🔥 Flask Framework

Flask Installation

Complete installation guide for AIWAF Flask. Get advanced AI-powered security protection for your Flask applications with zero dependencies and flexible storage options.

📦 Installation Options

Basic Installation

Install AIWAF Flask without AI features for essential protection:

# Basic installation (without AI features)
pip install aiwaf-flask

AI-Enhanced Installation (Recommended)

Install with AI anomaly detection capabilities:

# With AI anomaly detection features
pip install aiwaf-flask[ai]

Full Installation

Complete installation with all features and development tools:

# Full installation (AI + development tools)
pip install aiwaf-flask[all]

AI Features: The AI anomaly detection requires NumPy and Scikit-learn. Install with [ai] or [all] extras for machine learning capabilities.

⚙️ Requirements

Python 3.7+
Flask 2.0+
For AI Features: scikit-learn, numpy

🚀 Quick Start Examples

1. Basic Flask Integration

Minimal setup with CSV storage (no database required):

from flask import Flask
from aiwaf_flask import register_aiwaf_middlewares

app = Flask(__name__)

# Basic configuration
app.config.update({
    'AIWAF_USE_CSV': True,              # Enable CSV storage
    'AIWAF_ENABLE_LOGGING': True,       # Enable access logging
    'AIWAF_DATA_DIR': 'aiwaf_data',     # Data directory
    'AIWAF_LOG_DIR': 'logs',            # Log directory
})

# Register AIWAF protection
register_aiwaf_middlewares(app)

@app.route('/')
def home():
    return "Protected by AIWAF!"

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(debug=True)

2. Database Integration

Using database storage for production environments:

from flask import Flask
from flask_sqlalchemy import SQLAlchemy
from aiwaf_flask import register_aiwaf_middlewares

app = Flask(__name__)
app.config['SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI'] = 'sqlite:///app.db'
app.config['AIWAF_USE_CSV'] = False  # Use database storage

db = SQLAlchemy(app)
register_aiwaf_middlewares(app)

3. Advanced AIWAF Class Usage

Use the AIWAF class for more control over middleware selection:

from flask import Flask
from aiwaf_flask import AIWAF

app = Flask(__name__)
app.config['SECRET_KEY'] = 'your-secret-key'

# Enable only specific middlewares
aiwaf = AIWAF(app, middlewares=[
    'rate_limit',           # Rate limiting protection
    'ip_keyword_block',     # IP/keyword blocking
    'ai_anomaly',          # AI anomaly detection
    'logging'              # Request/response logging
])

# Or enable all except specific ones
aiwaf = AIWAF(app, disable_middlewares=[
    'honeypot',            # Disable honeypot timing
    'uuid_tamper'          # Disable UUID tampering protection
])

🛡️ Available Middlewares

Middleware	Name	Description
IP & Keyword Block	ip_keyword_block	Blocks malicious IPs and detects attack keywords
Rate Limiting	rate_limit	Protects against brute force and DDoS attacks
Honeypot Timing	honeypot	Detects automated form submissions
Header Validation	header_validation	Validates HTTP headers for security threats
AI Anomaly Detection	ai_anomaly	Machine learning-based pattern analysis
UUID Tampering	uuid_tamper	Protects against UUID manipulation attacks
Request Logging	logging	Comprehensive request/response logging

🔧 Storage Options

CSV Storage (Recommended for small apps)

app.config['AIWAF_USE_CSV'] = True
app.config['AIWAF_DATA_DIR'] = 'aiwaf_data'  # Optional: custom directory

Benefits: No database required, human-readable, easy backup/migration, fast setup

Database Storage (Recommended for production)

app.config['AIWAF_USE_CSV'] = False
app.config['SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI'] = 'sqlite:///app.db'

Benefits: Concurrent access, transactional safety, better performance at scale

Note: When using database storage, make sure to initialize your database tables with db.create_all() in your application context.

✅ Verification

After installation, verify AIWAF is working:

python -c "
from aiwaf_flask import AIWAF
print('✅ AIWAF Flask installed successfully!')

try:
    import numpy, sklearn
    print('✅ AI dependencies available')
except ImportError:
    print('ℹ️  AI dependencies not installed (use pip install aiwaf-flask[ai])')
"

🚀 Next Steps

Once installed, continue with:

Configure middleware settings
Learn CLI commands for management
Start your Flask app and monitor the protection logs

Pro Tip: AIWAF automatically creates necessary directories and files on first run. Check the aiwaf_data/ and logs/ directories after starting your application.