---
title: "Traefik HTTP Middlewares IPAllowList"
description: "Learn how to use IPAllowList in HTTP middleware for limiting clients to specific IPs in Traefik Proxy. Read the technical documentation."
---

# IPAllowList

Limiting Clients to Specific IPs
{: .subtitle }

IPAllowList limits allowed requests based on the client IP.

## Configuration Examples

```yaml tab="Docker"
# Accepts request from defined IP
labels:
  - "traefik.http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipallowlist.sourcerange=127.0.0.1/32, 192.168.1.7"
```

```yaml tab="Kubernetes"
apiVersion: traefik.io/v1alpha1
kind: Middleware
metadata:
  name: test-ipallowlist
spec:
  ipAllowList:
    sourceRange:
      - 127.0.0.1/32
      - 192.168.1.7
```

```yaml tab="Consul Catalog"
# Accepts request from defined IP
- "traefik.http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipallowlist.sourcerange=127.0.0.1/32, 192.168.1.7"
```

```yaml tab="File (YAML)"
# Accepts request from defined IP
http:
  middlewares:
    test-ipallowlist:
      ipAllowList:
        sourceRange:
          - "127.0.0.1/32"
          - "192.168.1.7"
```

```toml tab="File (TOML)"
# Accepts request from defined IP
[http.middlewares]
  [http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipAllowList]
    sourceRange = ["127.0.0.1/32", "192.168.1.7"]
```

## Configuration Options

### `sourceRange`

_Required_

The `sourceRange` option sets the allowed IPs (or ranges of allowed IPs by using CIDR notation).

### `ipStrategy`

The `ipStrategy` option defines two parameters that set how Traefik determines the client IP: `depth`, and `excludedIPs`.  
If no strategy is set, the default behavior is to match `sourceRange` against the Remote address found in the request.

!!! important "As a middleware, whitelisting happens before the actual proxying to the backend takes place. In addition, the previous network hop only gets appended to `X-Forwarded-For` during the last stages of proxying, i.e. after it has already passed through whitelisting. Therefore, during whitelisting, as the previous network hop is not yet present in `X-Forwarded-For`, it cannot be matched against `sourceRange`."

#### `ipStrategy.depth`

The `depth` option tells Traefik to use the `X-Forwarded-For` header and take the IP located at the `depth` position (starting from the right).

- If `depth` is greater than the total number of IPs in `X-Forwarded-For`, then the client IP will be empty.
- `depth` is ignored if its value is less than or equal to 0.

If `ipStrategy.ipv6Subnet` is provided and the selected IP is IPv6, the IP is transformed into the first IP of the subnet it belongs to.  
See [ipStrategy.ipv6Subnet](#ipstrategyipv6subnet) for more details.

!!! example "Examples of Depth & X-Forwarded-For"

    If `depth` is set to 2, and the request `X-Forwarded-For` header is `"10.0.0.1,11.0.0.1,12.0.0.1,13.0.0.1"` then the "real" client IP is `"10.0.0.1"` (at depth 4) but the IP used is `"12.0.0.1"` (`depth=2`).

    | `X-Forwarded-For`                       | `depth` | clientIP     |
    |-----------------------------------------|---------|--------------|
    | `"10.0.0.1,11.0.0.1,12.0.0.1,13.0.0.1"` | `1`     | `"13.0.0.1"` |
    | `"10.0.0.1,11.0.0.1,12.0.0.1,13.0.0.1"` | `3`     | `"11.0.0.1"` |
    | `"10.0.0.1,11.0.0.1,12.0.0.1,13.0.0.1"` | `5`     | `""`         |

```yaml tab="Docker"
# Allowlisting Based on `X-Forwarded-For` with `depth=2`
labels:
  - "traefik.http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipallowlist.sourcerange=127.0.0.1/32, 192.168.1.7"
  - "traefik.http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipallowlist.ipstrategy.depth=2"
```

```yaml tab="Kubernetes"
# Allowlisting Based on `X-Forwarded-For` with `depth=2`
apiVersion: traefik.io/v1alpha1
kind: Middleware
metadata:
  name: test-ipallowlist
spec:
  ipAllowList:
    sourceRange:
      - 127.0.0.1/32
      - 192.168.1.7
    ipStrategy:
      depth: 2
```

```yaml tab="Consul Catalog"
# Allowlisting Based on `X-Forwarded-For` with `depth=2`
- "traefik.http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipallowlist.sourcerange=127.0.0.1/32, 192.168.1.7"
- "traefik.http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipallowlist.ipstrategy.depth=2"
```

```yaml tab="File (YAML)"
# Allowlisting Based on `X-Forwarded-For` with `depth=2`
http:
  middlewares:
    test-ipallowlist:
      ipAllowList:
        sourceRange:
          - "127.0.0.1/32"
          - "192.168.1.7"
        ipStrategy:
          depth: 2
```

```toml tab="File (TOML)"
# Allowlisting Based on `X-Forwarded-For` with `depth=2`
[http.middlewares]
  [http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipAllowList]
    sourceRange = ["127.0.0.1/32", "192.168.1.7"]
    [http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipAllowList.ipStrategy]
      depth = 2
```

#### `ipStrategy.excludedIPs`

`excludedIPs` configures Traefik to scan the `X-Forwarded-For` header and select the first IP not in the list.

!!! important "If `depth` is specified, `excludedIPs` is ignored."

!!! example "Example of ExcludedIPs & X-Forwarded-For"

    | `X-Forwarded-For`                       | `excludedIPs`         | clientIP     |
    |-----------------------------------------|-----------------------|--------------|
    | `"10.0.0.1,11.0.0.1,12.0.0.1,13.0.0.1"` | `"12.0.0.1,13.0.0.1"` | `"11.0.0.1"` |
    | `"10.0.0.1,11.0.0.1,12.0.0.1,13.0.0.1"` | `"15.0.0.1,13.0.0.1"` | `"12.0.0.1"` |
    | `"10.0.0.1,11.0.0.1,12.0.0.1,13.0.0.1"` | `"10.0.0.1,13.0.0.1"` | `"12.0.0.1"` |
    | `"10.0.0.1,11.0.0.1,12.0.0.1,13.0.0.1"` | `"15.0.0.1,16.0.0.1"` | `"13.0.0.1"` |
    | `"10.0.0.1,11.0.0.1"`                   | `"10.0.0.1,11.0.0.1"` | `""`         |

```yaml tab="Docker"
# Exclude from `X-Forwarded-For`
labels:
    - "traefik.http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipallowlist.sourceRange=127.0.0.1/32, 192.168.1.0/24"
    - "traefik.http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipallowlist.ipstrategy.excludedips=127.0.0.1/32, 192.168.1.7"
```

```yaml tab="Kubernetes"
# Exclude from `X-Forwarded-For`
apiVersion: traefik.io/v1alpha1
kind: Middleware
metadata:
  name: test-ipallowlist
spec:
  ipAllowList:
    sourceRange:
      - 127.0.0.1/32
      - 192.168.1.0/24
    ipStrategy:
      excludedIPs:
        - 127.0.0.1/32
        - 192.168.1.7
```

```yaml tab="Consul Catalog"
# Exclude from `X-Forwarded-For`
- "traefik.http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipallowlist.sourceRange=127.0.0.1/32, 192.168.1.0/24"
- "traefik.http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipallowlist.ipstrategy.excludedips=127.0.0.1/32, 192.168.1.7"
```

```yaml tab="File (YAML)"
# Exclude from `X-Forwarded-For`
http:
  middlewares:
    test-ipallowlist:
      ipAllowList:
        sourceRange:
         - 127.0.0.1/32
         - 192.168.1.0/24
        ipStrategy:
          excludedIPs:
            - 127.0.0.1/32
            - 192.168.1.7
```

```toml tab="File (TOML)"
# Exclude from `X-Forwarded-For`
[http.middlewares]
  [http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipAllowList]
    sourceRange = ["127.0.0.1/32", "192.168.1.0/24"]
    [http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipAllowList.ipStrategy]
      excludedIPs = ["127.0.0.1/32", "192.168.1.7"]
```

#### `ipStrategy.ipv6Subnet`

This strategy applies to `Depth` and `RemoteAddr` strategy only.
If `ipv6Subnet` is provided and the selected IP is IPv6, the IP is transformed into the first IP of the subnet it belongs to.

This is useful for grouping IPv6 addresses into subnets to prevent bypassing this middleware by obtaining a new IPv6.

- `ipv6Subnet` is ignored if its value is outside of 0-128 interval

!!! example "Example of ipv6Subnet"

    If `ipv6Subnet` is provided, the IP is transformed in the following way.

    | `IP`                      | `ipv6Subnet` | clientIP              |
    |---------------------------|--------------|-----------------------|
    | `"::abcd:1111:2222:3333"` | `64`         | `"::0:0:0:0"`         |
    | `"::abcd:1111:2222:3333"` | `80`         | `"::abcd:0:0:0:0"`    |
    | `"::abcd:1111:2222:3333"` | `96`         | `"::abcd:1111:0:0:0"` |

```yaml tab="Docker & Swarm"
labels:
  - "traefik.http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipallowlist.sourcecriterion.ipstrategy.ipv6Subnet=64"
```

```yaml tab="Kubernetes"
apiVersion: traefik.io/v1alpha1
kind: Middleware
metadata:
  name: test-ipallowlist
spec:
  ipallowlist:
    sourceCriterion:
      ipStrategy:
        ipv6Subnet: 64
```

```yaml tab="Consul Catalog"
- "traefik.http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipallowlist.sourcecriterion.ipstrategy.ipv6Subnet=64"
```

```yaml tab="File (YAML)"
http:
  middlewares:
    test-ipallowlist:
      ipallowlist:
        sourceCriterion:
          ipStrategy:
            ipv6Subnet: 64
```

```toml tab="File (TOML)"
[http.middlewares]
  [http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipallowlist]
    [http.middlewares.test-ipallowlist.ipallowlist.sourceCriterion.ipStrategy]
      ipv6Subnet = 64
```