Web Security: Essential Practices for Modern Applications
Comprehensive guide to web security, protecting your applications from common vulnerabilities
Web Security: Essential Practices for Modern Applications
Security breaches are devastating. They damage reputation, cost money, and harm users. Security must be part of your development process, not an afterthought.
OWASP Top 10
Know the OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities: SQL Injection, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), CSRF, authentication issues, sensitive data exposure, and more.
Input Validation
Always validate and sanitize user input. Never trust data from users.
// Always validate user input
const email = validateEmail(userInput);
const sanitized = sanitizeHTML(userInput);
HTTPS
Use HTTPS everywhere. Certificate management is free with Let's Encrypt.
Environment Variables
Never commit secrets. Use environment variables for sensitive configuration.
CORS
Configure CORS properly to prevent unauthorized cross-origin requests.
Content Security Policy
Implement CSP headers to prevent XSS attacks.
Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; script-src 'self' cdn.example.com
Dependency Management
Keep dependencies updated. Monitor for known vulnerabilities using tools like npm audit.
Least Privilege
Give users and services only the permissions they need. Nothing more.
Logging and Monitoring
Log security events. Monitor for suspicious activity.
Security is everyone's responsibility. Make it a habit to think security first.