Best Practices
Security Best Practices
Protect your APIs and users with authentication, authorization, input validation, and security best practices.
Security Pillars
Authentication
Verify user identity before granting access to protected resources.
JWT tokens with expiration
OAuth 2.0 / OpenID Connect
API keys for service accounts
Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Authorization
Control what authenticated users can access and modify.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Resource-level permissions
Attribute-based policies
Principle of least privilege
Input Validation
Validate and sanitize all user input to prevent injection attacks.
Schema validation (JSON Schema)
SQL injection prevention
XSS protection
Type checking and sanitization
Data Protection
Encrypt sensitive data in transit and at rest.
HTTPS/TLS for all endpoints
Database encryption at rest
Password hashing (bcrypt, argon2)
Secure secret management
Authentication Implementation
JWT Authentication
1. Token Generation (Login)
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2. Token Verification (Middleware)
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3. Token Refresh
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Password Security
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Authorization & Access Control
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
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Resource-Level Authorization
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API Key Authentication
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Input Validation & Sanitization
Schema Validation
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SQL Injection Prevention
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XSS Protection
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HTTPS & Data Encryption
Enforce HTTPS
Never use HTTP for APIs with sensitive data!
HTTP transmits data in plain text, exposing passwords, tokens, and personal information to attackers.
Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
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Sensitive Data Encryption
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Security Headers
Essential Security Headers
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Security Best Practices
Always use HTTPS: Encrypt all data in transit with TLS
Implement authentication: Use JWT tokens with expiration times
Enforce authorization: Check permissions for every request
Validate all input: Use schema validation and sanitize data
Prevent SQL injection: Always use parameterized queries
Hash passwords: Use bcrypt or argon2 with proper salt rounds
Set security headers: Use helmet.js or configure manually
Rate limit requests: Prevent brute force and DDoS attacks
Encrypt sensitive data: Use AES-256 for data at rest
Never expose secrets: Use environment variables, not code
Log security events: Monitor failed logins, authorization failures
Keep dependencies updated: Regularly patch security vulnerabilities