What are HTTP security headers?

Response directives that instruct browsers to enforce HTTPS, block iframe embedding, prevent MIME-sniffing, limit referrer data, and restrict powerful APIs.

What is HSTS (Strict-Transport-Security)?

A header that tells browsers to connect only via HTTPS for a specified max-age period, preventing SSL-stripping downgrade attacks.

What max-age should I use for HSTS?

Use at least 31536000 seconds (one year) for production sites; shorter values are acceptable during testing.

What does X-Frame-Options DENY do?

It prevents any site from embedding your pages in iframes, blocking most clickjacking attacks.

When should I use SAMEORIGIN instead of DENY?

Use SAMEORIGIN when your own application legitimately embeds pages in iframes on the same origin.

What is X-Content-Type-Options nosniff?

It stops browsers from guessing content types, reducing XSS risk when serving user-uploaded files.

What is Referrer-Policy used for?

It controls how much referrer URL information browsers send on navigation and subresource requests.

What is Permissions-Policy?

A header that allows or denies browser features like camera, geolocation, and microphone on your pages.

Does this tool generate Content-Security-Policy headers?

This generator focuses on core transport and framing headers; use the CSP generator for full Content-Security-Policy rules.

Which platforms does the generator support?

Nginx, Apache, Netlify (_headers), and Vercel (vercel.json) output formats are supported.

How do I add headers on Netlify?

Create a _headers file in your publish directory and paste the generated path rules and header lines.

How do I configure headers on Vercel?

Add the generated headers array to vercel.json under the headers key and redeploy your project.

Should I enable HSTS preload?

Only after all subdomains serve HTTPS with valid certificates; preload is irreversible without browser list updates.

Are security headers enough to stop XSS?

Headers reduce risk but CSP, input validation, and output encoding are required for comprehensive XSS defense.

Do security headers work on HTTP sites?

HSTS requires HTTPS; other headers like X-Frame-Options work on HTTP but HTTPS is strongly recommended.

How do I verify headers after deployment?

Use ScanSuite's security headers checker or browser DevTools Network tab to inspect response headers.

Can headers break third-party embeds?

Strict X-Frame-Options or CSP frame-ancestors can block widgets; test integrations in staging first.

Is this security headers generator free?

Yes, ScanSuite provides unlimited free header generation without registration or usage caps.

What is the difference between Permissions-Policy and Feature-Policy?

Permissions-Policy is the modern replacement for the deprecated Feature-Policy header with updated syntax.

Should I send security headers on API JSON responses?

Yes, apply consistent headers on HTML and API responses unless a CDN policy requires exceptions.

Free HTTP Security Headers Generator

An HTTP security headers generator produces server configuration snippets that add protective response headers—such as Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS), X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, Referrer-Policy, and Permissions-Policy—to instruct browsers how to handle your website content and reduce exposure to clickjacking, MIME-sniffing, protocol downgrade, and feature-abuse attacks.

Toggle the security headers you need in ScanSuite's generator, adjust values like HSTS max-age and Referrer-Policy mode, select your platform (Nginx, Apache, Netlify, or Vercel), and copy the generated configuration block directly into your server or hosting config file.

HTTP security headers are response directives sent by web servers that tell browsers how to enforce transport security, frame embedding rules, MIME-type handling, referrer leakage, and access to powerful browser APIs. Unlike application-layer authentication, these headers apply uniformly to every page response and provide baseline defense-in-depth against common web attacks including clickjacking, cross-site scripting helpers, and SSL-stripping downgrade attempts.

ScanSuite's free security headers generator translates security best practices into ready-to-deploy configuration for Nginx, Apache, Netlify, and Vercel. You configure HSTS, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, Referrer-Policy, and Permissions-Policy through a visual interface and receive copy-paste snippets formatted for your chosen platform without memorizing directive syntax or RFC details.

ScanSuite's free security headers generator creates HSTS, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, Referrer-Policy, and Permissions-Policy configuration for Nginx, Apache, Netlify, and Vercel. Toggle recommended defaults, copy platform-specific snippets, and harden your site in minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are HTTP security headers?: Response directives that instruct browsers to enforce HTTPS, block iframe embedding, prevent MIME-sniffing, limit referrer data, and restrict powerful APIs.
What is HSTS (Strict-Transport-Security)?: A header that tells browsers to connect only via HTTPS for a specified max-age period, preventing SSL-stripping downgrade attacks.
What max-age should I use for HSTS?: Use at least 31536000 seconds (one year) for production sites; shorter values are acceptable during testing.
What does X-Frame-Options DENY do?: It prevents any site from embedding your pages in iframes, blocking most clickjacking attacks.
When should I use SAMEORIGIN instead of DENY?: Use SAMEORIGIN when your own application legitimately embeds pages in iframes on the same origin.
What is X-Content-Type-Options nosniff?: It stops browsers from guessing content types, reducing XSS risk when serving user-uploaded files.