security

CSRF protection with double-submit cookie

Session-based apps still need CSRF protection even when the API is ‘JSON’. I like the double-submit cookie approach: set a CSRF token cookie, require the client to echo it in x-csrf-token, and verify they match. The reason I prefer this is that it doe

Laravel rate limiting for API protection

Rate limiting prevents API abuse by restricting request frequency per user or IP. Laravel's RateLimiter facade defines limits in RouteServiceProvider. I apply limiters via middleware—throttle:api for the default API limiter. Custom limiters use closur

Database security and access control

Database security protects data from unauthorized access. I use GRANT/REVOKE for permissions—SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE. Role-based access control groups permissions. Row-level security filters data per user. Column-level security restricts sensit

Biometric authentication implementation

BiometricPrompt provides secure authentication via fingerprint, face, or iris. I create BiometricPrompt with callback handling success, error, and failure. PromptInfo configures title, subtitle, description, and allowed authenticators. Negative button

Rails strong parameters for nested attributes

Strong parameters prevent mass assignment vulnerabilities by explicitly permitting allowed attributes. For nested associations like a post with embedded images or comments, I use nested permit calls. Arrays of primitives use [] syntax, while hashes of

JWT verification with cached JWKS (handles key rotation)

JWT auth is easy to get subtly wrong, especially around key rotation. Instead of hard-coding public keys, I fetch JWKS and cache it with a refresh interval so new signing keys are accepted quickly. I still validate iss and aud so tokens from other env

OAuth PKCE flow (high level helper)

OAuth flows are a minefield, and PKCE is the safe default for public clients. I generate a verifier, derive a challenge, store the verifier in a short-lived session, and then exchange the authorization code for tokens. The key detail is treating the v

Security headers with helmet (baseline hardening)

Most security issues aren’t exotic—they’re missing headers and unsafe defaults. helmet gives a sensible baseline: headers that reduce clickjacking risk, tighten content-type sniffing, and improve general browser hardening. I still configure CSP explic

Content Security Policy (CSP) Starter

CSP is a strong defense-in-depth measure for XSS. Start with report-only to learn what breaks, then enforce. Keep it explicit and include nonces for inline scripts when needed.

Webhook signature verification (timing-safe compare)

For webhooks, I assume the internet is hostile by default. I don’t trust that a request ‘looks like’ it came from Stripe/GitHub/etc; I verify the signature over the raw request body and use crypto.timingSafeEqual to avoid leaking information via timin

CIDR allowlist middleware using netip (trust boundary explicit)

For internal admin endpoints, I often add a network allowlist in addition to auth. The tricky part is deciding which IP to trust: if you’re behind a proxy, you might need X-Forwarded-For, but only if the proxy is controlled by you. The middleware belo

Database best practices and optimization checklist

Database best practices ensure reliability and performance. I follow normalization principles—minimize redundancy. Use appropriate indexes—not too many, not too few. Implement constraints for data integrity. Choose correct data types for efficiency. R