - Django-CFG assumes reverse proxy handles SSL

Nginx example:

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name myapp.com;
 
    ssl_certificate /etc/ssl/myapp.com.crt;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/ssl/myapp.com.key;
 
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://django:8000;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto https;  # Django trusts this
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
    }
}

Only Set ssl_redirect=True for Bare Metal Set ssl_redirect=True ONLY if Django handles SSL certificates directly without a reverse proxy (rare: bare metal without nginx/traefik).

Causes redirect loops with:

  • nginx/Apache
  • Cloudflare
  • AWS ALB/ELB
  • traefik
  • Any reverse proxy

ALLOWED_HOSTS

4. Restrict ALLOWED_HOSTS

Wildcard ALLOWED_HOSTS Using ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['*'] allows:

  • HTTP Host header attacks
  • Cache poisoning
  • Email/password reset injection
  • Subdomain takeover attacks

❌ Bad:

ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['*']  # ❌ DANGEROUS - allows any domain

✅ Good:

class MyConfig(DjangoConfig):
    security_domains: list = [
        "myapp.com",
        "api.myapp.com",
    ]
    # ALLOWED_HOSTS auto-generated with www variants + localhost

CORS

5. Configure CORS Properly

Permissive CORS Using CORS_ALLOW_ALL_ORIGINS = True exposes your API to:

  • Cross-site request forgery
  • Data theft from other domains
  • Unauthorized API access
  • Session hijacking

❌ Bad:

CORS_ALLOW_ALL_ORIGINS = True  # ❌ DANGEROUS
CORS_ALLOW_CREDENTIALS = True  # With wildcard origin = CRITICAL VULNERABILITY

✅ Good:

class MyConfig(DjangoConfig):
    security_domains: list = [
        "myapp.com",
        "api.myapp.com",
    ]
    # CORS auto-configured with specific origins

CORS + Credentials Never combine CORS_ALLOW_ALL_ORIGINS = True with CORS_ALLOW_CREDENTIALS = True. This is a critical security vulnerability.

Security Headers Reference

Django-CFG automatically configures security headers based on environment:

Production Headers

SECURE_CONTENT_TYPE_NOSNIFF = True
SECURE_BROWSER_XSS_FILTER = True
X_FRAME_OPTIONS = 'DENY'
SECURE_HSTS_SECONDS = 31536000
SECURE_HSTS_INCLUDE_SUBDOMAINS = True
SECURE_HSTS_PRELOAD = True

Development Headers

SECURE_CONTENT_TYPE_NOSNIFF = False
SECURE_BROWSER_XSS_FILTER = False
X_FRAME_OPTIONS = 'SAMEORIGIN'

Troubleshooting

ALLOWED_HOSTS Error

Error:

DisallowedHost at /
Invalid HTTP_HOST header: 'newdomain.com'

Solution:

class MyConfig(DjangoConfig):
    security_domains: list = [
        "myapp.com",
        "newdomain.com",  # Add new domain
    ]

CORS Error

Error:

Access to fetch at 'https://api.myapp.com' from origin 'https://myapp.com'
has been blocked by CORS policy

Solution:

class MyConfig(DjangoConfig):
    security_domains: list = [
        "myapp.com",
        "api.myapp.com",  # Add API domain
    ]

SSL Redirect Loop

Problem: Infinite redirect loop in production

Solution:

class MyConfig(DjangoConfig):
    security_domains: list = ["myapp.com"]
    ssl_redirect: bool = True
 
# Add to settings:
SECURE_PROXY_SSL_HEADER = ('HTTP_X_FORWARDED_PROTO', 'https')

Django-Axes: Brute-Force Protection

Automatic Brute-Force Protection Django-CFG includes django-axes for automatic brute-force attack protection. It tracks failed login attempts and locks out attackers.

Overview

Django-Axes provides:

  • ✅ Failed login tracking - Monitor failed authentication attempts
  • ✅ Automatic lockout - Block users/IPs after too many failures
  • ✅ Time-based cooldown - Automatic unlock after cooldown period
  • ✅ IP + Username tracking - Flexible tracking strategies
  • ✅ Proxy/Cloudflare support - Real IP extraction from headers
  • ✅ Admin integration - View and manage lockouts in admin panel

Smart Defaults

Django-CFG provides environment-aware defaults for django-axes:

Development Mode:

AXES_ENABLED = True
AXES_FAILURE_LIMIT = 10      # More attempts allowed in dev
AXES_COOLOFF_TIME = 1        # 1 hour lockout
AXES_VERBOSE = True          # Detailed logging

Production Mode:

AXES_ENABLED = True
AXES_FAILURE_LIMIT = 5       # Stricter limit in production
AXES_COOLOFF_TIME = 24       # 24 hours lockout
AXES_VERBOSE = False         # Less verbose logging

No Configuration Required Django-Axes works out of the box with smart defaults. You only need to configure it if you want custom behavior.

Basic Configuration

from django_cfg import DjangoConfig
 
class MyConfig(DjangoConfig):
    secret_key: str = "your-secret-key"
    debug: bool = False
    security_domains: list = ["myapp.com"]
 
    # axes: No configuration needed - smart defaults used automatically

Result: Automatic brute-force protection with environment-aware defaults.

Custom Configuration

from django_cfg import DjangoConfig, AxesConfig
 
class MyConfig(DjangoConfig):
    secret_key: str = "your-secret-key"
    debug: bool = False
    security_domains: list = ["myapp.com"]
 
    # Custom axes configuration
    axes: AxesConfig = AxesConfig(
        failure_limit=3,      # Only 3 attempts (stricter than default)
        cooloff_time=48,      # 48 hours lockout (stricter than default)
        lockout_template="account/locked.html",  # Custom lockout page
    )

YAML Configuration

config.yaml
secret_key: "${SECRET_KEY}"
debug: false
security_domains:
  - myapp.com
 
# Custom axes configuration
axes:
  failure_limit: 3
  cooloff_time: 48
  lockout_template: "account/locked.html"

Configuration Options

Basic Settings

from django_cfg import AxesConfig
 
axes = AxesConfig(
    # Enable/disable axes
    enabled=True,  # Default: True
 
    # Failure limit (None = auto: 10 dev, 5 prod)
    failure_limit=5,
 
    # Cooloff time in hours (None = auto: 1 dev, 24 prod)
    cooloff_time=24,
 
    # Lock out after reaching failure limit
    lock_out_at_failure=True,  # Default: True
 
    # Reset failure count after successful login
    reset_on_success=True,  # Default: True
)

UI/UX Settings

axes = AxesConfig(
    # Custom lockout template
    lockout_template="account/locked.html",  # Default: None (built-in response)
 
    # Custom lockout URL redirect
    lockout_url="/account/locked/",  # Default: None (built-in response)
)

Logging Settings

axes = AxesConfig(
    # Verbose logging (None = auto: True dev, False prod)
    verbose=True,
 
    # Log access failures for security audit
    enable_access_failure_log=True,  # Default: True
)

IP Whitelist/Blacklist

axes = AxesConfig(
    # IP addresses that bypass axes protection
    allowed_ips=[
        '192.168.1.100',  # Office IP
        '10.0.0.5',       # Admin IP
    ],
 
    # IP addresses that are always blocked
    denied_ips=[
        '10.0.0.2',       # Known attacker
    ],
)

Proxy/Cloudflare Support

Real IP Extraction Django-Axes automatically extracts real client IPs from proxy headers (nginx, Cloudflare, traefik).

Default Configuration

axes = AxesConfig(
    # Number of proxies between client and server
    ipware_proxy_count=1,  # Default: 1
 
    # Order of headers to extract real IP
    ipware_meta_precedence_order=[
        'HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR',  # Cloudflare, nginx, traefik
        'HTTP_X_REAL_IP',        # Alternative proxy header
        'REMOTE_ADDR',           # Fallback to direct connection
    ],
)

Cloudflare Configuration

# For Cloudflare
axes = AxesConfig(
    ipware_proxy_count=1,  # Cloudflare is 1 proxy layer
    ipware_meta_precedence_order=[
        'HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR',
        'HTTP_CF_CONNECTING_IP',  # Cloudflare-specific header
        'REMOTE_ADDR',
    ],
)

Multiple Proxies

# For multiple proxies (e.g., Cloudflare + nginx)
axes = AxesConfig(
    ipware_proxy_count=2,  # 2 proxy layers
    ipware_meta_precedence_order=[
        'HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR',
        'HTTP_X_REAL_IP',
        'REMOTE_ADDR',
    ],
)

Custom Lockout Page

Custom Template

1. Create lockout template:

templates/account/locked.html
{% extends "base.html" %}
 
{% block content %}
<div class="lockout-page">
    <h1>Account Locked</h1>
    <p>
        Your account has been locked due to too many failed login attempts.
        Please try again in {{ cooloff_time }} hours.
    </p>
    <p>
        If you believe this is a mistake, please contact support.
    </p>
</div>
{% endblock %}

2. Configure axes:

axes = AxesConfig(
    lockout_template="account/locked.html",
)

Custom URL Redirect

1. Create lockout view:

views.py
from django.shortcuts import render
 
def account_locked(request):
    return render(request, 'account/locked.html', {
        'cooloff_time': 24,  # Hours
    })

2. Add URL route:

urls.py
urlpatterns = [
    path('account/locked/', account_locked, name='account_locked'),
]

3. Configure axes:

axes = AxesConfig(
    lockout_url="/account/locked/",
)

Admin Integration

Django-Axes provides admin interface to view and manage lockouts:

# Admin panel automatically includes:
# - Access Attempts (all login attempts)
# - Access Logs (successful logins)
# - Access Failures (failed login attempts)

Admin features:

  • ✅ View all failed login attempts
  • ✅ View locked accounts/IPs
  • ✅ Manually unlock accounts
  • ✅ View attempt history
  • ✅ Search by username/IP

Production Examples

Strict Security

from django_cfg import DjangoConfig, AxesConfig
 
class MyConfig(DjangoConfig):
    secret_key: str = "your-secret-key"
    debug: bool = False
    security_domains: list = ["myapp.com"]
 
    # Very strict brute-force protection
    axes: AxesConfig = AxesConfig(
        failure_limit=3,      # Only 3 attempts
        cooloff_time=72,      # 72 hours lockout (3 days)
        lockout_template="account/locked.html",
        enable_access_failure_log=True,
    )

Moderate Security

axes: AxesConfig = AxesConfig(
    failure_limit=5,      # 5 attempts (default production)
    cooloff_time=24,      # 24 hours lockout
    reset_on_success=True,
)

Whitelist Admin IPs

axes: AxesConfig = AxesConfig(
    failure_limit=5,
    cooloff_time=24,
 
    # Whitelist office/admin IPs
    allowed_ips=[
        '192.168.1.0/24',  # Office network
        '10.0.0.100',       # Admin IP
    ],
)

Cloudflare + nginx Setup

axes: AxesConfig = AxesConfig(
    failure_limit=5,
    cooloff_time=24,
 
    # Cloudflare + nginx proxy setup
    ipware_proxy_count=2,
    ipware_meta_precedence_order=[
        'HTTP_CF_CONNECTING_IP',  # Cloudflare real IP
        'HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR',   # nginx proxy
        'HTTP_X_REAL_IP',
        'REMOTE_ADDR',
    ],
)

Development vs Production

Development

class DevConfig(DjangoConfig):
    debug: bool = True
 
    # axes: Optional - smart defaults provide relaxed settings
    # AXES_FAILURE_LIMIT = 10 (more attempts)
    # AXES_COOLOFF_TIME = 1 (1 hour)
    # AXES_VERBOSE = True (detailed logging)

Production

class ProdConfig(DjangoConfig):
    debug: bool = False
    security_domains: list = ["myapp.com"]
 
    # axes: Optional - smart defaults provide strict settings
    # AXES_FAILURE_LIMIT = 5 (stricter)
    # AXES_COOLOFF_TIME = 24 (24 hours)
    # AXES_VERBOSE = False (less verbose)

Monitoring Lockouts

Check Lockout Status

from axes.helpers import get_lockout_response
 
# Check if IP/username is locked
lockout_response = get_lockout_response(request)
if lockout_response:
    # User is locked out
    return lockout_response

View Lockout Attempts

from axes.models import AccessAttempt
 
# Get all lockouts
lockouts = AccessAttempt.objects.filter(failures_since_start__gte=5)
 
# Get lockouts for specific IP
ip_lockouts = AccessAttempt.objects.filter(ip_address='192.168.1.100')
 
# Get lockouts for specific username
user_lockouts = AccessAttempt.objects.filter(username='admin')

Troubleshooting

False Lockouts

Problem: Legitimate users getting locked out

Solutions:

  1. Increase failure limit:
axes = AxesConfig(
    failure_limit=10,  # More lenient
)
  1. Whitelist trusted IPs:
axes = AxesConfig(
    allowed_ips=['192.168.1.0/24'],  # Office network
)

Proxy Issues

Problem: All requests appear to come from proxy IP

Solution: Configure proxy settings correctly

axes = AxesConfig(
    # Adjust proxy count
    ipware_proxy_count=1,  # Or 2 for Cloudflare + nginx
 
    # Add proxy-specific headers
    ipware_meta_precedence_order=[
        'HTTP_CF_CONNECTING_IP',  # For Cloudflare
        'HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR',
        'HTTP_X_REAL_IP',
        'REMOTE_ADDR',
    ],
)

Unlock Users

Option 1: Admin Panel

  1. Go to Admin → Axes → Access Attempts
  2. Find locked user/IP
  3. Delete the attempt record

Option 2: Management Command

# Unlock specific username
python manage.py axes_reset username admin
 
# Unlock specific IP
python manage.py axes_reset ip 192.168.1.100
 
# Clear all lockouts
python manage.py axes_reset

Advanced Settings

Cache Backend

axes = AxesConfig(
    cache_name='default',  # Use 'redis' for Redis cache
)

Custom Username Field

axes = AxesConfig(
    username_form_field='email',  # Track by email instead of username
)

Security Best Practices

Axes Security Tips

  1. ✅ Always enable axes in production (enabled=True)
  2. ✅ Use strict failure limits (3-5 attempts)
  3. ✅ Configure proxy settings correctly for Cloudflare/nginx
  4. ✅ Whitelist admin/office IPs to prevent self-lockout
  5. ✅ Monitor lockout logs for attack patterns
  6. ✅ Enable access failure logging (enable_access_failure_log=True)

See Also

EmailDjango Settings