Security headers checker
See which protective HTTP headers your website sends and which are missing, plus how your cookies are set. Each gap comes with a plain-English explanation and the line to add.
The headers we look for
- Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS)
- Forces browsers to use HTTPS on every future visit, so nobody on public Wi-Fi can downgrade the connection.
- Content-Security-Policy (CSP)
- Lists where scripts, styles and frames may load from. It is the strongest defence against cross-site scripting (XSS).
- X-Frame-Options / frame-ancestors
- Stops other sites from embedding yours invisibly to trick clicks (clickjacking).
- X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff
- Stops browsers guessing file types, which can turn an uploaded file into a script.
- Referrer-Policy
- Controls how much of your page address is shared with other sites when visitors click a link.
Example for Nginx
add_header Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains" always; add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" always; add_header X-Frame-Options "DENY" always; add_header Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin" always; add_header Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; frame-ancestors 'none'" always;
Test your site above after each change. Create a free account to monitor headers over time.
Frequently asked questions
What are HTTP security headers?
They are short instructions your server sends with every page, telling the browser how to protect visitors, for example to always use HTTPS (HSTS) or to refuse to load your site inside another site's frame (X-Frame-Options).
Which security headers should every website have?
At minimum: Strict-Transport-Security, Content-Security-Policy (or at least frame-ancestors), X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff and Referrer-Policy. X-Frame-Options covers older browsers.
How do I add security headers?
Add them in your web server (Nginx add_header, Apache Header set, Caddy header), your CDN such as Cloudflare, or your framework's middleware. Test with this page after each change.
Can a Content-Security-Policy break my site?
Yes, a strict one can block scripts you rely on. Start with Content-Security-Policy-Report-Only, watch for problems, then enforce it.