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Framework Security

Is Django Secure? Security Features, Risks, and Hardening

Yes, Django is generally secure when configured correctly. Here is what you need to know about its built-in protections, common vulnerabilities, and how to harden it for production.

Built-in Security Features

Built-in CSRF middleware with automatic token management
ORM provides parameterized queries preventing SQL injection
Automatic HTML escaping in Django templates
Clickjacking protection via X-Frame-Options middleware
Secure password hashing with PBKDF2 by default

Common Vulnerabilities

SQL injection through raw() queries and extra() calls
XSS via |safe or {% autoescape off %} template tags
Mass assignment through unvalidated ModelForm fields
Insecure direct object references in class-based views
Debug mode left enabled in production exposing settings

Hardening Checklist

1Set DEBUG = False and configure ALLOWED_HOSTS in production
2Run python manage.py check --deploy before deploying
3Enable SECURE_SSL_REDIRECT, SECURE_HSTS_SECONDS, and related settings
4Configure SESSION_COOKIE_SECURE and CSRF_COOKIE_SECURE
5Use Django's built-in password validators
6Never use |safe filter with user-supplied content
7Avoid raw SQL; use ORM queries or parameterized cursor.execute()
8Set SECRET_KEY from environment variables, never in settings.py
9Implement object-level permissions with django-guardian or similar
10Use Content-Security-Policy with django-csp middleware

Read the complete Django security guide

In-depth blog post with code examples and best practices

Official Django security documentation

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Django secure?

Yes, Django is generally secure when configured correctly. It includes built-in protections like built-in csrf middleware with automatic token management. However, common misconfigurations and development patterns can introduce vulnerabilities.

What are the main security risks with Django?

The most common Django security risks include sql injection through raw() queries and extra() calls, xss via |safe or {% autoescape off %} template tags, mass assignment through unvalidated modelform fields.

How do I harden Django for production?

Key hardening steps: Set DEBUG = False and configure ALLOWED_HOSTS in production. Run python manage.py check --deploy before deploying. Enable SECURE_SSL_REDIRECT, SECURE_HSTS_SECONDS, and related settings. Run a security check on your domain to identify specific issues.

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