Jwt

API Gateways and Microservices Security API gateways sit at the edge of a microservices stack. They act like a front door, deciding who can enter and how requests travel to backend services. When security is built into the gateway, teams can protect data, control traffic, and reduce risk across many services. This post shares practical ideas to strengthen API gateways and safeguard microservices without slowing delivery. The goal is simple: clear policies, verified identities, and trusted communication. ...

Building Scalable APIs: Design, Security, and Performance A scalable API is built to handle growing traffic without breaking or slowing down. It lives in a world of users, devices, and services that demand fast, reliable responses. The core ideas are simple: design resources clearly, protect them well, and optimize how often data is moved and processed. Design for Scale Start with stateless services. Each request should carry enough context so any server can handle it. Use consistent, resource-oriented URLs and predictable responses. Plan for pagination and filtering on list endpoints to avoid returning huge payloads at once. Version APIs early and keep backward compatibility to prevent breaking clients during updates. Idempotent operations help retries stay safe, while asynchronous tasks let the system absorb bursts of work without blocking. ...

JSON Web Tokens and OAuth in API Security JSON Web Tokens and OAuth are two common tools for protecting APIs. OAuth 2.0 provides a way to authorize access, while JWT is a compact token format that can carry identity and permission data. Used together, they help apps prove who they are and what they can do, without sending passwords on every request. In a typical setup, an OAuth 2.0 server issues an access token after the client proves its identity. That token is often a JWT, signed with a private key. The resource server can verify the signature with a public key and read the claims, such as the user id, the allowed scopes, and the token’s expiry. ...

API Security and Middleware Innovations APIs sit at the heart of modern software. With many services and devices sharing data, security must be built into middleware, not added later. New approaches help teams enforce policies at the edge and inside service meshes. Middleware innovations include lightweight gateways, sidecar proxies, and policy engines that validate tokens, rotate keys, and rate limit traffic. Together, they create centered control points where security decisions are made consistently across teams and environments. ...

Secure APIs: Authentication, Authorization and Rate Limiting APIs are the backbone of modern software. To keep data safe and services reliable, you need a clear plan for authentication, authorization, and rate limiting. These three parts work together: authentication verifies who is calling, authorization decides what they can do, and rate limiting controls how fast they can go. Getting all three right reduces risk and improves user experience. Authentication There are several common options that fit different scenarios: ...

Secure API Design and Middleware Governance Secure API design starts with a simple goal: make every call secure by default, from who can access to what data is returned. Middleware — the layer that sits between clients and services — should enforce clear policies rather than rely on every team to reinvent the wheel. When governance is in place, teams share rules for authentication, rate limits, and logging, reducing surprises in production. ...

Designing Secure APIs for Modern Apps Designing secure APIs means protecting data as it travels and at rest. Modern apps—from mobile to web—rely on APIs that enforce identity, access, and integrity. Threats like token theft, misconfiguration, and overexposed data are common if teams rush builds. A clear, repeatable approach helps product teams ship confidently while keeping users safe. Principles for secure APIs Use authenticated access with tokens from OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect. Issue short-lived access tokens and rotate refresh tokens. Apply least privilege with scopes and fine-grained permissions. Validate all inputs and enforce strict schemas. Encrypt data in transit with TLS 1.2+ and consider mTLS for internal calls. Log and monitor access while avoiding sensitive data in logs. Design errors to avoid leaking internal details. Practical steps for teams Choose a robust API gateway or service mesh to centralize security. Implement rate limiting, quotas, and burst controls. Use TLS everywhere; verify certificates and pin where feasible. Verify tokens with signature checks or token introspection. Rotate keys and secrets; store them in a secure vault. Automate security tests in CI/CD and include contract testing. Educate developers with secure defaults and runbooks. A simple example Example: a mobile app calls a user profile API. The app first obtains an access token via OAuth 2.0, then sends it in the Authorization header. The API verifies the token, checks the scope for ‘user.profile’, and returns only non-sensitive fields. If a token is missing or expired, the API responds with a clear 401 error without exposing internal details. ...

API Security: Protecting Access to Your Services APIs connect apps and services across teams and borders. If access isn’t well protected, data leaks and outages can follow. Good API security starts with two ideas: authentication (who is calling) and authorization (what they are allowed to do). Start with simple rules and grow them as your system scales. For small projects, an API key or a basic token may be enough. For larger systems, stronger methods are worth it. Use OAuth 2.0 for user and service access, and consider JWTs to carry useful claims. Mutual TLS (mTLS) helps verify both sides in service-to-service calls. Treat tokens like passwords and protect them in transit and at rest. ...

Building Secure APIs Authentication Authorization and Rate Limiting APIs face constant threats. A solid plan combines three pillars: authentication to verify identity, authorization to control access, and rate limiting to prevent abuse. When implemented well, these layers work together to keep data safe and services reliable. Authentication methods JWTs (JSON Web Tokens) enable stateless sessions. Validate the token’s signature, issuer, and audience on every request, and rotate keys regularly. Keep lifetimes short to limit exposure. OAuth 2.0 supports user consent and server-to-server access. Use the authorization code flow for apps and client credentials for services. Validate the access token before sharing data. API keys can be useful for simple or internal apps, but they should be protected by TLS and paired with key rotation and scope checks. Treat keys as secrets, not public identifiers. Authorization strategies Use clear scopes and roles to enforce access rights. Map each action to a minimum-privilege requirement. Consider policy-based access control (PBAC) to centralize rules. This makes it easier to audit who can do what. Prefer least privilege: give tokens only the permissions they strictly need for a task, and revoke when no longer needed. Rate limiting and abuse prevention Apply limits per user, per API, and per IP to slow down abuse while keeping legitimate use smooth. Choose a strategy: token bucket or sliding window. Track bursts and adjust limits as your load changes. Combine rate limits with useful responses, like 429 with a clear retry-after header, and monitor why limits are hit. Security baseline Always use TLS 1.2 or higher; enable TLS 1.3 when possible. Validate tokens on every call: check signature, issuer, audience, and expiry. Use short-lived access tokens and refresh tokens for long sessions. Rotate signing keys and store secrets in a dedicated secret manager or vault. Getting started with a simple stack Define your tokens, set basic scopes, enable per-user limits, and add logging. Test with simulated abuse to confirm limits and token checks act as expected. ...

Secure API Design: Authentication, Authorization, and Rate Limiting Designing secure APIs means more than just keeping data private. It requires clear rules about who can connect, what actions they can perform, and how fast they may request resources. A thoughtful design helps both developers and users by reducing surprises and errors. Authentication Authentication confirms identity. Modern APIs often use a mix of API keys, tokens, and standards like OAuth 2.0 with OpenID Connect. A recommended pattern is to issue short‑lived access tokens, validate them on every call, and use refresh tokens for long sessions. Always enforce TLS, validate the token signature, and check the intended audience and issuer. Store secrets securely, rotate keys regularly, and log failures for anomaly detection. Favor token-based flows over long‑lived credentials, and keep endpoints simple so clients know how to obtain and renew access. ...