How to Secure Your dApp's Frontend Against RPC Hijacking
When building decentralized frontends with libraries like Ethers.js or Viem, developers frequently hardcode RPC Node provider URLs (such as Alchemy or Infura endpoints) straight into their codebase. This common pattern is highly vulnerable.
The Vulnerability Vector
Because all frontend JS is public, an attacker can extract your private API key directly from browser script network inspect tabs. With it, they can hijack your rate limits, drain your paid RPC tier, or execute DDoS queries targeting your application.
The Production-Ready Fix
To protect your RPC configuration, implement a middleware routing function. Instead of making raw JSON-RPC requests directly from the browser, connect your frontend to a local serverless path (e.g. `/api/rpc`). Your backend function receives the RPC queries, appends your private API key, and forwards it safely to the blockchain.