open-notebook/docs/5-CONFIGURATION/security.md

Security Configuration

Protect your Open Notebook deployment with password authentication and production hardening.

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When to Use Password Protection

Use It For:

• Public cloud deployments (PikaPods, Railway, DigitalOcean)
• Shared network environments
• Team deployments
• Any deployment accessible beyond localhost

Skip It For:

• Local development on your machine
• Private, isolated networks
• Single-user local setups

---

Quick Setup

Docker Deployment

# docker-compose.yml
services:
  open_notebook:
    image: lfnovo/open_notebook:v1-latest-single
    environment:
      - OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
      - OPEN_NOTEBOOK_PASSWORD=your_secure_password
    # ... rest of config

Or using environment file:

# docker.env
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
OPEN_NOTEBOOK_PASSWORD=your_secure_password

Development Setup

# .env
OPEN_NOTEBOOK_PASSWORD=your_secure_password

---

Password Requirements

Good Passwords

# Strong: 20+ characters, mixed case, numbers, symbols
OPEN_NOTEBOOK_PASSWORD=MySecure2024!Research#Tool
OPEN_NOTEBOOK_PASSWORD=Notebook$Dev$2024$Strong!

# Generated (recommended)
OPEN_NOTEBOOK_PASSWORD=$(openssl rand -base64 24)

Bad Passwords

# DON'T use these
OPEN_NOTEBOOK_PASSWORD=password123
OPEN_NOTEBOOK_PASSWORD=opennotebook
OPEN_NOTEBOOK_PASSWORD=admin

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How It Works

Frontend Protection

1. Login form appears on first visit
2. Password stored in browser session
3. Session persists until browser closes
4. Clear browser data to log out

API Protection

All API endpoints require authentication:

# Authenticated request
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer your_password" \
  http://localhost:5055/api/notebooks

# Unauthenticated (will fail)
curl http://localhost:5055/api/notebooks
# Returns: {"detail": "Missing authorization header"}

Unprotected Endpoints

These work without authentication:

• /health - System health check
• /docs - API documentation
• /openapi.json - OpenAPI spec

---

API Authentication Examples

curl

# List notebooks
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer your_password" \
  http://localhost:5055/api/notebooks

# Create notebook
curl -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your_password" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "My Notebook", "description": "Research notes"}' \
  http://localhost:5055/api/notebooks

# Upload file
curl -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your_password" \
  -F "file=@document.pdf" \
  http://localhost:5055/api/sources/upload

Python

import requests

class OpenNotebookClient:
    def __init__(self, base_url: str, password: str):
        self.base_url = base_url
        self.headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {password}"}

    def get_notebooks(self):
        response = requests.get(
            f"{self.base_url}/api/notebooks",
            headers=self.headers
        )
        return response.json()

    def create_notebook(self, name: str, description: str = None):
        response = requests.post(
            f"{self.base_url}/api/notebooks",
            headers=self.headers,
            json={"name": name, "description": description}
        )
        return response.json()

# Usage
client = OpenNotebookClient("http://localhost:5055", "your_password")
notebooks = client.get_notebooks()

JavaScript/TypeScript

const API_URL = 'http://localhost:5055';
const PASSWORD = 'your_password';

async function getNotebooks() {
  const response = await fetch(`${API_URL}/api/notebooks`, {
    headers: {
      'Authorization': `Bearer ${PASSWORD}`
    }
  });
  return response.json();
}

---

Production Hardening

Docker Security

services:
  open_notebook:
    image: lfnovo/open_notebook:v1-latest-single
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:8502:8502"  # Bind to localhost only
    environment:
      - OPEN_NOTEBOOK_PASSWORD=your_secure_password
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:true
    deploy:
      resources:
        limits:
          memory: 2G
          cpus: "1.0"
    restart: always

Firewall Configuration

# UFW (Ubuntu)
sudo ufw allow ssh
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
sudo ufw deny 8502/tcp   # Block direct access
sudo ufw deny 5055/tcp   # Block direct API access
sudo ufw enable

# iptables
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8502 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 5055 -j DROP

Reverse Proxy with SSL

See Reverse Proxy Configuration for complete nginx/Caddy/Traefik setup with HTTPS.

---

Security Limitations

Open Notebook's password protection provides basic access control, not enterprise-grade security:

Feature	Status
Password transmission	Plain text (use HTTPS!)
Password storage	In memory
User management	Single password for all
Session timeout	None (until browser close)
Rate limiting	None
Audit logging	None

Risk Mitigation

1. Always use HTTPS - Encrypt traffic with TLS
2. Strong passwords - 20+ characters, complex
3. Network security - Firewall, VPN for sensitive deployments
4. Regular updates - Keep containers and dependencies updated
5. Monitoring - Check logs for suspicious activity
6. Backups - Regular backups of data

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Enterprise Considerations

For deployments requiring advanced security:

Need	Solution
SSO/OAuth	Implement OAuth2/SAML proxy
Role-based access	Custom middleware
Audit logging	Log aggregation service
Rate limiting	API gateway or nginx
Data encryption	Encrypt volumes at rest
Network segmentation	Docker networks, VPC

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Troubleshooting

Password Not Working

# Check env var is set
docker exec open-notebook env | grep OPEN_NOTEBOOK_PASSWORD

# Check logs
docker logs open-notebook | grep -i auth

# Test API directly
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer your_password" \
  http://localhost:5055/health

401 Unauthorized Errors

# Check header format
curl -v -H "Authorization: Bearer your_password" \
  http://localhost:5055/api/notebooks

# Verify password matches
echo "Password length: $(echo -n $OPEN_NOTEBOOK_PASSWORD | wc -c)"

Cannot Access After Setting Password

1. Clear browser cache and cookies
2. Try incognito/private mode
3. Check browser console for errors
4. Verify password is correct in environment

Security Testing

# Without password (should fail)
curl http://localhost:5055/api/notebooks
# Expected: {"detail": "Missing authorization header"}

# With correct password (should succeed)
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer your_password" \
  http://localhost:5055/api/notebooks

# Health check (should work without password)
curl http://localhost:5055/health

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Reporting Security Issues

If you discover security vulnerabilities:

1. Do NOT open public issues
2. Contact maintainers directly
3. Provide detailed information
4. Allow time for fixes before disclosure

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Related

• Reverse Proxy - HTTPS and SSL setup
• Server Configuration - API settings
• Environment Reference - All configuration options