Serverless

Serverless Security and Observability Serverless apps run on managed services that scale automatically. They offer speed and cost efficiency, but security and visibility look different from traditional servers. Because the cloud provider runs the infrastructure, you must bake posture and telemetry into your code and processes. Security basics are essential. Use least privilege for every function and service. Create small, dedicated IAM roles for each function, and avoid broad permissions. Do not embed credentials in code; use secret managers or parameter stores and rotate keys regularly. Limit environment variable exposure by masking secrets and using encryption at rest. Define precise event source permissions (S3, API Gateway, queues) and enable provider features like VPC endpoints, private links, and WAF rules. Keep libraries and runtimes up to date and review third-party dependencies. For supply chain safety, enable signing and scanning of deployment artifacts. ...

Serverless Security Best Practices Serverless apps offer speed and scale, but security must be built in from the start. In a serverless setup, security is a shared job: the cloud provider secures the platform, while your team protects code, data, and access. Focus on four areas: identity and access, secrets and configuration, network and API design, and observability. Use practical, lightweight controls. Small, well-placed rules prevent big problems later. Identity and Access Management Apply least privilege: give each function only the permissions it needs, and use separate roles per service. Prefer short‑lived credentials: use temporary tokens or a vault to issue credentials on demand. Enforce strong authentication for admins, with MFA, and monitor key usage; rotate keys regularly. Avoid embedding long‑lived secrets in code or environment variables; use a secret store instead. Limit who can modify permissions and review roles frequently. Secrets and Configuration Store secrets in a centralized secret management service (for example, Secret Manager, Key Vault, or Vault). Do not bake credentials into code or config files; fetch them at runtime with proper access control. Enable automatic rotation and audit access to secrets. Encrypt data at rest and enforce TLS for data in transit. Keep configuration externalized and separate by environment (dev, stage, prod). Network and API Security Minimize exposed endpoints; use API gateways with authentication, throttling, and logging. Use private or restricted endpoints where possible; apply network boundaries and VPC features. Validate all inputs and implement strict allowlists for known-good values. Enable request tracing and structured logs to diagnose issues without exposing secrets. Observability, Monitoring, and Incident Response Redact sensitive data in logs; centralize logs and set alerts for unusual patterns. Track metrics like error rates, latency, and failure spikes; respond quickly to anomalies. Maintain runbooks and perform regular drills to test incident response. Review third‑party dependencies for vulnerabilities and update them promptly. Secure Deployment and Code Practices Keep dependencies up to date and scan for known flaws. Use infrastructure as code with policy checks and pull-request reviews. Implement canary releases and feature flags to limit blast radius. Separate environments and enforce promotion processes to reduce risk. Key takeaways ...

Serverless Security: Protecting Functions in the Cloud Serverless functions are popular for their speed and scalability, but they also shift how we think about security. In a typical setup, a small snippet of code runs in response to events, with access to data stores and other services. The danger is not just bugs in the code, but misconfigurations, weak secrets, and overly broad permissions. A practical security plan treats both the code and the platform as part of the same system. ...