[One Package Per Day] Django-Axes

By hientd, at: April 29, 2024, 12:40 p.m.

Estimated Reading Time: 6 min read

[One Package Per Day] Django-Axes
[One Package Per Day] Django-Axes

One Package Per Day: Django-Axes

 

Introduction

Django-Axes is a Django app that provides an easy way to monitor and prevent brute force login attempts. It enhances the security of your Django application by tracking failed login attempts and locking out users after a specified number of failures. This might result

 

Installation


Install via pip

pip install django-axes

 

Add to Installed Apps

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    ...
    'axes',

 

 

Update Middleware

MIDDLEWARE = [
    ...
    'axes.middleware.AxesMiddleware',
]

 

Configure Settings

Add the following to your settings file:

AUTHENTICATION_BACKENDS = [
    ...
    'axes.backends.AxesBackend',
]
AXES_FAILURE_LIMIT = 5  # Example settin

 

Getting Started


Run Migrations

python manage.py migrate axes


Basic Configuration

  1. Failure Limit:
    AXES_FAILURE_LIMIT = 5 # Number of allowed attempts

  2. Lockout Parameters:
    AXES_COOLOFF_TIME = timedelta(minutes=30)  # Lockout duration
    AXES_LOCKOUT_TEMPLATE = 'lockout.html'  # Custom lockout template

 

Key Features

  • Brute Force Protection:
     
    • Monitors login attempts and locks out after repeated failures.
       
  • IP Whitelisting:
     
    • Allows specific IPs to bypass lockouts.
       
  • Extensive Configuration:
     
    • Highly customizable failure limits, cooldown periods, and response actions.
       
  • Detailed Logging:
     
    • Provides comprehensive logs for monitoring login attempts.
       

Pros and Cons


Pros

  • Easy to integrate with existing Django projects.
     
  • Highly customizable settings.
     
  • Provides detailed logging and monitoring.
     

Cons

  • May require careful tuning to avoid locking out legitimate users.
     
  • Can add overhead to the authentication process.

 

Use Cases

  • Web Applications: Enhance security by preventing brute force attacks on login forms.
     
  • Admin Panels: Protect sensitive admin interfaces from unauthorized access attempts.
     
  • SaaS Platforms: Secure user accounts and maintain integrity of the authentication process.

 

Best Practices

  • Tune Settings: Adjust failure limits and cooldown periods based on your application's needs.
     
  • Monitor Logs: Regularly review logs to identify and address potential security threats.
     
  • Combine with Other Security Measures: Use Django-Axes alongside other security practices like rate limiting and strong password policies.

 

Customization


Custom Lockout Template

Create a custom lockout template to provide a user-friendly message during lockout.

 




   

<title></title>

 

 

 


   

Your account has been temporarily locked due to too many failed login attempts.

 

 

 

 

 

<title></title>

Custom Handlers

Define custom handlers to perform specific actions during lockout events.

from axes.signals import user_locked_out

def custom_lockout_handler(sender, request, credentials, **kwargs):
    # Custom logic here
    pass

user_locked_out.connect(custom_lockout_handler)

 

Integration


REST Framework Integration

Use with Django REST Framework to protect API endpoints.

from rest_framework.views import APIView
from axes.decorators import axes_dispatch

class MyView(APIView):
    @axes_dispatch
    def post(self, request):
        pass


Third-Party Libraries

Integrate with libraries like django-guardian for fine-grained permissions.

 

Performance Considerations

  • Database Indexes: Ensure proper indexing on fields used for tracking login attempts.
     
  • Cache Management: Use caching strategies to optimize performance when tracking attempts.
     
  • Load Testing: Perform load testing to ensure the system can handle peak loads without degrading performance.

 

Compared with Other Similar Packages

  • Django-Ratelimit: Focuses on rate limiting requests but doesn't offer as comprehensive a solution for login protection.
     
  • Django-Lockout: Provides basic lockout functionality but lacks the extensiveness of Django-Axes. However, this package is removed.

 

Other Related Packages

  • Django-Ratelimit: For rate limiting user requests.
     
  • Django-Security: Provides additional security features like SSL redirection and session expiry.
     
  • Django-Defender: Similar to Django-Axes but with a different approach to handling lockouts. This is a well-known package created by JazzBand Group

 

Conclusion

Django-Axes is a robust and highly customizable solution for protecting your Django application from brute force login attempts. Its detailed logging, extensive configuration options, and easy integration make it an excellent choice for enhancing the security of your authentication system.


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