Merge pull request #3358 from 4Science/task/main/DURACOM-288

Provide a setting to use a different REST url during SSR execution

config/config.example.yml

@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@ ui:
 
 # Angular Server Side Rendering (SSR) settings
 ssr:
+  # Enable request performance profiling data collection and printing the results in the server console.
+  # Defaults to false. Enabling in production is NOT recommended
+  enablePerformanceProfiler: false
   # Whether to tell Angular to inline "critical" styles into the server-side rendered HTML.
   # Determining which styles are critical is a relatively expensive operation; this option is
   # disabled (false) by default to boost server performance at the expense of loading smoothness.
@@ -35,6 +38,16 @@ ssr:
   # If set to true the component will be included in the HTML returned from the server side rendering.
   # If set to false the component will not be included in the HTML returned from the server side rendering.
   enableBrowseComponent: false
+  # Enable state transfer from the server-side application to the client-side application.
+  # Defaults to true.
+  # Note: When using an external application cache layer, it's recommended not to transfer the state to avoid caching it.
+  # Disabling it ensures that dynamic state information is not inadvertently cached, which can improve security and
+  # ensure that users always use the most up-to-date state.
+  transferState: true
+  # When a different REST base URL is used for the server-side application, the generated state contains references to
+  # REST resources with the internal URL configured. By default, these internal URLs are replaced with public URLs.
+  # Disable this setting to avoid URL replacement during SSR. In this the state is not transferred to avoid security issues.
+  replaceRestUrl: true
 
 # The REST API server settings
 # NOTE: these settings define which (publicly available) REST API to use. They are usually
@@ -45,6 +58,9 @@ rest:
   port: 443
   # NOTE: Space is capitalized because 'namespace' is a reserved string in TypeScript
   nameSpace: /server
+  # Provide a different REST url to be used during SSR execution. It must contain the whole url including protocol, server port and
+  # server namespace (uncomment to use it).
+  #ssrBaseUrl: http://localhost:8080/server
 
 # Caching settings
 cache:

server.ts

@@ -81,6 +81,9 @@ let anonymousCache: LRU<string, any>;
 // extend environment with app config for server
 extendEnvironmentWithAppConfig(environment, appConfig);
 
+// The REST server base URL
+const REST_BASE_URL = environment.rest.ssrBaseUrl || environment.rest.baseUrl;
+
 // The Express app is exported so that it can be used by serverless Functions.
 export function app() {
 
@@ -156,7 +159,7 @@ export function app() {
    * Proxy the sitemaps
    */
   router.use('/sitemap**', createProxyMiddleware({
-    target: `${environment.rest.baseUrl}/sitemaps`,
+    target: `${REST_BASE_URL}/sitemaps`,
     pathRewrite: path => path.replace(environment.ui.nameSpace, '/'),
     changeOrigin: true,
   }));
@@ -165,7 +168,7 @@ export function app() {
    * Proxy the linksets
    */
   router.use('/signposting**', createProxyMiddleware({
-    target: `${environment.rest.baseUrl}`,
+    target: `${REST_BASE_URL}`,
     pathRewrite: path => path.replace(environment.ui.nameSpace, '/'),
     changeOrigin: true,
   }));
@@ -266,6 +269,11 @@ function serverSideRender(req, res, next, sendToUser: boolean = true) {
     })
     .then((html) => {
       if (hasValue(html)) {
+        // Replace REST URL with UI URL
+        if (environment.ssr.replaceRestUrl && REST_BASE_URL !== environment.rest.baseUrl) {
+          html = html.replace(new RegExp(REST_BASE_URL, 'g'), environment.rest.baseUrl);
+        }
+
         // save server side rendered page to cache (if any are enabled)
         saveToCache(req, html);
         if (sendToUser) {
@@ -623,7 +631,7 @@ function start() {
  * The callback function to serve health check requests
  */
 function healthCheck(req, res) {
-  const baseUrl = `${environment.rest.baseUrl}${environment.actuators.endpointPath}`;
+  const baseUrl = `${REST_BASE_URL}${environment.actuators.endpointPath}`;
   axios.get(baseUrl)
     .then((response) => {
       res.status(response.status).send(response.data);

src/app/app.config.ts

@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ import {
 } from './app-routes';
 import { BROWSE_BY_DECORATOR_MAP } from './browse-by/browse-by-switcher/browse-by-decorator';
 import { AuthInterceptor } from './core/auth/auth.interceptor';
+import { DspaceRestInterceptor } from './core/dspace-rest/dspace-rest.interceptor';
 import { LocaleInterceptor } from './core/locale/locale.interceptor';
 import { LogInterceptor } from './core/log/log.interceptor';
 import {
@@ -148,6 +149,11 @@ export const commonAppConfig: ApplicationConfig = {
       useClass: LogInterceptor,
       multi: true,
     },
+    {
+      provide: HTTP_INTERCEPTORS,
+      useClass: DspaceRestInterceptor,
+      multi: true,
+    },
     // register the dynamic matcher used by form. MUST be provided by the app module
     ...DYNAMIC_MATCHER_PROVIDERS,
     provideCore(),

src/app/core/dspace-rest/dspace-rest.interceptor.spec.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,194 @@
+import {
+  HTTP_INTERCEPTORS,
+  HttpClient,
+} from '@angular/common/http';
+import {
+  HttpClientTestingModule,
+  HttpTestingController,
+} from '@angular/common/http/testing';
+import { PLATFORM_ID } from '@angular/core';
+import { TestBed } from '@angular/core/testing';
+
+import {
+  APP_CONFIG,
+  AppConfig,
+} from '../../../config/app-config.interface';
+import { DspaceRestInterceptor } from './dspace-rest.interceptor';
+import { DspaceRestService } from './dspace-rest.service';
+
+describe('DspaceRestInterceptor', () => {
+  let httpMock: HttpTestingController;
+  let httpClient: HttpClient;
+  const appConfig: Partial<AppConfig> = {
+    rest: {
+      ssl: false,
+      host: 'localhost',
+      port: 8080,
+      nameSpace: '/server',
+      baseUrl: 'http://api.example.com/server',
+    },
+  };
+  const appConfigWithSSR: Partial<AppConfig> = {
+    rest: {
+      ssl: false,
+      host: 'localhost',
+      port: 8080,
+      nameSpace: '/server',
+      baseUrl: 'http://api.example.com/server',
+      ssrBaseUrl: 'http://ssr.example.com/server',
+    },
+  };
+
+  describe('When SSR base URL is not set ', () => {
+    describe('and it\'s in the browser', () => {
+      beforeEach(() => {
+        TestBed.configureTestingModule({
+          imports: [HttpClientTestingModule],
+          providers: [
+            DspaceRestService,
+            {
+              provide: HTTP_INTERCEPTORS,
+              useClass: DspaceRestInterceptor,
+              multi: true,
+            },
+            { provide: APP_CONFIG, useValue: appConfig },
+            { provide: PLATFORM_ID, useValue: 'browser' },
+          ],
+        });
+
+        httpMock = TestBed.inject(HttpTestingController);
+        httpClient = TestBed.inject(HttpClient);
+      });
+
+      it('should not modify the request', () => {
+        const url = 'http://api.example.com/server/items';
+        httpClient.get(url).subscribe((response) => {
+          expect(response).toBeTruthy();
+        });
+
+        const req = httpMock.expectOne(url);
+        expect(req.request.url).toBe(url);
+        req.flush({});
+        httpMock.verify();
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('and it\'s in SSR mode', () => {
+      beforeEach(() => {
+        TestBed.configureTestingModule({
+          imports: [HttpClientTestingModule],
+          providers: [
+            DspaceRestService,
+            {
+              provide: HTTP_INTERCEPTORS,
+              useClass: DspaceRestInterceptor,
+              multi: true,
+            },
+            { provide: APP_CONFIG, useValue: appConfig },
+            { provide: PLATFORM_ID, useValue: 'server' },
+          ],
+        });
+
+        httpMock = TestBed.inject(HttpTestingController);
+        httpClient = TestBed.inject(HttpClient);
+      });
+
+      it('should not replace the base URL', () => {
+        const url = 'http://api.example.com/server/items';
+
+        httpClient.get(url).subscribe((response) => {
+          expect(response).toBeTruthy();
+        });
+
+        const req = httpMock.expectOne(url);
+        expect(req.request.url).toBe(url);
+        req.flush({});
+        httpMock.verify();
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('When SSR base URL is set ', () => {
+    describe('and it\'s in the browser', () => {
+      beforeEach(() => {
+        TestBed.configureTestingModule({
+          imports: [HttpClientTestingModule],
+          providers: [
+            DspaceRestService,
+            {
+              provide: HTTP_INTERCEPTORS,
+              useClass: DspaceRestInterceptor,
+              multi: true,
+            },
+            { provide: APP_CONFIG, useValue: appConfigWithSSR },
+            { provide: PLATFORM_ID, useValue: 'browser' },
+          ],
+        });
+
+        httpMock = TestBed.inject(HttpTestingController);
+        httpClient = TestBed.inject(HttpClient);
+      });
+
+      it('should not modify the request', () => {
+        const url = 'http://api.example.com/server/items';
+        httpClient.get(url).subscribe((response) => {
+          expect(response).toBeTruthy();
+        });
+
+        const req = httpMock.expectOne(url);
+        expect(req.request.url).toBe(url);
+        req.flush({});
+        httpMock.verify();
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('and it\'s in SSR mode', () => {
+      beforeEach(() => {
+        TestBed.configureTestingModule({
+          imports: [HttpClientTestingModule],
+          providers: [
+            DspaceRestService,
+            {
+              provide: HTTP_INTERCEPTORS,
+              useClass: DspaceRestInterceptor,
+              multi: true,
+            },
+            { provide: APP_CONFIG, useValue: appConfigWithSSR },
+            { provide: PLATFORM_ID, useValue: 'server' },
+          ],
+        });
+
+        httpMock = TestBed.inject(HttpTestingController);
+        httpClient = TestBed.inject(HttpClient);
+      });
+
+      it('should replace the base URL', () => {
+        const url = 'http://api.example.com/server/items';
+        const ssrBaseUrl = appConfigWithSSR.rest.ssrBaseUrl;
+
+        httpClient.get(url).subscribe((response) => {
+          expect(response).toBeTruthy();
+        });
+
+        const req = httpMock.expectOne(ssrBaseUrl + '/items');
+        expect(req.request.url).toBe(ssrBaseUrl + '/items');
+        req.flush({});
+        httpMock.verify();
+      });
+
+      it('should not replace any query param containing the base URL', () => {
+        const url = 'http://api.example.com/server/items?url=http://api.example.com/server/item/1';
+        const ssrBaseUrl = appConfigWithSSR.rest.ssrBaseUrl;
+
+        httpClient.get(url).subscribe((response) => {
+          expect(response).toBeTruthy();
+        });
+
+        const req = httpMock.expectOne(ssrBaseUrl + '/items?url=http://api.example.com/server/item/1');
+        expect(req.request.url).toBe(ssrBaseUrl + '/items?url=http://api.example.com/server/item/1');
+        req.flush({});
+        httpMock.verify();
+      });
+    });
+  });
+});

src/app/core/dspace-rest/dspace-rest.interceptor.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+import { isPlatformBrowser } from '@angular/common';
+import {
+  HttpEvent,
+  HttpHandler,
+  HttpInterceptor,
+  HttpRequest,
+} from '@angular/common/http';
+import {
+  Inject,
+  Injectable,
+  PLATFORM_ID,
+} from '@angular/core';
+import { Observable } from 'rxjs';
+
+import {
+  APP_CONFIG,
+  AppConfig,
+} from '../../../config/app-config.interface';
+import { isEmpty } from '../../shared/empty.util';
+
+@Injectable()
+/**
+ * This Interceptor is used to use the configured base URL for the request made during SSR execution
+ */
+export class DspaceRestInterceptor implements HttpInterceptor {
+
+  /**
+   * Contains the configured application base URL
+   * @protected
+   */
+  protected baseUrl: string;
+  protected ssrBaseUrl: string;
+
+  constructor(
+    @Inject(APP_CONFIG) protected appConfig: AppConfig,
+    @Inject(PLATFORM_ID) private platformId: string,
+  ) {
+    this.baseUrl = this.appConfig.rest.baseUrl;
+    this.ssrBaseUrl = this.appConfig.rest.ssrBaseUrl;
+  }
+
+  intercept(request: HttpRequest<unknown>, next: HttpHandler): Observable<HttpEvent<unknown>> {
+    if (isPlatformBrowser(this.platformId) || isEmpty(this.ssrBaseUrl) || this.baseUrl === this.ssrBaseUrl) {
+      return next.handle(request);
+    }
+
+    // Different SSR Base URL specified so replace it in the current request url
+    const url = request.url.replace(this.baseUrl, this.ssrBaseUrl);
+    const newRequest: HttpRequest<any> = request.clone({ url });
+    return next.handle(newRequest);
+  }
+}

src/app/core/services/server-hard-redirect.service.spec.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { TestBed } from '@angular/core/testing';
 
+import { environment } from '../../../environments/environment.test';
 import { ServerHardRedirectService } from './server-hard-redirect.service';
 
 describe('ServerHardRedirectService', () => {
@@ -7,7 +8,7 @@ describe('ServerHardRedirectService', () => {
   const mockRequest = jasmine.createSpyObj(['get']);
   const mockResponse = jasmine.createSpyObj(['redirect', 'end']);
 
-  const service: ServerHardRedirectService = new ServerHardRedirectService(mockRequest, mockResponse);
+  let service: ServerHardRedirectService = new ServerHardRedirectService(environment, mockRequest, mockResponse);
   const origin = 'https://test-host.com:4000';
 
   beforeEach(() => {
@@ -68,4 +69,23 @@ describe('ServerHardRedirectService', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('when SSR base url is set', () => {
+    const redirect = 'https://private-url:4000/server/api/bitstreams/uuid';
+    const replacedUrl = 'https://public-url/server/api/bitstreams/uuid';
+    const environmentWithSSRUrl: any = { ...environment, ...{ ...environment.rest, rest: {
+      ssrBaseUrl: 'https://private-url:4000/server',
+      baseUrl: 'https://public-url/server',
+    } } };
+    service = new ServerHardRedirectService(environmentWithSSRUrl, mockRequest, mockResponse);
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      service.redirect(redirect);
+    });
+
+    it('should perform a 302 redirect', () => {
+      expect(mockResponse.redirect).toHaveBeenCalledWith(302, replacedUrl);
+      expect(mockResponse.end).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+  });
+
 });

src/app/core/services/server-hard-redirect.service.ts

@@ -7,10 +7,15 @@ import {
   Response,
 } from 'express';
 
+import {
+  APP_CONFIG,
+  AppConfig,
+} from '../../../config/app-config.interface';
 import {
   REQUEST,
   RESPONSE,
 } from '../../../express.tokens';
+import { isNotEmpty } from '../../shared/empty.util';
 import { HardRedirectService } from './hard-redirect.service';
 
 /**
@@ -20,6 +25,7 @@ import { HardRedirectService } from './hard-redirect.service';
 export class ServerHardRedirectService extends HardRedirectService {
 
   constructor(
+    @Inject(APP_CONFIG) protected appConfig: AppConfig,
     @Inject(REQUEST) protected req: Request,
     @Inject(RESPONSE) protected res: Response,
   ) {
@@ -35,17 +41,22 @@ export class ServerHardRedirectService extends HardRedirectService {
    *    optional HTTP status code to use for redirect (default = 302, which is a temporary redirect)
    */
   redirect(url: string, statusCode?: number) {
-
     if (url === this.req.url) {
       return;
     }
 
+    let redirectUrl = url;
+    // If redirect url contains SSR base url then replace with public base url
+    if (isNotEmpty(this.appConfig.rest.ssrBaseUrl) && this.appConfig.rest.baseUrl !== this.appConfig.rest.ssrBaseUrl) {
+      redirectUrl = url.replace(this.appConfig.rest.ssrBaseUrl, this.appConfig.rest.baseUrl);
+    }
+
     if (this.res.finished) {
       const req: any = this.req;
       req._r_count = (req._r_count || 0) + 1;
 
       console.warn('Attempted to redirect on a finished response. From',
-        this.req.url, 'to', url);
+        this.req.url, 'to', redirectUrl);
 
       if (req._r_count > 10) {
         console.error('Detected a redirection loop. killing the nodejs process');
@@ -59,9 +70,9 @@ export class ServerHardRedirectService extends HardRedirectService {
         status = 302;
       }
 
-      console.log(`Redirecting from ${this.req.url} to ${url} with ${status}`);
+      console.info(`Redirecting from ${this.req.url} to ${redirectUrl} with ${status}`);
 
-      this.res.redirect(status, url);
+      this.res.redirect(status, redirectUrl);
       this.res.end();
       // I haven't found a way to correctly stop Angular rendering.
       // So we just let it end its work, though we have already closed

src/app/shared/utils/safe-url-pipe.ts

@@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ import { DomSanitizer } from '@angular/platform-browser';
 export class SafeUrlPipe implements PipeTransform {
   constructor(private domSanitizer: DomSanitizer) { }
   transform(url) {
-    return this.domSanitizer.bypassSecurityTrustResourceUrl(url);
+    return url == null ? null : this.domSanitizer.bypassSecurityTrustResourceUrl(url);
   }
 }

src/app/thumbnail/thumbnail.component.spec.ts

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import {
   DebugElement,
   Pipe,
   PipeTransform,
+  PLATFORM_ID,
 } from '@angular/core';
 import {
   ComponentFixture,
@@ -48,7 +49,9 @@ describe('ThumbnailComponent', () => {
   let authService;
   let authorizationService;
   let fileService;
+  let spy;
 
+  describe('when platform is browser', () => {
     beforeEach(waitForAsync(() => {
       authService = jasmine.createSpyObj('AuthService', {
         isAuthenticated: observableOf(true),
@@ -74,6 +77,7 @@ describe('ThumbnailComponent', () => {
           { provide: AuthorizationDataService, useValue: authorizationService },
           { provide: FileService, useValue: fileService },
           { provide: ThemeService, useValue: getMockThemeService() },
+          { provide: PLATFORM_ID, useValue: 'browser' },
         ],
       }).overrideComponent(ThumbnailComponent, {
         add: {
@@ -362,3 +366,64 @@ describe('ThumbnailComponent', () => {
       });
     });
   });
+
+  describe('when platform is server', () => {
+    beforeEach(waitForAsync(() => {
+
+      authService = jasmine.createSpyObj('AuthService', {
+        isAuthenticated: observableOf(true),
+      });
+      authorizationService = jasmine.createSpyObj('AuthorizationService', {
+        isAuthorized: observableOf(true),
+      });
+      fileService = jasmine.createSpyObj('FileService', {
+        retrieveFileDownloadLink: null,
+      });
+      fileService.retrieveFileDownloadLink.and.callFake((url) => observableOf(`${url}?authentication-token=fake`));
+
+      TestBed.configureTestingModule({
+        imports: [
+          TranslateModule.forRoot(),
+          ThumbnailComponent,
+          SafeUrlPipe,
+          MockTranslatePipe,
+          VarDirective,
+        ],
+        providers: [
+          { provide: AuthService, useValue: authService },
+          { provide: AuthorizationDataService, useValue: authorizationService },
+          { provide: FileService, useValue: fileService },
+          { provide: ThemeService, useValue: getMockThemeService() },
+          { provide: PLATFORM_ID, useValue: 'server' },
+        ],
+      }).overrideComponent(ThumbnailComponent, {
+        add: {
+          imports: [MockTranslatePipe],
+        },
+      })
+        .compileComponents();
+    }));
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      fixture = TestBed.createComponent(ThumbnailComponent);
+      spyOn(fixture.componentInstance, 'setSrc').and.callThrough();
+      fixture.detectChanges();
+
+      authService = TestBed.inject(AuthService);
+
+      comp = fixture.componentInstance; // ThumbnailComponent test instance
+      de = fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('div.thumbnail'));
+      el = de.nativeElement;
+    });
+
+    it('should start out with isLoading$ true', () => {
+      expect(comp.isLoading).toBeTrue();
+      expect(de.query(By.css('ds-loading'))).toBeTruthy();
+    });
+
+    it('should not call setSrc', () => {
+      expect(comp.setSrc).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+
+  });
+});

src/app/thumbnail/thumbnail.component.ts

@@ -1,8 +1,13 @@
-import { CommonModule } from '@angular/common';
+import {
+  CommonModule,
+  isPlatformBrowser,
+} from '@angular/common';
 import {
   Component,
+  Inject,
   Input,
   OnChanges,
+  PLATFORM_ID,
   SimpleChanges,
 } from '@angular/core';
 import { TranslateModule } from '@ngx-translate/core';
@@ -76,6 +81,7 @@ export class ThumbnailComponent implements OnChanges {
   isLoading = true;
 
   constructor(
+    @Inject(PLATFORM_ID) private platformID: any,
     protected auth: AuthService,
     protected authorizationService: AuthorizationDataService,
     protected fileService: FileService,
@@ -87,6 +93,7 @@ export class ThumbnailComponent implements OnChanges {
    * Use a default image if no actual image is available.
    */
   ngOnChanges(changes: SimpleChanges): void {
+    if (isPlatformBrowser(this.platformID)) {
       if (hasNoValue(this.thumbnail)) {
         this.setSrc(this.defaultImage);
         return;
@@ -99,6 +106,7 @@ export class ThumbnailComponent implements OnChanges {
         this.setSrc(this.defaultImage);
       }
     }
+  }
 
   /**
    * The current thumbnail Bitstream

src/config/config.server.ts

@@ -236,6 +236,7 @@ export const buildAppConfig = (destConfigPath?: string): AppConfig => {
   appConfig.rest.port = isNotEmpty(ENV('REST_PORT', true)) ? getNumberFromString(ENV('REST_PORT', true)) : appConfig.rest.port;
   appConfig.rest.nameSpace = isNotEmpty(ENV('REST_NAMESPACE', true)) ? ENV('REST_NAMESPACE', true) : appConfig.rest.nameSpace;
   appConfig.rest.ssl = isNotEmpty(ENV('REST_SSL', true)) ? getBooleanFromString(ENV('REST_SSL', true)) : appConfig.rest.ssl;
+  appConfig.rest.ssrBaseUrl = isNotEmpty(ENV('REST_SSRBASEURL', true)) ? ENV('REST_SSRBASEURL', true) : appConfig.rest.ssrBaseUrl;
 
   // apply build defined production
   appConfig.production = env === 'production';

src/config/server-config.interface.ts

@@ -6,4 +6,8 @@ export class ServerConfig implements Config {
   public port: number;
   public nameSpace: string;
   public baseUrl?: string;
+  public ssrBaseUrl?: string;
+  // This boolean will be automatically set on server startup based on whether "baseUrl" and "ssrBaseUrl"
+  // have different values.
+  public hasSsrBaseUrl?: boolean;
 }

src/config/ssr-config.interface.ts

@@ -21,6 +21,23 @@ export interface SSRConfig extends Config {
    */
   inlineCriticalCss: boolean;
 
+  /**
+   * Enable state transfer from the server-side application to the client-side application.
+   * Defaults to true.
+   *
+   * Note: When using an external application cache layer, it's recommended not to transfer the state to avoid caching it.
+   * Disabling it ensures that dynamic state information is not inadvertently cached, which can improve security and
+   * ensure that users always use the most up-to-date state.
+   */
+  transferState: boolean;
+
+  /**
+   * When a different REST base URL is used for the server-side application, the generated state contains references to
+   * REST resources with the internal URL configured. By default, these internal URLs are replaced with public URLs.
+   * Disable this setting to avoid URL replacement during SSR. In this the state is not transferred to avoid security issues.
+   */
+  replaceRestUrl: boolean;
+
   /**
    * Paths to enable SSR for. Defaults to the home page and paths in the sitemap.
    */

src/environments/environment.production.ts

@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ export const environment: Partial<BuildConfig> = {
     enabled: true,
     enablePerformanceProfiler: false,
     inlineCriticalCss: false,
+    transferState: true,
+    replaceRestUrl: true,
     paths: [ '/home', '/items/', '/entities/', '/collections/', '/communities/', '/bitstream/', '/bitstreams/', '/handle/', '/reload/' ],
     enableSearchComponent: false,
     enableBrowseComponent: false,

src/environments/environment.test.ts

@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ export const environment: BuildConfig = {
     enabled: true,
     enablePerformanceProfiler: false,
     inlineCriticalCss: false,
+    transferState: true,
+    replaceRestUrl: false,
     paths: [ '/home', '/items/', '/entities/', '/collections/', '/communities/', '/bitstream/', '/bitstreams/', '/handle/', '/reload/' ],
     enableSearchComponent: false,
     enableBrowseComponent: false,

src/environments/environment.ts

@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ export const environment: Partial<BuildConfig> = {
     enabled: false,
     enablePerformanceProfiler: false,
     inlineCriticalCss: false,
+    transferState: true,
+    replaceRestUrl: false,
     paths: [ '/home', '/items/', '/entities/', '/collections/', '/communities/', '/bitstream/', '/bitstreams/', '/handle/', '/reload/' ],
     enableSearchComponent: false,
     enableBrowseComponent: false,

src/modules/app/browser-init.service.ts

@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ import {
   APP_CONFIG_STATE,
   AppConfig,
 } from '../../config/app-config.interface';
+import { BuildConfig } from '../../config/build-config.interface';
 import { extendEnvironmentWithAppConfig } from '../../config/config.util';
 import { DefaultAppConfig } from '../../config/default-app-config';
 import { environment } from '../../environments/environment';
@@ -70,7 +71,7 @@ export class BrowserInitService extends InitService {
     protected store: Store<AppState>,
     protected correlationIdService: CorrelationIdService,
     protected transferState: TransferState,
-    @Inject(APP_CONFIG) protected appConfig: AppConfig,
+    @Inject(APP_CONFIG) protected appConfig: BuildConfig,
     protected translate: TranslateService,
     protected localeService: LocaleService,
     protected angulartics2DSpace: Angulartics2DSpace,
@@ -144,6 +145,8 @@ export class BrowserInitService extends InitService {
    * @private
    */
   private async loadAppState(): Promise<boolean> {
+    // The app state can be transferred only when SSR and CSR are using the same base url for the REST API
+    if (this.appConfig.ssr.transferState) {
       const state = this.transferState.get<any>(InitService.NGRX_STATE, null);
       this.transferState.remove(InitService.NGRX_STATE);
       this.store.dispatch(new StoreAction(StoreActionTypes.REHYDRATE, state));
@@ -153,6 +156,9 @@ export class BrowserInitService extends InitService {
           map(() => true),
         ),
       );
+    } else {
+      return Promise.resolve(true);
+    }
   }
 
   private trackAuthTokenExpiration(): void {

src/modules/app/server-init.service.ts

@@ -21,6 +21,10 @@ import { LocaleService } from '../../app/core/locale/locale.service';
 import { HeadTagService } from '../../app/core/metadata/head-tag.service';
 import { CorrelationIdService } from '../../app/correlation-id/correlation-id.service';
 import { InitService } from '../../app/init.service';
+import {
+  isEmpty,
+  isNotEmpty,
+} from '../../app/shared/empty.util';
 import { MenuService } from '../../app/shared/menu/menu.service';
 import { ThemeService } from '../../app/shared/theme-support/theme.service';
 import { Angulartics2DSpace } from '../../app/statistics/angulartics/dspace-provider';
@@ -29,6 +33,7 @@ import {
   APP_CONFIG_STATE,
   AppConfig,
 } from '../../config/app-config.interface';
+import { BuildConfig } from '../../config/build-config.interface';
 import { environment } from '../../environments/environment';
 
 /**
@@ -40,7 +45,7 @@ export class ServerInitService extends InitService {
     protected store: Store<AppState>,
     protected correlationIdService: CorrelationIdService,
     protected transferState: TransferState,
-    @Inject(APP_CONFIG) protected appConfig: AppConfig,
+    @Inject(APP_CONFIG) protected appConfig: BuildConfig,
     protected translate: TranslateService,
     protected localeService: LocaleService,
     protected angulartics2DSpace: Angulartics2DSpace,
@@ -89,6 +94,7 @@ export class ServerInitService extends InitService {
    * @private
    */
   private saveAppState() {
+    if (this.appConfig.ssr.transferState && (isEmpty(this.appConfig.rest.ssrBaseUrl) || this.appConfig.ssr.replaceRestUrl)) {
       this.transferState.onSerialize(InitService.NGRX_STATE, () => {
         let state;
         this.store.pipe(take(1)).subscribe((saveState: any) => {
@@ -98,8 +104,17 @@ export class ServerInitService extends InitService {
         return state;
       });
     }
+  }
 
   private saveAppConfigForCSR(): void {
+    if (isNotEmpty(environment.rest.ssrBaseUrl) && environment.rest.baseUrl !== environment.rest.ssrBaseUrl) {
+      // Avoid to transfer ssrBaseUrl in order to prevent security issues
+      const config: AppConfig = Object.assign({}, environment as AppConfig, {
+        rest: Object.assign({}, environment.rest, { ssrBaseUrl: '', hasSsrBaseUrl: true }),
+      });
+      this.transferState.set<AppConfig>(APP_CONFIG_STATE, config);
+    } else {
       this.transferState.set<AppConfig>(APP_CONFIG_STATE, environment as AppConfig);
     }
   }
+}