Security

Security tips

The Apache Struts 2 doesn't provide any security mechanism - it is just a pure web framework. Below are few tips you should consider during application development with the Apache Struts 2.

Restrict access to the Config Browser

Config Browser Plugin expose internal configuration and should be used only during development phase. If you must use it on production site, we strictly recommend restricting access to it - you can use  Basic Authentication or any other security mechanism (e.g. Apache Shiro)

Don't mix different access levels in the same namespace

Very often access to different resources is controlled base on URL patterns, see snippet below. Because of that you cannot mix actions with different security levels in the same namespace. Always group actions in one namespace by security level.

    <security-constraint>
        <web-resource-collection>
            <web-resource-name>admin</web-resource-name>
            <url-pattern>/secure/*</url-pattern>
        </web-resource-collection>
        <auth-constraint>
            <role-name>admin</role-name>
        </auth-constraint>
    </security-constraint>