Helmet vs CORS

Developers should use Helmet when building Express meets developers should learn cors when building web applications that need to make cross-origin http requests, such as when a frontend app hosted on one domain needs to fetch data from an api on another domain. Here's our take.

Helmet

Nice Pick

Developers should use Helmet when building Express

Pros

• js applications to improve security by mitigating common web threats without manually setting complex HTTP headers
• Related to: express-js, node-js

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

CORS

Developers should learn CORS when building web applications that need to make cross-origin HTTP requests, such as when a frontend app hosted on one domain needs to fetch data from an API on another domain

Pros

• It is crucial for security to prevent unauthorized cross-site requests while enabling legitimate integrations, and understanding CORS helps debug common issues like preflight requests, access control headers, and browser restrictions
• Related to: http-headers, web-security

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Helmet is a library while CORS is a concept. We picked Helmet based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Helmet wins

Based on overall popularity. Helmet is more widely used, but CORS excels in its own space.