How to add security headers on Apache

Six HTTP response headers cover the standard hardening checklist. Below: what each one does (honestly — one of them is already the browser default), then the exact Apache configuration.

The headers, and what they actually buy you

Strict-Transport-Security — max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains

Tells browsers to only ever use HTTPS for this domain (for 1 year). ⚠ includeSubDomains applies the rule to EVERY subdomain — any HTTP-only subdomain (an old intranet host, a device panel) becomes unreachable until the max-age expires; drop that token if you have one. Only meaningful on HTTPS responses — browsers ignore it over HTTP (RFC 6797). Add the preload token only deliberately: preloading is hard to undo (hstspreload.org).

X-Content-Type-Options — nosniff

Stops browsers from guessing content types — the only valid value.

X-Frame-Options — DENY

Blocks your site from being framed (clickjacking). The modern replacement is CSP frame-ancestors; keeping X-Frame-Options alongside covers older browsers. Use SAMEORIGIN instead if your site frames itself.

Referrer-Policy — strict-origin-when-cross-origin

This is already the browser default — setting it makes your policy explicit rather than fixing a hole. Use no-referrer for the strictest option.

Permissions-Policy — camera=(), microphone=(), geolocation=()

Disables powerful browser features your site doesn't use. Minimal sane starting set; extend with more features as needed.

Content-Security-Policy — (not copy-pasteable — start with Content-Security-Policy-Report-Only)

CSP is site-specific: a canned policy breaks any third-party script or style you load. Start with Content-Security-Policy-Report-Only to observe violations without breaking anything, then tighten into an enforced policy.

On Apache

Header always set Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains"
Header always set X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff"
Header always set X-Frame-Options "DENY"
Header always set Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin"
Header always set Permissions-Policy "camera=(), microphone=(), geolocation=()"

Apache gotchas worth knowing

• ⚠Keep the always keyword so error pages and internal redirects get the headers too (Apache's default condition only covers successful responses).
• ⚠set replaces any existing header of the same name.
• ⚠Reload Apache after editing (apachectl graceful or systemctl reload apache2).

Verified against Apache: mod_headers on 2026-07-12.