Node.js is an exciting technology, allowing developers to write code server-side and have it run on the Javascript runtime platform that can power everything from websites to apps to IoT devices. However, in order to make your Node-based applications more secure, you need to start with the right tools, approach security as an integral part of development, and follow some best practices. Here are 7 best practices that you can use today!
7 Best Practices to Improve Node.js Security
Introduction
As a Node.js Development Company UK, we often get asked about the best practices for improving security in Node.js applications. There are some great tools and techniques that you can use to protect your app and make it more secure. In this blog post, we will go over seven of them.
Check for known vulnerabilities
One of the best ways to improve Node.js security is to check for known vulnerabilities in the dependencies used by your application. The Node Security Project (NSP) is a great tool for this. You can also use a service like Snyk, which will not only check for known vulnerabilities, but will also help you fix them. It’s important to update regularly: Another way to keep up with the latest vulnerabilities and fixes is by checking for updates at least once per month and making sure that these updates are installed as soon as possible. A good Node.js development company UK should be able to offer assistance with keeping software updated so that it remains secure.
Update modules regularly
As a Node.js Development Company UK, we always keep our modules up-to-date. Why? Because every time a new version of Node.js is released, there are usually security fixes included. So, by updating your modules regularly, you can help keep your application secure. It’s also important to stay aware of vulnerabilities in the framework that you use for developing your applications. For example, on May 9th this year (2017), the Express framework had an open vulnerability that was fixed quickly with an update. By updating your dependencies and checking for updates from time to time, you’ll be less likely to miss out on any security updates or patches. We recommend checking for module updates at least once per week, if not more often. And as soon as one pops up, don’t hesitate! Update it immediately.
Read Detailed Blog: Node.Js Security Best Practices To Follow
Use strict type checking and casting
TypeScript is a typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to plain JavaScript. It adds a static type system and class-based object-oriented programming to the language. The static type system can catch errors at compile time, such as misspelled property names, invocation of undefined functions, or mismatched types in function arguments.
Another way of adding type checking is by casting values in JavaScript, a built-in feature of ECMAScript 2015 (ES6). TypeScript adds several new ways to cast values from one type to another. A notable example is the automatic conversion of integers to strings when concatenating them with string literals:
FuncAdd1 = 5 + 10 + = 15; // 5 + 10 = 15 , but what if we want it to be ’10’ instead? Use casting:
FuncAdd2 = String(5) + String(10) + String(=)+String(15); // 10=
Encrypt data in transit and at rest
Any time data is transmitted, it should be encrypted to protect it from being intercepted by unauthorized parties. This includes data in transit between your server and clients, as well as data stored on your server (at rest). For an in-depth overview of the encryption methods available for encrypting data at rest, check out our blog post: Which Encryption Should I Use? The answer largely depends on what you are trying to achieve with your data. The three primary goals are confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Confidentiality means that only authorized users can access the information; integrity means that anyone who has access to the information cannot change or delete it without leaving a detectable trace; availability means that any authorized user can get access to the information when they need it . If one of these factors is more important than the others, then it will dictate which type of encryption to use. For example, if confidentiality is the most important factor then there are a number of solutions that provide this property but do not offer other types of security benefits such as certificate-based authentication and two-factor authentication.
Use HTTPS by default
Using HTTPS by default is one of the best practices to improve Node.js security. By doing so, you ensure that all communication between the server and client is encrypted. This makes it much more difficult for attackers to eavesdrop on or tamper with data in transit. In addition, using HTTPS helps improve your website’s search engine ranking and can give users a sense of safety when sharing sensitive information on your site. Setting up HTTPS properly requires obtaining an SSL certificate from a trusted certificate authority, installing it correctly on your server, and configuring your web server to use the SSL certificate for its domains.
Set up monitoring
One of the best ways to improve security for your Node.js application is to set up monitoring. This will help you identify potential threats and take action to mitigate them. There are a few different ways to set up monitoring, but here are some of the best practices – Use centralized logging: Setting up central logging will allow you to monitor logs from all servers at once. If there’s an issue on one server, it’ll show up in the logs on all other servers as well.
– Centralized log collection: You can have log files shipped off-site if you want to avoid using centralized logging; however, this makes it difficult to debug issues because they’re happening remotely from where developers sit at their desks. You also need to make sure that your remote site has enough storage space for the logs or else you might miss something important.
– Utilize third party tools: Logging into individual servers manually is tedious and time consuming, so many people use third party tools like Splunk or ELK (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana) which aggregate data from various sources. These tools offer many more features than just logging like advanced visualization options, search capabilities, and real-time alerts.
Write secure tests
- Never trust user input. Always validate and sanitize data before using it in your application.
- Use secure modules from the community whenever possible. 3. Keep all dependencies up-to-date. 4. Consider using a security scanner for your dependencies. 5. Don’t forget about logging and monitoring! These are also important parts of improving Node.js security that can help you identify where your problems may be coming from. Logging is great because you can use it to see what’s happening with errors, but also what’s happening on a regular basis without any issues, which could provide clues as to where an issue might have come from. Monitoring allows you to know when something out of the ordinary happens and alert someone (or yourself) when there is a problem.
Conclusion
Node.js is a JavaScript runtime that allows you to build scalable network applications. However, because Node.js uses a single-threaded event-driven architecture, it can be susceptible to security threats. To improve the security of your node.js application, we recommend implementing the following best practices:
- – Use secure passwords for your account and the server
- – Update your operating system when new updates are available
- – Turn off unnecessary services
- – Install NPM packages with caution and audit their code before installation
- – Consider deploying your app to cloud servers like AWS EC2 or Microsoft Azure
- – Require SSL connection over HTTP – Always use the latest version of Node.js.
