Security Headers Explained: A Non-Technical Guide

What Are Security Headers?

Think of security headers like the locks and alarms on your house. Your app sends these headers with every page load, telling browsers how to behave securely.

Without them, you're leaving doors unlocked.

The Essential Security Headers

1. Content-Security-Policy (CSP)

**What it does:** Prevents attackers from injecting malicious scripts into your page.

**Without it:** Hackers can run JavaScript on your site, steal user data, or redirect users to phishing pages.

**In plain English:** "Only trust scripts from these specific sources."

2. Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS)

**What it does:** Forces browsers to always use HTTPS, never HTTP.

**Without it:** Attackers on public WiFi can intercept unencrypted traffic and steal data.

**In plain English:** "Always use the secure connection, no exceptions."

3. X-Frame-Options

**What it does:** Prevents your site from being embedded in malicious iframes.

**Without it:** Attackers can overlay invisible buttons over your site to trick users into clicking things.

**In plain English:** "Don't let other sites put my page inside theirs."

4. X-Content-Type-Options

**What it does:** Prevents browsers from guessing file types incorrectly.

**Without it:** A file that looks like an image could be executed as code.

**In plain English:** "Trust the file type I tell you, don't guess."

5. Referrer-Policy

**What it does:** Controls how much information is shared when users click links.

**Without it:** Sensitive URLs (like password reset tokens) might leak to other sites.

**In plain English:** "Be careful what you tell other sites about where users came from."

How to Check Your Headers

The easiest way is to use a security scanner like HackNope. We check all these headers and explain exactly what's missing in plain English.

You can also use browser developer tools:

1. Open your site

2. Press F12 to open DevTools

3. Go to the Network tab

4. Refresh the page

5. Click on the main document

6. Look at the Response Headers section

How to Fix Missing Headers

If you're using a vibe-coding tool, you'll need to configure headers at the hosting level. Here's where to look:

**Need help fixing yours?** HackNope provides copy-paste AI prompts that tell your coding assistant exactly how to add the missing headers.

[Check your security headers now →](/)