Free Referrer-Policy Checker
Free tool
Check your Referrer-Policy header against strict-origin-when-cross-origin and no-referrer. Stops URL paths and query strings leaking to third parties.
- Referrer-Policy detection
- Safe defaults
- Copyable examples
No credit card requiredProduction-safe (100% passive)No setup or code required
Used by 5,000+ developers and engineering teams
What you get for free
18 core security checks via this tool, passive scans, step-by-step remediation, security score on every result.
What Essential adds at $39/mo
+17 advanced checks, continuous monitoring, daily security score history, email alerts, GitHub fix PRs, board-ready PDFs, SOC 2 / ISO 27001 / PCI reports.
What is Referrer-Policy?
Referrer-Policy controls how much of the URL a browser includes in the Referer header on navigation and resource requests. Safer policies reduce leakage of paths, queries, and secrets.
Recommended values
- strict-origin-when-cross-origin (modern default, balanced)
- no-referrer (maximum privacy for sensitive apps)
Implementation examples
Once you've identified the gap, applying the fix is straightforward. Here are the configurations developers reach for most often.
Nginx
add_header Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin" always;Apache
Header always set Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin"Node.js (Express + Helmet)
import helmet from "helmet"
app.use(
helmet.referrerPolicy({ policy: "strict-origin-when-cross-origin" })
)Next.js (next.config.mjs, works on Vercel)
const nextConfig = {
async headers() {
return [
{
source: "/(.*)",
headers: [
{ key: "Referrer-Policy", value: "strict-origin-when-cross-origin" },
],
},
]
},
}
export default nextConfigOn Netlify, the same headers go in a public/_headers file; most other hosts have an equivalent headers setting.
Tool-specific questions
Is no-referrer always best?
It maximizes privacy but can impact analytics. Many sites use strict-origin-when-cross-origin.
Do I need both meta and header?
Send the HTTP header. The meta tag is a fallback for HTML navigations only.
Why Barrion
Built for the engineers who already have enough to fix.
Speed
Real-time results
Instant analysis with a detailed report. You see findings as the scan runs, not after.
Coverage
Comprehensive checks
35+ checks per scan covering TLS, headers, CORS, cookies, DNS, email auth, and more, in a single pass.
Action
Step-by-step fixes
Every finding ships with the exact remediation step for your framework. Hand it to the engineer who owns the surface.
Other tools
More free checks, for the rest of your surface.
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WAF Checker
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Security Headers Test
Check your website's HTTP security headers configuration
TLS/SSL Security Checker
Validate your SSL/TLS configuration and certificate setup
Related guides
Go deeper on the same topic.
Learn
Referrer Policy
Per-check explainer covering what it is, why it matters, and how Barrion verifies it.
Fix guide
Missing Referrer Policy
Step-by-step remediation with config examples for Nginx, Apache, and Node.
Guide
Security Headers Guide
Long-form implementation guide from the Barrion engineering blog.
FAQ
Frequently asked.
What is Barrion and how does it enhance website security?
Barrion is a security testing and monitoring platform for engineering teams, and it works in two ways. Passive scanning keeps a continuous, read-only watch over your live web apps and APIs. AI pentesting goes on the offensive, running agent-driven attacks that prove which vulnerabilities are genuinely exploitable. Every finding comes with a step-by-step fix you can ship right away.
How safe is Barrion to use for security testing?
Passive scanning is completely safe to run, including against production. Passive scans only read your live app, so we never submit forms, brute-force endpoints or touch anything that changes state. AI pentesting is more aggressive by design, since its job is to confirm real exploits, so it runs rate-limited and non-destructive, and you approve the exact scope before a single request is sent.
What types of security issues does Barrion identify?
It depends on the surface. On your live apps, Barrion catches misconfigurations across TLS and HTTPS, security headers, cookie flags, CORS policy, DNS records, email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), network exposure and the usual web hygiene gaps. AI pentesting surfaces the exploitable stuff, like SQL injection, cross-site scripting and broken access control, each one backed by proof it can actually be exploited.
What specific security checks does Barrion perform?
Barrion covers two surfaces. Passive web scanning is read-only and safe to point at production, and runs 35+ checks: transport security (HTTPS, HSTS, TLS version, cipher suites, certificate expiry, hostname and chain validity, OCSP stapling), HTTP response headers (Referrer-Policy, Permissions-Policy, X-Content-Type-Options, Content-Type, server information disclosure), CSP and framing (Content-Security-Policy, bypass detection, Trusted Types, X-Frame-Options), cross-origin policy (COOP, COEP, CORP and the full CORS header set), cookie flags and anti-CSRF tokens, mixed content, vulnerable JavaScript libraries, DNS records including DNSSEC and CAA, email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), open ports and subdomain takeover. AI pentesting is the aggressive surface: it actively chains requests to confirm exploitable flaws such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting and broken access control, and returns reproducible proof for each one. Findings from both are ranked by severity and come with step-by-step remediation.
What is Barrion's smart crawling?
Smart crawling automatically discovers the pages and endpoints of your app so scans cover the surface that matters, without you manually listing every URL.
How often does Barrion perform security scans?
You can run a scan manually whenever you want. Continuous monitoring of your live apps runs on its own (weekly and up on Essential, daily on Business), and we alert you the moment something new shows up.
Is Barrion suitable for security testing of all business sizes?
Yes. Live-app monitoring and AI pentesting work just as well for a solo developer as for a startup, a scale-up or an enterprise security team, without adding headcount.
How does Barrion handle data security and privacy during security testing?
Live-app scans are read-only by default, and we never store or expose sensitive data from your application. AI pentests are rate-limited and non-destructive, built to confirm whether something is exploitable without altering your data or affecting availability.
What if I'm not satisfied with Barrion's security testing service?
You can cancel anytime in the dashboard, and paid plans carry a 14-day refund window from the first charge. If something isn't right, contact us and we'll make it work for your team.
How does Barrion help with SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIS2, and other compliance frameworks?
Barrion produces audit-ready PDF and CSV reports suitable for SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS and NIS2, ready to share with auditors, customers and your board.
Anything else? Email contact@barrion.io.