diff --git a/.env.local.example b/.env.local.example
index 64e2b13..9f75139 100644
--- a/.env.local.example
+++ b/.env.local.example
@@ -22,6 +22,10 @@ CACHE_TTL=300
 # Rate limit for image proxy (integer >= 1, requests per minute per IP, default: 120)
 # RATE_LIMIT_RPM=120
 
+# Trusted Proxies: Comma-separated list of IP addresses (e.g., from Nginx, Traefik, or Vercel).
+# If set, rate limiting will only trust X-Forwarded-For headers from these IPs.
+# TRUSTED_PROXIES=127.0.0.1,10.0.0.1
+
 # Secret for signing auth cookies and encrypting asset tokens (string, min 16 chars).
 # If not provided, IMMICH_API_KEY will be used as a fallback (not recommended).
 # AUTH_SECRET=your-super-long-random-secret-here
diff --git a/docs/gallery-config.md b/docs/gallery-config.md
index 7452cf3..7787b7f 100644
--- a/docs/gallery-config.md
+++ b/docs/gallery-config.md
@@ -193,3 +193,26 @@ Your bio text here. Supports full Markdown.
 
 - **Album UUIDs**: In Immich, go to Albums → click an album → the UUID is in the URL bar
 - **Asset UUIDs**: Click any photo → the UUID is in the URL bar
+ 
+## System & Security
+ 
+Advanced system settings are configured via environment variables in your `.env` or `.env.local` file.
+ 
+### Rate Limiting
+ 
+To protect against brute-force attacks and resource exhaustion, Immich Folio includes an in-memory rate limiter.
+ 
+- `RATE_LIMIT_RPM`: Maximum requests per minute per IP (default: `1500` for general API, `120` for map data).
+ 
+### Trusted Proxies
+ 
+If you are running Immich Folio behind a reverse proxy (like Nginx, Traefik, Caddy, or Cloudflare), you should configure trusted proxies to prevent IP spoofing.
+ 
+- `TRUSTED_PROXIES`: A comma-separated list of IP addresses of your proxies.
+ 
+Example:
+```bash
+TRUSTED_PROXIES=127.0.0.1,172.18.0.1
+```
+ 
+When set, the rate limiter will only trust `X-Forwarded-For` and `X-Real-IP` headers if the request directly comes from one of these IPs. If not set, headers are trusted as a best-effort, which is less secure in public-facing environments.
diff --git a/lib/config/index.ts b/lib/config/index.ts
index 271a638..955ac6b 100644
--- a/lib/config/index.ts
+++ b/lib/config/index.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import crypto from 'crypto';
 import { env } from '../env';
 import { loadYaml, validateUuid } from './parser';
 import { resolveTheme, VALID_LAYOUTS } from './theme';
@@ -16,6 +17,7 @@ export * from './schema';
 export * from './theme';
 
 let _config: AppConfig | null = null;
+let _fallbackSecret: string | null = null;
 
 /** Converts raw YAML grid overrides into a typed partial GridConfig. */
 export function buildSubpageGrid(raw?: {
@@ -54,10 +56,13 @@ export function getConfig(): AppConfig {
         'SECURITY ERROR: AUTH_SECRET is not set in production. Please set a long random string as AUTH_SECRET in your .env.',
       );
     }
+    if (!_fallbackSecret) {
+      _fallbackSecret = crypto.randomBytes(32).toString('hex');
+    }
     console.warn(
-      '\n⚠️  SECURITY WARNING: AUTH_SECRET is not set. Falling back to IMMICH_API_KEY.\n   Please set a long random string as AUTH_SECRET in your .env for better security.\n',
+      '\n⚠️  SECURITY WARNING: AUTH_SECRET is not set. Generating a temporary random secret for this session.\n   Please set a long random string as AUTH_SECRET in your .env for better security.\n',
     );
-    AUTH_SECRET = apiKey;
+    AUTH_SECRET = _fallbackSecret;
   }
   const authSecret = AUTH_SECRET;
 
@@ -93,6 +98,7 @@ export function getConfig(): AppConfig {
       albumPasswords: {},
       cacheTtl: env.CACHE_TTL * 1000,
       rateLimitRpm: env.RATE_LIMIT_RPM,
+      trustedProxies: env.TRUSTED_PROXIES,
       needsSetup: true,
     };
     return _config;
@@ -268,6 +274,7 @@ export function getConfig(): AppConfig {
     albumPasswords,
     cacheTtl: env.CACHE_TTL * 1000,
     rateLimitRpm: env.RATE_LIMIT_RPM,
+    trustedProxies: env.TRUSTED_PROXIES,
     needsSetup: false,
   };
   return _config;
diff --git a/lib/config/schema.ts b/lib/config/schema.ts
index f15a868..6d47616 100644
--- a/lib/config/schema.ts
+++ b/lib/config/schema.ts
@@ -94,6 +94,7 @@ export interface AppConfig {
   albumPasswords: Record<string, string>;
   cacheTtl: number;
   rateLimitRpm: number;
+  trustedProxies: string[];
   needsSetup?: boolean;
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/env.ts b/lib/env.ts
index 66cd529..9ffc7c5 100644
--- a/lib/env.ts
+++ b/lib/env.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ export interface Env {
   CACHE_TTL: number;
   RATE_LIMIT_RPM: number;
   AUTH_SECRET?: string;
+  TRUSTED_PROXIES: string[];
 }
 
 function parseEnv(): Env {
@@ -44,6 +45,10 @@ function parseEnv(): Env {
     CACHE_TTL: Math.max(0, cacheTtl),
     RATE_LIMIT_RPM: Math.max(1, rateLimit),
     AUTH_SECRET: process.env.AUTH_SECRET,
+    TRUSTED_PROXIES: (process.env.TRUSTED_PROXIES || '')
+      .split(',')
+      .map((ip) => ip.trim())
+      .filter((ip) => ip !== ''),
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/rate-limit.ts b/lib/rate-limit.ts
index 2b43b14..6ab1f1e 100644
--- a/lib/rate-limit.ts
+++ b/lib/rate-limit.ts
@@ -10,15 +10,32 @@
  */
 
 import { NextRequest } from 'next/server';
+import { getConfig } from './config';
 
 export function getClientIp(request: NextRequest): string {
-  // @ts-expect-error - Next.js 15 removed request.ip but hosting platforms like Vercel still populate it
-  const ip = request.ip as string | undefined;
+  const config = getConfig();
+  const directIp = request.ip; // Populated by Next.js if on Vercel/Netlify
 
+  const xForwardedFor = request.headers.get('x-forwarded-for');
+  const xRealIp = request.headers.get('x-real-ip');
+
+  // If trusted proxies are configured, only trust headers if the request
+  // comes from one of those proxies.
+  if (config.trustedProxies.length > 0) {
+    if (directIp && config.trustedProxies.includes(directIp)) {
+      return xRealIp ?? xForwardedFor?.split(',')[0].trim() ?? directIp;
+    }
+    // If we have trusted proxies but the direct IP is unknown or untrusted,
+    // we return the direct IP (if any) and ignore potentially spoofed headers.
+    return directIp ?? 'unknown';
+  }
+
+  // Fallback for self-hosted environments without explicit trusted proxies:
+  // We have to trust headers as a best-effort, but this is vulnerable to spoofing.
   return (
-    ip ??
-    request.headers.get('x-real-ip') ??
-    request.headers.get('x-forwarded-for')?.split(',')[0].trim() ??
+    directIp ??
+    xRealIp ??
+    xForwardedFor?.split(',')[0].trim() ??
     'unknown'
   );
 }