Security Architecture

The Plus261 security architecture protects data and users through multiple layers of security measures.

What You’ll Learn

This guide will help you understand:

✅ Authentication mechanisms
✅ Authorization and access control
✅ Data encryption strategies
✅ Input validation and sanitization
✅ Security best practices
✅ Common vulnerabilities and mitigations

Overview

Security includes:

Layer	Technology	Purpose
Authentication	Sessions with tokens	Identity verification
Authorization	ACL system	Access control
Encryption	TLS/HTTPS, at-rest encryption	Data protection
Validation	Input validation, sanitization	Injection prevention

Authentication

Authentication uses secure sessions with tokens:

✅ Cryptographically secure token generation
✅ Session expiration (30 days default)
✅ Automatic token renewal
✅ OAuth2 support (Google, etc.)
✅ Session invalidation on sign out

Learn more: Authentication Guide

Security Features

Feature	Description
Token Security	Cryptographically secure random tokens
HTTPS Only	All communication encrypted in transit
Session Management	Automatic expiration and renewal
OAuth2	Support for external providers

Authorization

Authorization is managed by the ACL system:

✅ Permission-based access control
✅ Role-based access control
✅ Field-level authorization
✅ Server-side verification
✅ Automatic permission checks

Learn more: Permissions Guide and Type GraphQL Query - Authorization

Access Control Levels

Level	Description	Example
Field Level	Protect individual fields	`@Authorize` on field
Resolver Level	Protect entire resolvers	`@Authorize` on method
Class Level	Protect all methods	`@Authorize` on class
Context Filter	Automatic row-level filtering	`@ContextFilter` on DTO

Encryption

Sensitive data is encrypted in transit and at rest:

In Transit

✅ HTTPS/TLS for all API communication
✅ WebSocket Secure (WSS) for subscriptions
✅ Encrypted database connections

At Rest

✅ Database encryption (PostgreSQL)
✅ Encrypted backups
✅ Secure storage of secrets

Validation

All inputs are validated to prevent injections:

SQL Injection Prevention

✅ Parameterized queries (Drizzle ORM)
✅ Type-safe query builders
✅ Input sanitization

XSS Prevention

✅ Input sanitization
✅ Output encoding
✅ Content Security Policy (CSP)

GraphQL Security

✅ Query depth limiting
✅ Query complexity analysis
✅ Rate limiting
✅ Input validation

Security Best Practices

Use HTTPS Always - Never expose sensitive data over HTTP
Validate All Inputs - Never trust user input
Principle of Least Privilege - Grant minimum necessary permissions
Regular Security Audits - Review and update security measures
Keep Dependencies Updated - Patch known vulnerabilities
Monitor and Log - Track security events
Use Strong Passwords - Enforce password policies
Implement Rate Limiting - Prevent abuse

Common Vulnerabilities and Mitigations

Vulnerability	Mitigation
SQL Injection	Parameterized queries, type-safe ORM
XSS	Input sanitization, output encoding
CSRF	CSRF tokens, SameSite cookies
Session Hijacking	Secure tokens, HTTPS only
Brute Force	Rate limiting, account lockout
Data Exposure	Encryption, access control

Quick Reference

Topic	Documentation
🔐 Authentication	Authentication Guide
🔑 Permissions	Permissions Guide
🛡️ Authorization	Type GraphQL Query - Authorization
🔒 ContextFilter	ContextFilter Guide

Next Steps

Continue learning:

🔐 Authentication - Authentication system
🔑 Permissions - Permissions and ACL
🛡️ Type GraphQL Query - Authorization - Authorization decorators
🏗️ Detailed Architecture - Complete architecture

Detailed Architecture - Complete architecture
Deployment - Deployment strategies
Authentication - Authentication system
Permissions - Permissions system