2.2.8 Security & Best Practices

1. Authentication

• JWT tokens with short-lived expirations.

• Role-based authorization for admin/trader routes.

2. Input Validation

• express-validator or Joi for request body queries (protect against SQL injection, XSS).

3. Rate Limiting

• express-rate-limit on critical endpoints (login, trades) to prevent brute force or spam.

4. HTTPS/TLS

• Encrypt all requests. Terminate TLS at load balancer or reverse proxy.

5. Secrets Management

• Store database/password secrets in AWS Secrets Manager or environment variables secured in CI/CD pipelines.

6. Logging & Auditing

• Use Winston/Pino for structured logs.

• Maintain an audit trail for important actions (trade execution, user role changes).