fix(compatibility): Replace or add RPC content type header when applicable

zebra-node-services/src/rpc_client.rs

@@ -43,6 +43,44 @@ impl RpcRequestClient {
             .await
     }
 
+    /// Builds rpc request with a variable `content-type`.
+    pub async fn call_with_content_type(
+        &self,
+        method: impl AsRef<str>,
+        params: impl AsRef<str>,
+        content_type: String,
+    ) -> reqwest::Result<reqwest::Response> {
+        let method = method.as_ref();
+        let params = params.as_ref();
+
+        self.client
+            .post(format!("http://{}", &self.rpc_address))
+            .body(format!(
+                r#"{{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "{method}", "params": {params}, "id":123 }}"#
+            ))
+            .header("Content-Type", content_type)
+            .send()
+            .await
+    }
+
+    /// Builds rpc request with no content type.
+    pub async fn call_with_no_content_type(
+        &self,
+        method: impl AsRef<str>,
+        params: impl AsRef<str>,
+    ) -> reqwest::Result<reqwest::Response> {
+        let method = method.as_ref();
+        let params = params.as_ref();
+
+        self.client
+            .post(format!("http://{}", &self.rpc_address))
+            .body(format!(
+                r#"{{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "{method}", "params": {params}, "id":123 }}"#
+            ))
+            .send()
+            .await
+    }
+
     /// Builds rpc request and gets text from response
     pub async fn text_from_call(
         &self,

zebra-rpc/src/server/http_request_compatibility.rs

@@ -43,8 +43,8 @@ impl RequestMiddleware for FixHttpRequestMiddleware {
     ) -> jsonrpc_http_server::RequestMiddlewareAction {
         tracing::trace!(?request, "original HTTP request");
 
-        // Fix the request headers
-        FixHttpRequestMiddleware::add_missing_content_type_header(request.headers_mut());
+        // Fix the request headers if needed and we can do so.
+        FixHttpRequestMiddleware::insert_or_replace_content_type_header(request.headers_mut());
 
         // Fix the request body
         let request = request.map(|body| {
@@ -103,11 +103,35 @@ impl FixHttpRequestMiddleware {
             .replace(", \"jsonrpc\": \"1.0\"", "")
     }
 
-    /// If the `content-type` HTTP header is not present,
-    /// add an `application/json` content type header.
-    pub fn add_missing_content_type_header(headers: &mut hyper::header::HeaderMap) {
-        headers
-            .entry(hyper::header::CONTENT_TYPE)
-            .or_insert(hyper::header::HeaderValue::from_static("application/json"));
+    /// Insert or replace client supplied `content-type` HTTP header to `application/json` in the following cases:
+    ///
+    /// - no `content-type` supplied.
+    /// - supplied `content-type` is `text/plain`.
+    ///
+    /// `application/json` is the only `content-type` accepted by the Zebra rpc endpoint:
+    ///
+    /// <https://github.com/paritytech/jsonrpc/blob/38af3c9439aa75481805edf6c05c6622a5ab1e70/http/src/handler.rs#L582-L584>
+    ///
+    /// # Security
+    ///
+    /// - `content-type` headers exist so that applications know they are speaking the correct protocol with the correct format.
+    /// We can be a bit flexible, but there are some types (such as binary) we shouldn't allow.
+    /// In particular, the "application/x-www-form-urlencoded" header should be rejected, so browser forms can't be used to attack
+    /// a local RPC port. See "The Role of Routers in the CSRF Attack" in
+    /// <https://www.invicti.com/blog/web-security/importance-content-type-header-http-requests/>
+    /// - Checking all the headers is secure, but only because hyper has custom code that just reads the first content-type header.
+    /// <https://github.com/hyperium/headers/blob/f01cc90cf8d601a716856bc9d29f47df92b779e4/src/common/content_type.rs#L102-L108>
+    pub fn insert_or_replace_content_type_header(headers: &mut hyper::header::HeaderMap) {
+        if !headers.contains_key(hyper::header::CONTENT_TYPE)
+            || headers
+                .get(hyper::header::CONTENT_TYPE)
+                .filter(|value| value.to_str().ok() == Some("text/plain"))
+                .is_some()
+        {
+            headers.insert(
+                hyper::header::CONTENT_TYPE,
+                hyper::header::HeaderValue::from_static("application/json"),
+            );
+        }
     }
 }

zebrad/tests/acceptance.rs

@@ -1467,6 +1467,68 @@ async fn rpc_endpoint(parallel_cpu_threads: bool) -> Result<()> {
     Ok(())
 }
 
+/// Test that the JSON-RPC endpoint responds to requests with different content types.
+///
+/// This test ensures that the curl examples of zcashd rpc methods will also work in Zebra.
+///
+/// https://zcash.github.io/rpc/getblockchaininfo.html
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn rpc_endpoint_client_content_type() -> Result<()> {
+    let _init_guard = zebra_test::init();
+    if zebra_test::net::zebra_skip_network_tests() {
+        return Ok(());
+    }
+
+    // Write a configuration that has RPC listen_addr set
+    // [Note on port conflict](#Note on port conflict)
+    let mut config = random_known_rpc_port_config(true)?;
+
+    let dir = testdir()?.with_config(&mut config)?;
+    let mut child = dir.spawn_child(args!["start"])?;
+
+    // Wait until port is open.
+    child.expect_stdout_line_matches(
+        format!("Opened RPC endpoint at {}", config.rpc.listen_addr.unwrap()).as_str(),
+    )?;
+
+    // Create an http client
+    let client = RpcRequestClient::new(config.rpc.listen_addr.unwrap());
+
+    // Call to `getinfo` RPC method with a no content type.
+    let res = client
+        .call_with_no_content_type("getinfo", "[]".to_string())
+        .await?;
+
+    // Zebra will insert valid `application/json` content type and succeed.
+    assert!(res.status().is_success());
+
+    // Call to `getinfo` RPC method with a `text/plain` content type as the zcashd rpc docs.
+    let res = client
+        .call_with_content_type("getinfo", "[]".to_string(), "text/plain".to_string())
+        .await?;
+
+    // Zebra will replace to the valid `application/json` content type and succeed.
+    assert!(res.status().is_success());
+
+    // Call to `getinfo` RPC method with a valid `application/json` content type.
+    let res = client
+        .call_with_content_type("getinfo", "[]".to_string(), "application/json".to_string())
+        .await?;
+
+    // Zebra will not replace valid content type and succeed.
+    assert!(res.status().is_success());
+
+    // Call to `getinfo` RPC method with invalid string as content type.
+    let res = client
+        .call_with_content_type("getinfo", "[]".to_string(), "whatever".to_string())
+        .await?;
+
+    // Zebra will not replace unrecognized content type and fail.
+    assert!(res.status().is_client_error());
+
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 /// Test that Zebra's non-blocking logger works, by creating lots of debug output, but not reading the logs.
 /// Then make sure Zebra drops excess log lines. (Previously, it would block waiting for logs to be read.)
 ///