Generate the perfect X-Frame-Options HTTP header to protect your website against clickjacking attacks.

Complete Guide to X-Frame-Options and Clickjacking Protection

What is X-Frame-Options?

The X-Frame-Options HTTP header is a critical security measure that prevents your website from being embedded into other sites using <iframe>, <frame>, or <object> tags. This helps protect against clickjacking attacks, where malicious sites trick users into clicking hidden elements.

Available X-Frame-Options Directives

DENY: Completely disallows the page from being framed.
SAMEORIGIN: Allows the page to be framed only by pages from the same origin.
ALLOW-FROM <uri>: Allows framing only from the specified origin. Note: This directive has limited browser support.

Why Use X-Frame-Options?

✅ Protect your visitors from malicious overlays and deceptive clickjacking.
✅ Maintain user trust and avoid security warnings.
✅ Complement Content Security Policy (CSP) frame-ancestors directive.

Limitations of X-Frame-Options

While still widely supported, the ALLOW-FROM directive is deprecated and not supported by all browsers (notably, Chrome and Edge). For more fine-grained control, it's recommended to use the Content-Security-Policy header with frame-ancestors.

How to Implement the Header

Once you generate the appropriate header value using this tool, add it to your server configuration:

Apache: Header always set X-Frame-Options "VALUE"
Nginx: add_header X-Frame-Options "VALUE" always;
Express.js (Node.js): Use helmet middleware: helmet.frameguard({ action: 'VALUE' })

Best Practices

Use DENY if your site should never be framed.
Use SAMEORIGIN to allow your own domain to embed pages.
For trusted external domains, use CSP frame-ancestors instead of ALLOW-FROM.

SEO and Security Benefits

Protecting your site from clickjacking preserves user trust, reduces bounce rates, and helps maintain strong SEO rankings by preventing malicious third-party framing that can cause penalties or degraded user experience.

Related Security Headers

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Can I use both X-Frame-Options and CSP frame-ancestors?
A: Yes, using both can provide layered protection. CSP frame-ancestors offers more flexibility.

Q: What if I want to allow multiple external domains to frame my site?
A: Use CSP frame-ancestors directive as X-Frame-Options does not support multiple domains.

Q: Does X-Frame-Options affect SEO?
A: No, it primarily improves security and user trust, indirectly benefiting SEO.

X-Frame Options Generator Tool