How To Secure GraphQL APIs?

[Polly Lieberman]

Now that we’ve covered the vulnerabilities, let’s discuss security measures and best practices for defending GraphQL applications against common attacks.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Implementing RBAC so that only authorized users can access specific GraphQL queries. You can define user roles and assign them specific permissions to access data so that graphql query is unauthorized requests are blocked. Additionally, using tools like GraphQL aliases can help further fine-tune access controls where users can fetch only the data they are permitted to see.

Limit Query Depth And Complexity
A practical way to protect the system from DoS attacks is by limiting the depth of queries and restricting the complexity of requested fields. If a query exceeds a predefined complexity threshold, it can be automatically rejected. This approach helps prevent attackers from overwhelming the system with excessively demanding queries.

Disable Introspection In Production
Introspection is a tool to understand GraphQL schemas during development. However, when deployed in production environments, it can expose sensitive schema details to attackers. Disabling introspection in production environments is helpful so that attackers cannot map the schema and gain insight into how to exploit the GraphQL API.

Sanitize And Validate Inputs
To prevent injection attacks, including SQL query within GraphQL schema issues, always sanitize and validate user inputs. Never allow raw user input to be passed directly to a database query. Use parameterized queries or prepared statements to make sure that user input does not modify or affect the structure of database queries.

Implement Rate Limiting And Throttling
Protect your GraphQL endpoints from abuse by implementing rate limiting and throttling mechanisms. This can help mitigate brute-force attacks or abuse of the system through complex queries.