Python API Launch Security Checklist: 16 Items Before Going Live

TL;DR

Whether you're using FastAPI, Flask, or Django, Python APIs need security attention before launch. Verify auth on all protected endpoints, validate inputs with Pydantic, use ORM queries to prevent injection, disable debug mode, and move secrets to environment variables.

Authentication and Authorization 4

Add auth to protected endpointsUse dependencies (FastAPI), decorators (Flask/Django) to verify auth

Test endpoints without authenticationCall protected routes without tokens. Should return 401/403.

Verify authorization checksCan User A modify User B's resources by changing IDs?

Check token validationExpired, malformed, or invalid tokens should be rejected

Input Validation 4

Validate all request inputsUse Pydantic (FastAPI), Marshmallow (Flask), or serializers (Django)

Use ORM or parameterized queriesNever use f-strings or % formatting with SQL. Use SQLAlchemy, Django ORM.

Limit request body sizePrevent DoS via large payloads. Configure in your framework.

Validate file uploadsCheck file types, limit sizes, don't trust filenames

API Protection 4

Implement rate limitingUse slowapi (FastAPI), flask-limiter, or Django Ratelimit

Configure CORS correctlyOnly allow requests from your frontend domain

Hide error details in productionDon't expose tracebacks to clients. Log them server-side.

Add security headersX-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options, etc.

Environment and Deployment 4

All secrets in environment variablesNo hardcoded keys in settings.py or main.py

Disable debug modeDEBUG=False (Django), debug=False (Flask), remove reload (FastAPI)

Enable HTTPSAll API traffic should be encrypted

Run pip audit or safety checkCheck for known vulnerabilities in dependencies

What should I check before deploying a Python API?

Before deploying a Python API, verify authentication on protected endpoints, validate inputs with Pydantic or similar, use parameterized queries, configure CORS, disable debug mode, and move all secrets to environment variables.

How do I prevent SQL injection in Python?

Use an ORM like SQLAlchemy or Django ORM, or use parameterized queries. Never use f-strings, %, or .format() to build SQL queries with user input.

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