Open directory indexes: when your file server lists everything

Remove or explicitly turn off the autoindex directive in any server or location block that serves user-controlled directories.

location /uploads/ {
  autoindex off;
  # Serve individual files but never list directory contents
}

The safest fix is to store uploads, backups, and logs in a directory the web server doesn't serve at all. Your application reads and streams files through an authenticated route — the raw filesystem path is never reachable.

Never put user uploads or backups inside the public/ directory. Serve them through an API route that can enforce authentication and sanitise the requested path.

// app/api/uploads/[filename]/route.ts
import { getSession } from "@/lib/auth-session";
import { readFile } from "fs/promises";
import path from "path";

export async function GET(
  _req: Request,
  { params }: { params: { filename: string } }
) {
  const session = await getSession();
  if (!session) return new Response(null, { status: 401 });

  // path.basename prevents directory traversal
  const safe = path.basename(params.filename);
  const filePath = path.join(process.cwd(), "private-uploads", safe);
  const data = await readFile(filePath);
  return new Response(data);
}

If you genuinely need a browsable file interface (a media library, an internal log viewer), protect the path with authentication rather than relying on obscurity.

location /logs/ {
  autoindex on;
  auth_basic "Internal only";
  auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/.htpasswd;
}