Security Best Practices

Implement enterprise-grade security measures for your applications with practical guides on authentication, encryption, and API protection.

Understanding Security Fundamentals

Core Principles

Confidentiality through encryption
Integrity verification
Authentication and access control

Security Layers

Implement defense-in-depth strategy with multiple overlapping security controls:

Infrastructure security
Application-level protections
Transport layer encryption (TLS)

Implementing Authentication

Authentication Example


// Bearer token validation
const validateToken = async (token) => {
    try {
        const response = await fetch('https://api.example.com/auth/validate', {
            headers: {
                'Authorization': `Bearer ${token}`
            }
        });

        if (response.ok) {
            return await response.json();
        }

        throw new Error('Authentication failed');
    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Token validation error:', error);
        return null;
    }
};

OAuth 2.0 Implementation

Use refresh tokens with short-lived access tokens
Enforce PKCE for mobile/native clients
Implement token revocation endpoints

Security Tip: Always store tokens in HttpOnly cookies for web apps, use secure storage for mobile

Data Protection Techniques

Data Encryption

Use AES-256 for at-rest encryption. Always implement TLS 1.3+ for in-transit data protection. Store encryption keys separately from data.

Rate Limiting

Implement sliding window rate limiting (30000 requests/hour). Add burst protection (200 req/sec) and IP-based tracking.

Input Validation

Sanitize all user inputs. Implement schema validation with libraries like Ajv. Reject all invalid requests immediately.

Common Vulnerabilities

XSS & CSRF

Use Content Security Policy headers. Always validate and sanitize all inputs. Store CSRF tokens in secure HTTP-only cookies.

SQL Injection

Use parameterized queries with ORms like Prisma. Never concatenate user inputs directly into SQL statements.

Ready to Secure Your Application?

Now that you've implemented these security practices, verify your setup against our security checklist and ensure compliance with industry standards.

🔐 Check Security API Review Examples