Our robust community site integrating Steam for enhanced user interactions and data management, powered by Remix with Tailwind CSS for optimistic, responsive UI. Features CI/CD with GitHub Actions and Docker for seamless deployment and maintenance.
This PR addresses two main issues identified during our deployment process: a Basic Auth issue with the Tebex API and the secure handling of environment variables in our Docker container setup.
Auth Issue with Tebex API
While initially suspected to be a client IP forwarding issue, the problem with Tebex basket creation was ultimately due to a misconfiguration in Basic Auth. Notably, the issue was not present locally, which led to an investigation into the discrepancies between local and production environments.
Root Cause and Resolution
The reason it worked locally without explicit Basic Auth headers is likely because of the stored credentials in the local environment or within the development tools like Postman, which automatically handle Basic Auth for known endpoints. When the server runs locally, it could also be using previously established sessions or tokens that bypass the need for repeated Basic Auth.
To ensure consistent authentication with the Tebex API across all environments, we now explicitly set Basic Auth headers in our API requests. This guarantees that the authentication process is clear and controlled directly within our application code.
Secure Environment Configuration
We have also refined the process for handling environment variables. Previously, we created a .env file during our CI/CD workflow, which is unsafe for a public repository due to the risk of leaking sensitive information.
Implemented Solution
The solution was to eliminate the generation of a .env file. Instead, we're passing the environment variables directly at runtime using the -e flag in Docker. This ensures that our secrets are injected into the container without being exposed in the image or the repository.
Changes Made
Fixed Basic Auth headers in Tebex API requests.
Removed .env file generation from the GitHub Actions workflow.
Configured Docker to accept runtime environment variables securely.
Testing
Verified the Tebex API requests with correct authentication both locally and in the production environment.
Confirmed the absence of .env file in the build process and checked for leaks.
Tested the container deployment to ensure environment variables are present and correct.
Conclusion
The changes made here not only resolve the immediate issue with the Tebex API but also strengthen our overall security practices, particularly with regard to how we manage sensitive information in a public repository setting.
Overview
This PR addresses two main issues identified during our deployment process: a Basic Auth issue with the Tebex API and the secure handling of environment variables in our Docker container setup.
Auth Issue with Tebex API
While initially suspected to be a client IP forwarding issue, the problem with Tebex basket creation was ultimately due to a misconfiguration in Basic Auth. Notably, the issue was not present locally, which led to an investigation into the discrepancies between local and production environments.
Root Cause and Resolution
The reason it worked locally without explicit Basic Auth headers is likely because of the stored credentials in the local environment or within the development tools like Postman, which automatically handle Basic Auth for known endpoints. When the server runs locally, it could also be using previously established sessions or tokens that bypass the need for repeated Basic Auth.
To ensure consistent authentication with the Tebex API across all environments, we now explicitly set Basic Auth headers in our API requests. This guarantees that the authentication process is clear and controlled directly within our application code.
Secure Environment Configuration
We have also refined the process for handling environment variables. Previously, we created a
.envfile during our CI/CD workflow, which is unsafe for a public repository due to the risk of leaking sensitive information.Implemented Solution
The solution was to eliminate the generation of a
.envfile. Instead, we're passing the environment variables directly at runtime using the-eflag in Docker. This ensures that our secrets are injected into the container without being exposed in the image or the repository.Changes Made
.envfile generation from the GitHub Actions workflow.Testing
.envfile in the build process and checked for leaks.Conclusion
The changes made here not only resolve the immediate issue with the Tebex API but also strengthen our overall security practices, particularly with regard to how we manage sensitive information in a public repository setting.