Authentication Techniques
REST APIs require strong authentication mechanisms to protect endpoints. Common approaches include Basic Auth, API keys, and OAuth 2.0 protocols with JWT tokens.
- OAuth 2.0 for third-party authentication
- JWT for stateless session management
Key Security Patterns
Request Filtering
Prevent request smuggling and parameter tampering
Input Validation
Validate all query parameters and payloads
Rate Limiting
Protect against denial of service attacks
Response Signing
Verify data integrity in API responses
Implementation Example
```python
# Flask JWT Implementation Example
from flask import Flask
from flask_jwt import JWT, jwt
app = Flask(__name__)
app.config['JWT_SECRET_KEY'] = 'your-secret-key'
def authenticate(username, password):
# Fetch user from DB
user = User.query.filter_by(username=username).first()
if user and user.password == hash_password(password):
return jwt.encode({'user': username}, app.config['JWT_SECRET_KEY'])
```
This example shows a basic JWT authentication flow in a Flask application
Security Headers
Content Security Policy (CSP)
Define trusted sources of content to protect against XSS attacks
Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'
Strict-Transport-Security
Enforce HTTPS connections to prevent MITM attacks
Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000