Authentication and authorization are fundamental pillars of web application security, yet they remain common targets for attackers. As developers, we constantly strive to balance strong security measures with a smooth user experience. What are the most effective and recommended approaches for implementing robust authentication (e.g., multi-factor authentication, passwordless options, single sign-on) and fine-grained authorization (e.g., role-based access control, attribute-based access control) in modern web applications? How can we defend against emerging threats like credential stuffing, session hijacking, or token manipulation without overly burdening the user? I'm also curious about the pros and cons of using established libraries/frameworks versus building custom solutions, and how to securely manage secrets and API keys in a distributed application architecture.
Authentication and authorization are fundamental pillars of web application security, yet they remain common targets for attackers. As developers, we constantly strive to balance strong security measures with a smooth user experience. What are the most effective and recommended approaches for implementing robust authentication (e.g., multi-factor authentication, passwordless options, single sign-on) and fine-grained authorization (e.g., role-based access control, attribute-based access control) in modern web applications? How can we defend against emerging threats like credential stuffing, session hijacking, or token manipulation without overly burdening the user? I'm also curious about the pros and cons of using established libraries/frameworks versus building custom solutions, and how to securely manage secrets and API keys in a distributed application architecture.