SafeLine WAF just rolled out its 7.0 release — packed with fresh features and a big focus on anti-bot protection. As someone who's been following this open source project for a while, I decided to give it a spin and share my thoughts.
What Is SafeLine?
SafeLine is an open-source Web Application Firewall (WAF) developed by Chaitin Tech. It’s designed to protect web services from malicious HTTP traffic — acting as a reverse proxy to filter attacks before they reach your backend.
Originally known for its “semantic detection engine,” SafeLine has gained traction with a growing number of users — over 300,000 server deployments and 16.8k GitHub stars, making it the #1 ranked open-source WAF on GitHub.
One-Click Installation
Getting started couldn’t be easier. Just run:
bash -c "$(curl -fsSLk https://waf.chaitin.com/release/latest/manager.sh)" -- --en
After installation, you’ll find the admin panel at port 9443. Log in, and you’re greeted with a sleek, modern UI — a refreshing contrast to the outdated interfaces of many security products.
Basic Testing
For a quick test, I deployed a DVWA vulnerable web app behind SafeLine and scanned it using AWVS. The result? Solid. It blocked the expected SQLi and XSS attempts. Of course, basic attack blocking is table stakes for a WAF — but SafeLine does it with confidence, backed by Chaitin’s long-standing detection engine.
Benchmark: SafeLine vs ModSecurity vs Cloudflare
The official site even published comparative test results against ModSecurity and Cloudflare:
| ModSecurity | Cloudflare | SafeLine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test Samples | 33,669 | 33,669 | 33,669 |
| Detection Rate | 69.74% | 10.70% | 71.65% |
| False Positives | 17.58% | 0.07% | 0.07% |
| Accuracy | 82.20% | 98.40% | 99.45% |
Impressive numbers — especially the low false positive rate. (Kind of surprised they didn’t compare with local vendors though.)
You can also download their test samples and tools to validate these claims yourself.
Anti-Bot Features in 7.0
Now, let’s talk about what I was most curious about: SafeLine 7.0’s new anti-bot features. Here's what it offers:
- JavaScript-based human verification
- Replay attack detection
- Dynamic HTML encryption
- JS obfuscation
- Auto-watermarking of images
Once enabled, visitors to protected sites are greeted with a challenge page like this:
The verification seems to run client-side checks — once passed, future requests skip the challenge thanks to caching, which keeps the user experience smooth.
What’s Actually Happening?
Here's how SafeLine tackles automated threats:
- Human Verification: Prevents automated scanners, bots, and worms from accessing your site, while letting real users through.
- Dynamic Encryption: Randomizes the structure of your site’s HTML and JavaScript on every request, making it harder for scanners to analyze.
- Replay Protection: Detects and blocks reused HTTP requests or cookies — stopping attacks that rely on captured or modified traffic.
This multi-layered strategy is a serious obstacle for bots and scanners. They rely on predictable content and behavior — SafeLine breaks that assumption.
Final Thoughts
SafeLine WAF 7.0 isn’t just another open-source firewall — it’s a thoughtfully engineered tool for real-world web security. The anti-bot features feel polished and useful, and the low false positive rate makes it a great option for devs who care about both security and UX.
If you’re looking for an open-source WAF that installs in one command, has a slick UI, and actually keeps your apps safe — SafeLine is definitely worth a look.
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