Add TRUST_PROXY env var for reverse-proxy deployments

Fixes express-rate-limit's ERR_ERL_UNEXPECTED_X_FORWARDED_FOR warning
and incorrect IP keying when nginx runs on a separate server in front
of the app.

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -7,6 +7,12 @@ and this project follows [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/).
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [1.9.4] - 2026-08-26
+
+### Added
+
+- New `TRUST_PROXY` backend env var — set it when the app runs behind a reverse proxy (e.g. nginx on a separate server) so rate limiting reads the real client IP from `X-Forwarded-For` instead of the proxy's. Accepts a hop count, `true`/`false`, or trusted proxy IP(s)/CIDR(s).
+
 ## [1.9.3] - 2026-08-26
 
 ### Fixed

backend/.env.example

@@ -8,6 +8,13 @@ JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_here_minimum_32_characters
 PORT=5000
 NODE_ENV=development
 
+# Set this if the app runs behind a reverse proxy (e.g. nginx on a separate
+# server) so rate limiting reads the real client IP instead of the proxy's.
+# Accepts a hop count ("1"), "true"/"false", or comma-separated IP(s)/CIDR(s)
+# of your trusted proxy (e.g. "10.0.0.5" or "10.0.0.0/8"). Leave unset if the
+# app is not behind a proxy.
+# TRUST_PROXY=1
+
 # ─── CORS ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 # Comma-separated list of allowed frontend origins
 FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3000

backend/README.md

@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ Create `backend/.env` from `.env.example`. The only variables you must set are:
 | `APP_BASE_URL` | — | Public frontend URL — used in email links (fallback if not set via admin panel) |
 | `BACKEND_URL` | — | Public backend URL — used to serve ticket PDFs over WhatsApp |
 | `PORT` | — | Port to listen on (default `3000`) |
+| `TRUST_PROXY` | — | Set when running behind a reverse proxy (e.g. nginx on a separate server), so `req.ip`/`X-Forwarded-For` are read correctly by rate limiting. Accepts a hop count (`1`), `true`/`false`, or comma-separated trusted proxy IP(s)/CIDR(s). |
 | `NODE_ENV` | — | `production` or `development` |
 | `WAWP_ACCESS_TOKEN` | — | WAWP fallback token (preferred: set via Admin → Site Settings) |
 | `WAWP_INSTANCE_ID` | — | WAWP fallback instance ID (preferred: set via Admin → Site Settings) |

backend/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "event-management-backend",
-  "version": "1.9.3",
+  "version": "1.9.4",
   "description": "Event Management System Backend",
   "main": "src/index.js",
   "scripts": {

backend/src/index.js

@@ -18,6 +18,22 @@ const prisma = new PrismaClient();
 const app = express();
 const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;
 
+// Trust proxy — required when running behind a reverse proxy (e.g. nginx on a
+// separate server) so req.ip / X-Forwarded-For are read correctly by
+// express-rate-limit and friends. Accepts a hop count ("1"), "true"/"false",
+// or a comma-separated list of trusted proxy IPs/CIDRs.
+if (process.env.TRUST_PROXY) {
+  const raw = process.env.TRUST_PROXY.trim();
+  let trustProxyValue;
+  if (raw === 'true') trustProxyValue = true;
+  else if (raw === 'false') trustProxyValue = false;
+  else if (/^\d+$/.test(raw)) trustProxyValue = parseInt(raw, 10);
+  else if (raw.includes(',')) trustProxyValue = raw.split(',').map((s) => s.trim());
+  else trustProxyValue = raw;
+  app.set('trust proxy', trustProxyValue);
+  console.log(`[startup] trust proxy set to: ${JSON.stringify(trustProxyValue)}`);
+}
+
 // CORS — allow only the configured frontend origin
 const allowedOrigins = (process.env.FRONTEND_URL || 'http://localhost:3000')
   .split(',')

frontend/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "hope-events-frontend",
-  "version": "1.9.3",
+  "version": "1.9.4",
   "private": true,
   "scripts": {
     "dev": "next dev --turbopack",

package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "hope-events",
-  "version": "1.9.3",
+  "version": "1.9.4",
   "main": "index.js",
   "scripts": {
     "dev:backend": "cd backend && npm run dev",