Node OpenWebUI Proxy

A lightweight Node.js proxy server that forwards API requests to a target server with automatic Authorization header injection. Perfect for adding API key authentication to services that don't natively support it, particularly useful with OpenWebUI.

Features

• 🔐 Automatic Authorization header injection with Bearer token
• 🔄 Proxy all /api/* requests to a target server
• 🏥 Built-in health check endpoint
• 📝 Request logging
• 🐳 Docker support with health checks
• 🔒 Runs as non-root user in Docker
• ⚙️ Environment-based configuration

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18 or higher
• npm or yarn
• (Optional) Docker for containerized deployment

Installation

Local Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/Sezzo/node-openwebui-proxy.git
cd node-openwebui-proxy

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Configure environment variables (see Configuration)

4. Start the server:

npm start

Docker Installation

1. Build the Docker image:

docker build -t node-openwebui-proxy .

2. Run the container:

docker run -d \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -e API_KEY="your-api-key-here" \
  -e TARGET="https://your-target-api.com" \
  --name openwebui-proxy \
  node-openwebui-proxy

Configuration

The application uses environment variables for configuration. Create a .env file in the root directory:

API_KEY=your-api-key-here
TARGET=https://your-target-api.com

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Required	Default
API_KEY	The API key to inject in the Authorization header	Yes	""
TARGET	The target API server URL	Yes	""

Note: You can use .copy.env as a template for your .env file.

Usage

Once the server is running, it will be available at http://0.0.0.0:3000.

Endpoints

Health Check

GET /

Returns the proxy status and information.

Response:

{
  "status": "Proxy is running",
  "api": "http://0.0.0.0:3000/api/models",
  "message": "All /api requests are forwarded with API key."
}

API Proxy

GET/POST/PUT/DELETE /api/*

All requests to /api/* are forwarded to {TARGET}/api/* with the Authorization header set to Bearer {API_KEY}.

Example:

# Request to proxy
curl http://localhost:3000/api/models

# Forwarded to
# {TARGET}/api/models
# with header: Authorization: Bearer {API_KEY}

Docker Deployment

Using Docker Compose

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

version: '3.8'

services:
  proxy:
    build: .
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      - API_KEY=your-api-key-here
      - TARGET=https://your-target-api.com
    restart: unless-stopped
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://0.0.0.0:3000/"]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 3s
      start_period: 5s
      retries: 3

Run with:

docker-compose up -d

Health Checks

The Docker container includes a health check that pings the root endpoint every 30 seconds. The container is considered unhealthy if it fails 3 consecutive checks.

Development

Project Structure

.
├── server.js           # Main application file
├── package.json        # Node.js dependencies and scripts
├── Dockerfile         # Docker configuration
├── .copy.env          # Environment variables template
├── .gitignore         # Git ignore rules
└── README.md          # This file

Key Features in Code

• TLS Certificate Validation Disabled: The proxy disables TLS certificate validation (NODE_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED = '0'), useful for development or self-signed certificates.
• Request Logging: All requests are logged with method and path.
• Host Header Override: The proxy sets the Host header to match the target server.
• Error Handling: Includes error handling for unreachable targets.

Use Cases

• Adding API key authentication to OpenWebUI or other services
• Proxying requests to APIs that require authentication
• Development and testing with APIs
• Bridging authentication mechanisms

Security Notes

⚠️ Important Security Considerations:

• This proxy disables TLS certificate validation. Only use this in development or trusted networks.
• Store your API_KEY securely and never commit it to version control.
• The .env file is gitignored by default.
• Consider using secrets management in production (e.g., Docker secrets, Kubernetes secrets).

License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Support

For issues and questions, please use the GitHub Issues page.