Integrating Security into Design Patterns

Integrating Security into Design Patterns

Shift-left security influences architectural patterns and design decisions. Security design patterns provide reusable solutions to common security challenges. By adopting these patterns early, teams build security into the application foundation rather than bolting it on later.

The principle of least privilege should guide all design decisions. Applications should request only the minimum permissions necessary for functionality. Database connections should use read-only accounts where possible. API integrations should employ scoped tokens rather than admin credentials. This principle limits the potential impact of any security breach.

Defense in depth creates multiple security layers throughout the application. Input validation at the client provides user feedback but cannot be trusted for security. Server-side validation provides the authoritative security check. Database constraints add another protection layer. Each layer independently contributes to security, ensuring that single points of failure don't compromise the entire system.