What is more secure way to store javascript? - javascript

For ex.: I need to prevent replacement of js. What is more secure way to store it? In page xaml or in separate .js file?
I think that .js file could be replaced in browser cache. But js in page code more difficult to replace.

This is an unwinnable fight - mostly because there are browser plugins like Greasemonkey which are created exactly for the purpose of changing scripts that are executed on the page.
Since JavaScript runs on the client, there is nothing you can do to prevent the chance of the user modifying it, skipping some functions etc. Always revalidate the data and any calculations on the server.

Related

Are external javascript libraries hidden?

So I realize that anyone can view the javascript in-line with HTML running in their browser, so if I use an external js library on my server will its contents be completely hidden?
Another question is are there any cases where it's better to use in-line javascript, like with jQuery or something, or is there really no down side to just using a js library for all of it?
No, there is no way that your javascript will ever be "hidden". Anything that can be run in a browser can be trivially saved and inspected. The best you can do is use an obfuscator.
The downside to using an external file is that it's another request. The upside is that it can be cached independently. For best performance, code that will be used from more than one page should be stored in its own file, and code that is page-specific is better off being stored within the page that uses it.
JavaScript operates on the Browser level, that means that the browser at some point read your JS (external or internal same s.). You can easily conclude from this that if at some point the JS is now registered by the browser, and it's accessible by anyone with a bit more knowledge in web stuff. you'll not be able to hide your JS trickery.
Pus inside your JS a Copyright notice and pray.
Never send sensitive data through the yellow wire.
If you have some extra sensitive strings, encode and compare them on server side - sending them like MD5 or in some SHA model to the server.
Javascript, with the exception of something like node, operates client-side so you can't really use an "external js library" on your server, whatever that means.
Best practices dictate that you should almost always reference your javascript using <script> tags and link to your javascript file using the src attribute.

Chrome, firefox, or opera preload changes

Is there any way to "edit" a "server side" javascript file in one of the mentioned browsers that will save the js edits on the client side and replace the server side scripts?
Basically I want to edit the javascripts on the server. Obviously I can't save them on the server so they need to be saved on the client side(my computer) and the browser needs to load my scripts instead.
It shouldn't be hard to do at all but I've not been able to find any way to accomplish this.
Edit:
I want to modify the javascript's from a site I do not own or have write access too. e.g.,
Html page uses some javascript page on server. I want to modify this javascript file(the actual file).
I can download and save the javascript file BUT the html page will always use the one on the server because that is what is in the script tag. I need to modify the script tag of the html page to point to the local javascript file BEFORE the html page's scripts are executed(else the javascript from the server will be used).
here, for example, is a script tag from SE:
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.7.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
It uses a non-local javascript file. I need to replace this line with my own line before any javascript is executed. It would like like:
<script type="text/javascript" src="file://C:/temp/myjquery.min.js"></script>
or whatever. (this way, I can modify the jquery file and have it execute my own version of the one on the server)
I, could, ofcourse, download the html file and modify it BUT then php code may not work among other things. (for example, relative links will be broke)
this is usually very easy in Opera: Just view source, edit what you want and use the special "Tools > Advanced > Reload from cache" command instead of a normal reload. Voila, you'll be running the site with your modified scripts..
(There are some exceptions, related to specific no-caching techniques some sites use it won't work 100% for all files - but it certainly should work for anything served from googleapis.com)
I think what you're looking for is something like LiveReload
It allows you to edit css files and have the browser apply the changes without refreshing the browser.
The windows version is in alpha right now but the Mac version works quite well for CSS.
I don't know if it does Javascript but I think it might.
You could also try the Chrome DevTools. It's a chrome extension that does just what you want with javascript and css.
No problem, you want to use bookmark-lets for this. Indeed it is easy, just remember to use an anonymous autoexecuting function: javascript:(function(){ //commands })();
In the sane good old day's one could even place this javascript directly into your addresses, but nowaday's some browser-builders (like firefox we coders USED to trust in the old day's) are being a 'good boy' and listen to facebook's 'demands' to kill normal standard functionality in favor of their lack on comprehending closures... But alas..
Ofcourse you could also create a bookmark to fix firefox's insanity, again reclaiming power to the user :)
Every time you visit the site, you click your bookmarklet. Done.
One can even make it 'memory resistant' for as long als you are on the same page (if you really want to). Naturally power is with the user/visitor AS IT SHOULD BE, not with the webmaster (who already publicly shared whatever info).
You might also look into greasemonky on firefox and comparable solutions.
Good luck
Build a string on the server side to write all your javascript code on the server side.

Is it normal to be able to see JavaScript in page source?

I understand that scripting language such as PHP will not be shown in the page source of the browsers. Is it not the same for JavaScript?
If so, why are they treated differently and are there solutions available to hide JavaScript from page source (revealed by browser)?
I don't need the details about how exactly to hide it, just out of my curiosity if it has been worked on.
Thanks!
PHP is run on the server and produces some output, often HTML, but may also include XML, CSS, PHP, images etc.
JS gets sent to the client, and is run there, so they need to see it.
You can always view JS source, though you can obfuscate it. There isn't much point though, as a decent debugger will let you work things out anyway.
For instance, using the Web Inspector in Webkit browsers, or Firebug will allow you to view the javascript and set breakpoints and see variable values, so it's often trivial to work out what is going on.
This is OK though, and it one of the reasons why learning JS is so straight forward. When designed correctly, it's rare that this presents a security problem.
You may find sites where the JS looks mangled and unreadable - this is frequently done to reduce the file size, hence all the .min.js files you see on websites rather than to make it hard to read.
Most people do this automatically as part of their build process, rather than doing it by hand. To do this, https://github.com/mishoo/UglifyJS is a good choice.
You should understand that there are server-side and client-side scripting languages. What you see on the client (browser) is the output of execution of the server-side script (PHP, Perl etc).
That said, there have been libraries developed to obfuscate JavaScript code.
PHP isn't "shown" in the browser because it's not there: it's already been rendered as HTML and sent to the browser by the server. (Same as Java servlet or JSP code.)
In-line JavaScript is part of what's sent to the browser, so it can be shown in page source.
JavaScript source linked in a <script> tag is not shown as part of page source; you only see the tag and the URL.
I understand that scripting language such as PHP will not be shown in
the page source of the browsers. Is it not the same for JavaScript?
Yes, server-side script is not visible in the browser's source though client-script like
JavaScript is fed to and parsed by the browser.
If so, why are they treated differently and are there solutions available to hide JavaScript from page source (revealed by browser)?
"Hiding" JavaScript isn't possible. Though, you can minify and obfuscate the script.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minification_(programming)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obfuscation
No, you need to distinguish between serverside and clientside (scripting) languages.
A serverside script runs invisible [from the client] and sends its results (of any type, including js files) to the browser. These result files are public.
A browser receives public files. Some of them can and will be executed. As JavaScript is a non-compiling language, you will always see its source.
See also How to prevent View Source of page using Javascript?, how to hide javascript code etc. - you only can obfuscate it.
Javascript and PHP are two different concepts one of them is client side language which can be seen in browser and the other server side which is hidden to the eye.
One simple way to hide your javascript code would be to include in a file so it wouldn't be seen in that specific page - but everyone will have a link to it and can still see it when they click on it.
Other solution would be to minify it, which would work the same but is going to be petty much unreadable.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minification_%28programming%29
PHP is like a macro running on the server, it outputs text that is sent to the client. JS is scripting that the browser must interpret to update the contents of the page.

Confused: javascript.js code shows in Chrome?

My understanding was that only the javascript code placed inline in the HTML page would show, never the code stored in .js files
...and I had never seen in any browser code in a .js file show on the clientside...
until I started to use Chrome and noticed all my code is available for viewing???
Have I been convincing myself the code is safe in .js files, when in fact it never was?
and while on this subject can a responder be totally clear whether the code in .js files can be hidden or not.
I have read many posts that left me doubting whether it can be done or not.
. Some say to place it in a .js file on the server so it executes on the server...
--- using 'language=javascript' and an html line with 'runat server'? no idea how to do that.
--- But, would that not defeat the purpose of speed, and refresh since the server has to be accessed?
--- might as well code it in the code-behind???(C#, VB, php, ...)
. Some say use an AJAX call etc... but it seems others contradict that, saying the code lands on the clientside anyway thus will show? ...and I am assuming this would be a callback with no page redraw...
JavaScript is executed in the browser, this means the script has to be submitted to the client. So, of course anyone can view the code, wether it's happening in the developer tools, getting the direct link out of your html or, for example, using a http sniffer.
Altough, there are some methods to make the script unreadable for humans.
Minifying your script is a good practice in general. It decreases file-size, so the client has to download less, speeding up loading time. After all, this does not really help making your script "unreadable" for users, there are a lot of deminifying services all around the web.
Still, there is another way: obscurifying (or obfuscate) your script. This replaces the code to make it unreadable. Unfortunately, I don't really have experience with using this technique, so I don't know how it would affect the performance of the js-code.
Maybe you want to have a look at this: How can I obfuscate (protect) JavaScript?
Javascript code can be seen even if its in a .js file the only thing you can do to make it little tough to understand is minify the js file.
Actually, javascript code stored in a separated file wont be shown directly; the user must explicitly type the name of the file in the address bar to see its content.
The only way to hide it is, as said before, to minify the file, which compress the file and make it unreadable for humans.

How to determine if a javascript was already loaded by other html file

How to determine if a javascript was already loaded by other html file? I want to reduce the redundant loading of the javascript files to decrease the loading time of my webpages.
If your web server is providing correct caching headers this shouldn't be necessary, the browser will cache the javascript file across multiple requests.
You might want to check out the YDN page Best Practices for Speeding Up Your Web Site
If you want to prevent the files from being downloaded twice then this will be automatic provided they are set to be cacheable (most webservers should set these headers sensibly by default).
If you want to make sure that the include tag happens only once when including files in a dynamic language then you will need some sort of manager. ASP.NET provides a scriptmanager class that does this (among other things). I cannot speak for other languages and frameworks
As Rory says the second request will probably be cached, and noting that this is a bit of a design failure if it can happen, you can understand that the cached file is still going to execute with negative effect.
This is horrible, but you could wrap your JS script like this:
if (!document.foo)
{
//your script here
document.foo = true;
}

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