Security Headers Generator

Security Headers Generator — Free Apache .htaccess Tool

Generate HTTP security headers for your website in seconds — no coding required.

Adding security headers to your website is one of the simplest and most effective steps you can take to protect your visitors, improve trust signals, and pass modern security audits. Most websites skip this step entirely — not because it is complicated, but because they simply do not know where to start.

This free tool removes the guesswork. Select the headers you need, copy the generated code, and paste it into your .htaccess file. Done.

What Are HTTP Security Headers?

When a browser loads a website, the server sends back a response. Along with the page content, the server also sends HTTP headers — invisible instructions that tell the browser how to behave.

Security headers are a specific set of these instructions. They tell the browser things like:

• Only load this site over HTTPS
• Do not allow this page to be embedded in another site’s iframe
• Block any content that was not explicitly approved

Without these headers, browsers are left to make their own decisions — and attackers know exactly how to exploit that gap.

Security headers are not a replacement for other security practices. But they are a fast, low-effort layer of protection that every website should have.

Which Security Headers Does This Tool Generate?

1. Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS)

Target keywords: HSTS header Apache, HTTP strict transport security htaccess, force HTTPS Apache

HSTS tells browsers to always connect to your website using HTTPS — even if a user types http:// in the address bar. Once a browser sees this header, it will automatically upgrade all future requests to HTTPS for the duration you specify.

Why it matters: Without HSTS, an attacker on the same network can intercept an initial HTTP request before the server redirects to HTTPS. This is called a downgrade attack, and HSTS prevents it entirely.

What this tool generates:

Header always set Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains; preload"

max-age=31536000 means the rule stays active for one year. includeSubDomains extends protection to all subdomains. preload qualifies your site for browser preload lists, which apply HSTS before any connection is even made.

Best for: Any website running on HTTPS — which should be every website in 2026.

2. X-Frame-Options

Target keywords: X-Frame-Options htaccess, prevent clickjacking Apache, iframe protection header

This header controls whether your website can be embedded inside an <iframe> on another website. Setting it to SAMEORIGIN allows framing only from your own domain and blocks all external sources.

Why it matters: Clickjacking is an attack where a malicious page loads your website invisibly inside a transparent iframe and tricks users into clicking buttons or links they cannot see. A banking site, a login form, or even a simple “confirm” button can be hijacked this way.

What this tool generates:

Header always set X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN"

Best for: All websites — especially those with login pages, forms, or payment steps.

3. X-Content-Type-Options

Target keywords: X-Content-Type-Options nosniff, MIME sniffing protection, content type security header Apache

This single-line header stops browsers from guessing what type of file they are loading. Without it, a browser might look at a file’s content and decide to run it as a different type than the server declared — a behavior called MIME sniffing.

Why it matters: An attacker can upload a file that looks harmless but is actually executable code. If the browser MIME-sniffs it and runs it as a script, you have a serious vulnerability. Setting nosniff prevents this entirely.

What this tool generates:

Header always set X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff"

Best for: Every website, particularly those that allow any kind of file upload or serve user-generated content.

4. Referrer-Policy

Target keywords: Referrer-Policy header Apache, control referrer information, privacy header htaccess

When a user clicks a link from your site to another website, the browser automatically sends the URL they came from — called the referrer. The Referrer-Policy header controls how much of that information gets shared.

Why it matters: Without this header, the full URL of every page your visitors come from gets sent to external sites. That URL might contain session tokens, search queries, or other sensitive information. strict-origin-when-cross-origin is the balanced setting — it sends the full referrer for same-site links but only sends your domain name for external links.

What this tool generates:

Header always set Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin"

Best for: All websites that care about visitor privacy — which is especially relevant given modern privacy regulations like GDPR.

5. Permissions-Policy

Target keywords: Permissions-Policy header, feature policy htaccess, disable camera microphone geolocation Apache

This header controls which browser features your website is allowed to use — and which ones are completely blocked. Features like camera access, microphone, and geolocation can only be activated if you explicitly allow them.

Why it matters: Third-party scripts, ad networks, and embedded widgets often try to access browser APIs they have no business using. Permissions-Policy acts as a whitelist. If you do not use geolocation on your site, block it entirely — so no script can ever activate it without your permission.

What this tool generates:

Header always set Permissions-Policy "camera=(), microphone=(), geolocation=()"

camera=(), microphone=(), and geolocation=() mean these features are completely disabled for all origins. You can customize this if your site legitimately uses any of them.

Best for: All websites. Especially important for sites that load third-party analytics, advertising scripts, or chat widgets.

6. Content-Security-Policy (CSP)

Target keywords: Content-Security-Policy Apache, CSP header htaccess, prevent XSS attacks header, content security policy generator

CSP is the most powerful security header available — and also the most complex. It defines a whitelist of trusted sources for every type of content your site loads: scripts, stylesheets, images, fonts, iframes, and more. Anything not on the list gets blocked by the browser before it ever runs.

Why it matters: Cross-site scripting (XSS) is one of the most common web vulnerabilities. An attacker injects malicious JavaScript into a page — through a comment field, a form input, or a compromised third-party script — and that script runs in the victim’s browser with full access to the page. CSP stops this by refusing to execute any script that was not explicitly approved.

What this tool generates:

Header always set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline'; img-src 'self' data:; font-src 'self'; connect-src 'self'; frame-ancestors 'none'"

⚠ Important warning before enabling CSP: The policy above is intentionally strict. It will block inline JavaScript, external scripts, and resources from any domain not listed in the policy. This means:

• Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and chat widgets may stop working
• WordPress plugins that use inline <script> tags may break
• Embedded YouTube videos or Google Maps may fail to load
• Google Fonts loaded from fonts.googleapis.com will be blocked

CSP requires careful customization for your specific website. Test it on a staging environment first. Never apply an untested CSP policy to a live production website.

How to Use This Tool — Step by Step

Step 1 — Select your headers
Tick the checkboxes for the headers you want to enable. All five standard headers are recommended for every website. Enable CSP only after testing.

Step 2 — Copy the generated code
Click the “Copy Code” button. The generated Apache configuration will be copied to your clipboard.

Step 3 — Open your .htaccess file
Log in to your hosting control panel (cPanel or equivalent). Go to File Manager, navigate to your public_html folder, and find the .htaccess file.

Step 4 — Back up first
Before editing, copy the existing content of your .htaccess file and save it somewhere safe. This lets you undo any changes if something goes wrong.

Step 5 — Paste at the top
Open the .htaccess file for editing. Paste the copied code at the very top of the file — above any existing content like WordPress rules or LiteSpeed Cache blocks.

Step 6 — Save and test
Save the file and reload your website. If everything looks normal, your headers are live. You can verify them using any free security header checker tool.

How to Verify Your Security Headers Are Working

After adding your headers, you can confirm they are active by:

• Opening your browser’s Developer Tools → Network tab → clicking on any request → checking the Response Headers section
• Using online security header scanning tools like SecurityHeaders.com or Mozilla Observatory
• Running a Google PageSpeed or SSL Labs test, which also report on security header status

You should see each header you added listed in the response headers of your website’s main document request.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do security headers affect website speed?
No. Security headers are sent as part of the HTTP response and add no measurable load time. They are among the few security improvements that have zero performance cost.

Will adding these headers break my website?
The five standard headers in this tool — HSTS, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, Referrer-Policy, and Permissions-Policy — are safe for virtually all websites and extremely unlikely to cause any issues. CSP is the exception and requires careful testing before use on a live site.

Do I need a developer to add these headers?
No. If you have access to your .htaccess file through cPanel File Manager or FTP, you can add these headers yourself in under five minutes using the code this tool generates.

Does this work with WordPress?
Yes. WordPress runs on Apache and uses a .htaccess file. Paste the generated code at the top of the file, above the WordPress # BEGIN WordPress block.

Does this work with Nginx?
No. This tool generates Apache .htaccess configuration. Nginx does not use .htaccess files and requires a different syntax added to the nginx.conf or a server block configuration file.

What is mod_headers and do I need it?
mod_headers is an Apache module that enables the Header directive used in the generated code. Most shared hosting providers have it enabled by default. If your headers are not appearing after adding the code, contact your hosting provider and ask them to enable mod_headers.

What grade will my site get after adding all five headers?
With all five standard headers in place, most security scanning tools will give your site an A or A+ rating for HTTP security headers. CSP can contribute to a higher score but is not required to reach an A grade.

Can I add these headers without a plugin?
Yes — and that is actually the preferred approach. Plugin-based security header solutions add overhead and dependency. Adding headers directly via .htaccess is lighter, faster, and more reliable.

What happens if I already have some of these headers set elsewhere?
If your hosting provider, CDN, or a plugin already sets some of these headers, adding them again in .htaccess may cause duplicate headers. Check your existing response headers first, and only add what is missing.

Is this tool free?
Yes, completely free. No registration, no account, no limits.

Why Security Headers Matter for SEO

Security headers do not directly affect search rankings, but they have a real indirect impact:

HTTPS enforcement via HSTS supports the HTTPS ranking signal Google has used since 2014. Sites without reliable HTTPS signals can lose ground to competitors who have it properly configured.

Trust and bounce rate — browsers like Chrome flag insecure or suspicious pages. Visitors who see a security warning leave immediately, which signals poor user experience to search engines.

Core Web Vitals and technical audits — Google Search Console and Lighthouse audits flag missing security configurations. A technically clean site signals quality to crawlers.

Structured, secure sites rank better — not because security headers are a direct ranking factor, but because they are part of the broader technical quality that well-ranked sites consistently demonstrate.

This tool generates Apache .htaccess configuration code for HTTP security headers. Always test configuration changes on a staging environment before applying to a live production website. The generated CSP policy is a starting template and should be customized to match your site’s specific content sources.