Solving HTTPS Rendering Issues with Vich Uploader and LiipImagineBundle in Symfony

Table of Contents

Introduction
The Problem
Identifying the Cause
The Solution
Why This Works
Conclusion

Introduction

When working with Symfony projects that use VichUploaderBundle and LiipImagineBundle, you might encounter issues with images not rendering properly over HTTPS. This can lead to mixed content warnings in browsers and potential security vulnerabilities. In this article, we'll explore a common cause of this issue and provide a solution.

The Problem

Consider the following Twig code used to render an image:

<img class="img-responsive" src="{{ vich_uploader_asset(blog, 'imageFile') | imagine_filter('blog_footer_thumb') }}" />

In some cases, even when your site is using HTTPS, the images might still be loaded over HTTP.

Identifying the Cause

The root cause of this issue is often not with VichUploaderBundle itself, but with the LiipImagineBundle's imagine_filter. When the imagine_filter is applied, it may not respect the current protocol (HTTP or HTTPS) of the site.

To verify this, you can try removing the imagine_filter:

<img class="img-responsive" src="{{ vich_uploader_asset(blog, 'imageFile') }}" />

If the image loads correctly over HTTPS without the filter, then the issue lies with LiipImagineBundle's configuration.

The Solution

The solution involves properly configuring your Symfony application to work with trusted proxies, especially if you're using load balancers like AWS Elastic Load Balancer (ELB) or Traefic.

Add the following code to your public/index.php file:

public/index.php

use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Request;

// ...
// Old way
Request::setTrustedProxies(
    ['127.0.0.1', $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR']],
    Request::HEADER_X_FORWARDED_AWS_ELB
);

This code tells Symfony to trust the headers sent by AWS ELB, including the protocol information. As a result, Symfony will correctly determine whether the request is using HTTP or HTTPS.

Or in .env (better way):

# Add your load balancer IP range
TRUSTED_PROXIES=127.0.0.1,172.20.0.0/8,10.0.0.0/8,172.16.0.0/12,192.168.0.0/16,172.67.0.0/16

Don't forget to add the trusted proxies in the framework.yaml file:

config/packages/framework.yaml

framework:
    trusted_proxies: '%env(TRUSTED_PROXIES)%'

Why This Works

When your application is behind a load balancer or reverse proxy, the actual client IP and protocol information is often sent in special headers. By setting trusted proxies, you're telling Symfony which IP addresses are allowed to set these special headers, and which headers to trust for this information.

In this case, we're trusting both the localhost (127.0.0.1) and the IP address of the load balancer ($_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR']). We're also specifying that we're using AWS ELB headers (Request::HEADER_X_FORWARDED_AWS_ELB).

Conclusion

Resolving HTTPS rendering issues when using VichUploaderBundle and LiipImagineBundle often comes down to properly configuring your Symfony application to work with your server environment. By setting trusted proxies, you ensure that Symfony correctly interprets the protocol information, allowing your assets to be served over the correct protocol.

Remember to always test your configuration thoroughly, especially when dealing with security-related settings. If you're not using AWS ELB, you may need to adjust the trusted proxy settings to match your specific server setup.