{"id":"linuxserver-heimdall","name":"heimdall","homepage":"https://hub.docker.com/r/linuxserver/heimdall","repo_url":"https://hub.docker.com/r/linuxserver/heimdall","category":"security","subcategories":[],"tags":["security","authentication","request-signing","hmac","go"],"what_it_does":"heimdall is a Go-based library/CLI framework for implementing request signing and verification (in the style of an HMAC/secret-based guard) to authenticate clients and protect endpoints. It focuses on generating and validating signed requests/tokens to ensure integrity and authenticity.","use_cases":["Protecting APIs with signed requests (HMAC-style) to prevent tampering","Verifying that inbound requests originate from trusted clients","Serving as a middleware/component for web services","Building lightweight API authentication without full OAuth flows"],"not_for":["Authorization/identity management (users/roles) beyond possession of shared secrets","Zero-trust environments that require strong, standards-based identity (e.g., OAuth/OIDC) for end-user identity","Use cases requiring OAuth-based delegated authorization","High-level enterprise compliance reporting without additional surrounding controls"],"best_when":"You need lightweight request authentication using a shared secret and want deterministic verification of signed payloads/requests.","avoid_when":"You need fine-grained user permissions, key rotation with standards-based identity, or you cannot safely manage shared secrets.","alternatives":["OAuth 2.0 / OIDC providers (Auth0, Okta, Keycloak) for delegated auth","AWS SigV4 (for AWS-style signed requests)","NGINX/Envoy JWT authentication (if tokens are appropriate)","Hashicorp Vault + app-layer auth patterns (if secrets management is central)"],"af_score":32.5,"security_score":56.2,"reliability_score":30.0,"package_type":"mcp_server","discovery_source":["docker_mcp"],"priority":"high","status":"evaluated","version_evaluated":null,"last_evaluated":"2026-03-30T13:24:40.140420+00:00","interface":{"has_rest_api":false,"has_graphql":false,"has_grpc":false,"has_mcp_server":false,"mcp_server_url":null,"has_sdk":true,"sdk_languages":["Go"],"openapi_spec_url":null,"webhooks":false},"auth":{"methods":["Shared-secret request signing (e.g., HMAC-style) for verification"],"oauth":false,"scopes":false,"notes":"Authentication is based on possession of shared signing secrets and correct signature validation rather than OAuth/OIDC scopes."},"pricing":{"model":null,"free_tier_exists":false,"free_tier_limits":null,"paid_tiers":[],"requires_credit_card":false,"estimated_workload_costs":null,"notes":"As a library/tool, pricing is not applicable in the same way as hosted APIs."},"requirements":{"requires_signup":false,"requires_credit_card":false,"domain_verification":false,"data_residency":[],"compliance":[],"min_contract":null},"agent_readiness":{"af_score":32.5,"security_score":56.2,"reliability_score":30.0,"mcp_server_quality":0.0,"documentation_accuracy":35.0,"error_message_quality":0.0,"error_message_notes":null,"auth_complexity":60.0,"rate_limit_clarity":0.0,"tls_enforcement":100.0,"auth_strength":70.0,"scope_granularity":20.0,"dependency_hygiene":45.0,"secret_handling":40.0,"security_notes":"Strength depends on correct HMAC/signature implementation, secret storage, and replay protection (e.g., timestamps/nonces). Because it relies on shared secrets, compromise of the secret enables impersonation. Proper TLS and secret management are critical; the library's security is only as strong as its integration (canonicalization, expiry, and replay defenses).","uptime_documented":0.0,"version_stability":50.0,"breaking_changes_history":50.0,"error_recovery":20.0,"idempotency_support":"false","idempotency_notes":null,"pagination_style":"none","retry_guidance_documented":false,"known_agent_gotchas":["As a library, agent integration depends on correct signing/verification wiring in the host application (middleware, canonicalization rules, clock skew/expiry handling).","If the library requires exact payload canonicalization, mismatches can lead to verification failures that look like auth errors.","Shared-secret management and rotation are the responsibility of the integrating service."]}}