Protecting endpoints.
WHAT TO REQUIRE
Encryption, on every request Authentication, on everything not deliberately public Authorisation, checked per record
WHAT THE COMMONEST SERIOUS FAULT IS
Authentication without authorisation.
WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE
A valid token used to request another user's records, by changing an identifier.
WHAT PREVENTS IT
Verifying entitlement to the specific record, on every request.
WHAT AUTHENTICATION APPROACHES EXIST
Tokens issued on sign-in API keys, for machine consumers Delegated authorisation, for third-party access
WHAT TO CONFIGURE ON TOKENS
Short lifetimes A refresh mechanism Revocation
WHAT TO IMPLEMENT
Rate limiting, per consumer Request size limits Validation of every input
WHY RATE LIMITING
It prevents both abuse and accidental overload from a defective client.
WHAT TO RETURN WHEN LIMITED
A clear status, and when to retry.
WHAT TO LOG
Authentication and authorisation failures, which indicate probing.
WHAT NOT TO EXPOSE
Internal identifiers that reveal volume Detailed errors Endpoints not intended for public use
