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API Security

The document presents a practical API Security Handbook that outlines essential best practices for securing APIs against vulnerabilities. Key topics include authentication, authorization, data encryption, error handling, and intrusion detection, among others. The author emphasizes the importance of implementing these security measures to protect APIs in modern applications.

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hadyhashim2000
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0 views21 pages

API Security

The document presents a practical API Security Handbook that outlines essential best practices for securing APIs against vulnerabilities. Key topics include authentication, authorization, data encryption, error handling, and intrusion detection, among others. The author emphasizes the importance of implementing these security measures to protect APIs in modern applications.

Uploaded by

hadyhashim2000
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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@tauseeffayyaz

@tauseeffayyaz

With millions of APIs powering modern apps, API


security is more critical than ever yet it’s one of the
most overlooked aspects of development.

Many developers build fast, ship faster… and forget


to secure their APIs properly.

That’s exactly why I’ve created a practical API


Security Handbook, a curated list of best practices,
tips, and actionable guidelines to help you protect
your APIs from common vulnerabilities and threats.
@tauseeffayyaz

Authentication

Authentication verifies who is


accessing your API. It’s the first
step in ensuring that only valid
users can interact with your
system.

Using OAuth 2.0 or JWT (JSON Web Token)


to authenticate users before granting access
to endpoints like /user/profile.
@tauseeffayyaz

Authorization

Authorization determines what


an authenticated user can do. It
restricts access based on roles or
permissions.

A user with a viewer role can access


/reports/view, but not /reports/delete.
@tauseeffayyaz

API Versioning

Versioning allows you to update


your API without breaking
existing clients and helps enforce
better change management.

Use versioned URLs like /api/v1/ and /api/v2/


to safely introduce changes over time.
@tauseeffayyaz

Data Redaction

Sensitive data such as


passwords or credit card
numbers should be redacted or
masked in logs and responses to
prevent leakage.

Instead of showing creditCard: 1234-5678-


9876-5432, show creditCard: ****-****-
****-5432 in logs.
@tauseeffayyaz

Encryption

Encrypt data in transit (via


HTTPS) and at rest to protect it
from being read or tampered
with by unauthorized parties.

All API calls use HTTPS, and stored


passwords are encrypted using bcrypt.
@tauseeffayyaz

Error Handling

Errors should be handled


gracefully without revealing
system internals or stack traces
that could aid attackers.

Return a generic 500 Internal Server Error


with a message like Something went wrong
instead of a full database error trace.
@tauseeffayyaz

Data Sanitization

Always validate and sanitize


input data to prevent injection
attacks like SQL injection or XSS.

Reject malformed email inputs like email:


<script>alert(1)</script>, and escape any
special characters.
@tauseeffayyaz

Intrusion Detection

IDS tools monitor your API


traffic for unusual patterns or
known attack signatures,
alerting you of possible
breaches.

Use tools like Snort or AWS GuardDuty to


detect and log suspicious access attempts.
@tauseeffayyaz

IP Whitelisting

Restrict access to your APIs by


allowing only known and trusted
IP addresses.

Only your office or cloud provider’s IPs can


access internal admin APIs.
@tauseeffayyaz

Logging & Monitoring

Track all API requests, errors,


and authentication attempts to
detect anomalies and improve
security.

Use tools like ELK Stack, Datadog, or Splunk


to monitor endpoint access patterns and
failures.
@tauseeffayyaz

Rate Limiting

Protect your API from abuse or


DDoS by limiting how many
requests a client can make in a
given time window.

Allow max 100 requests per minute per IP for


/login endpoint to prevent brute force attacks.
@tauseeffayyaz

Secure Dependencies

Regularly scan and update third-


party libraries or frameworks to
patch known vulnerabilities.

Use tools like Snyk or npm audit to detect and


resolve outdated or vulnerable packages in
your API stack.
@tauseeffayyaz

Security Headers

HTTP security headers protect


against common attacks by
enforcing browser-level
restrictions.

Use headers like Content-Security-Policy, X-


Content-Type-Options, and Strict-Transport-
Security in API responses.
@tauseeffayyaz

Token Expiry

Access tokens should have an


expiry time to reduce the risk of
misuse if leaked.

JWT tokens expire after 15 minutes and


require a refresh token to obtain a new one.
@tauseeffayyaz

Security Standards

Relying on proven security


frameworks and standards
ensures you follow best
practices by default.

Use OWASP API Security Top 10 as a


baseline and libraries like Spring Security or
Express middleware for access control.
@tauseeffayyaz

Web Firewall

A WAF sits between your API


and incoming traffic, filtering out
malicious requests before they
hit your server.

Cloudflare or AWS WAF blocks SQL injection


attempts and limits traffic spikes
automatically.
@tauseeffayyaz

What’s Next?
Let me know what you’re struggling with,
and I’ll bring the most helpful tips and
resources to you.

It takes time and effort to prepare these


valuable resources, but I’m committed to
helping you.
@tauseeffayyaz

Your support keeps me motivated

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tauseeffayyaz/

https://x.com/tauseeffayyaz0

https://www.instagram.com/tauseeffayyaz/
@tauseeffayyaz

LIKE & REPOST

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