GraphQL API Security Best Practices

Key GraphQL security practices: access control, query limits, introspection, rate limiting, and trusted documents.

How do I prevent unauthorized data access in a GraphQL API?

Always validate that the requester is authorized to view or modify the data they are requesting, using RBAC or other access control mechanisms. Enforce authorization checks on both edges and nodes to prevent IDOR issues such as BOLA and BFLA.

Should I disable GraphQL introspection in production?

Yes, the OWASP GraphQL Cheat Sheet recommends disabling introspection queries system-wide in any production or publicly accessible environment. GraphQL's built-in introspection query is the fastest way for bad actors to learn about your schema.

What limits should I set on GraphQL queries to prevent DoS?

Add depth limiting and amount limiting to incoming queries, paginate fields to limit data returned, and enforce reasonable timeouts at the application or infrastructure layer. Query cost analysis and rate limiting per IP or user are also recommended.

What are trusted documents in GraphQL security?

Trusted documents are persisted GraphQL documents approved by your developers, usually through code review. They create an allowlist of operations that clients can send, though they cannot be used for public APIs because third-party operations are not known in advance.

How can I limit how much work a GraphQL server does per request?

Use query complexity analysis by applying weights to types and fields to estimate the cost of incoming requests, then reject or rate-limit requests that exceed the maximum allowable cost. Also limit the maximum depth of fields and apply a separate smaller limit to how deeply lists can be nested.

Is HTTPS enough for securing GraphQL transport?

HTTPS is part of the baseline security that should be used for any API served over HTTP, but it is not sufficient on its own. You should also set appropriate timeout durations and ensure sensitive data is cached privately or not at all.

How can I reduce the discoverability of my GraphQL API in production?

Turn off introspection in production and disable GraphiQL and similar schema exploration tools in publicly accessible environments. This is one of the most important ways to protect a GraphQL API from attackers.

What should I do about batching in GraphQL requests?

Batching can be exploited, so be cautious when requests include direct IDs of objects to fetch or modify. Apply access control and rate limiting, and consider server-side batching and caching techniques such as Facebook's DataLoader.

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