How web applications are secured

Securing APIs requires protecting data through authentication, authorization, input validation, and rate limiting to prevent unauthorized access and abuse 0:44.

Key Takeaways:
• Authentication verifies user identity using session tokens or cookies, ensuring only authorized users can access protected endpoints 1:36.
• Authorization restricts access to data based on user roles or IDs, preventing users from viewing or modifying data they aren’t permitted to see 2:00.
• Input validation and sanitization block malicious payloads like oversized data or harmful HTML scripts that could exploit the UI 12:00.
• Rate limiting prevents abuse by restricting request frequency, protecting server performance and availability 15:13.
• Sensitive data (e.g., emails, SSNs) should be stripped from responses using data transfer objects (DTOs) to prevent accidental exposure 17:00.

Building secure applications demands assuming all inputs are malicious and implementing layered defenses across authentication, authorization, input handling, and infrastructure.

Sources:

• 0:44 Overview of API security fundamentals and the need for backend protection.
• 1:36 Explanation of session tokens and authentication via cookies.
• 2:00 Discussion of authorization checks using user ID and role-based access.
• 12:00 Input validation and sanitization to prevent malicious payloads.
• 15:13 Rate