Security

Introduction The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is rapidly becoming a foundational layer for connecting AI models to external tools, data sources, and services in a standardized way. As more powerful capabilities are exposed to models—querying databases, sending emails, acting in SaaS systems—authorization becomes a central concern. This article walks through: What MCP is and how resources fit into its design What link resources are and why they matter How link resources are typically used to drive authorization flows Example patterns for building MCP servers that handle auth securely Best practices and common pitfalls The goal is to give you a solid mental model for how MCP authorization with link resources works in practice, so you can design safer, more capable integrations. ...

Table of Contents Introduction 1. Understanding A2A and Defining the Problem 1.1 What is A2A? 1.2 Typical A2A Requirements 1.3 Example Scenario We’ll Use 2. High-Level Architecture 2.1 Core Components 2.2 Synchronous vs Asynchronous 2.3 Choosing Protocols and Formats 3. Local Development Setup 3.1 Tech Stack Choices 3.2 Project Skeleton (Node.js Example) 4. Designing the A2A API Contract 4.1 Resource Modeling 4.2 Versioning Strategy 4.3 Idempotency and Request Correlation 4.4 Error Handling Conventions 5. Implementing AuthN & AuthZ for A2A 5.1 OAuth 2.0 Client Credentials 5.2 mTLS (Mutual TLS) 5.3 Role- and Scope-Based Authorization 6. Robustness: Validation, Resilience, and Retries 6.1 Input Validation 6.2 Timeouts, Retries, and Circuit Breakers 7. Observability: Logging, Metrics, and Tracing 7.1 Structured Logging 7.2 Metrics 7.3 Distributed Tracing 8. Testing Strategy from Day One 8.1 Unit Tests 8.2 Integration and Contract Tests 8.3 Performance and Load Testing 9. From Dev to Production: CI/CD 9.1 Containerization with Docker 9.2 CI Example with GitHub Actions 9.3 Deployment Strategies 10. Production-Grade Infrastructure 10.1 Kubernetes Example 10.2 Configuration and Secrets Management 11. Security and Compliance Hardening 12. Operating A2A in Production Conclusion Further Resources Introduction Application-to-application (A2A) communication is the backbone of modern software systems. Whether you’re integrating internal microservices, connecting with third‑party providers, or exposing core capabilities to trusted partners, A2A APIs are often: ...

In Full (strict) mode, Cloudflare encrypts all traffic between visitors and your origin server while strictly validating the origin’s SSL certificate to ensure it’s valid, unexpired, and issued by a trusted authority like a public CA or Cloudflare’s Origin CA.[1][4][5] This setup provides end-to-end encryption without exposing your server to unverified connections, preventing man-in-the-middle attacks.[4] Why Use Full (Strict) SSL Mode? Cloudflare offers several SSL/TLS encryption modes, but Full (strict) stands out for maximum security: ...

One-time passwords (OTPs) are short-lived authentication codes used to verify a user or transaction and help prevent account takeover and replay attacks by being valid for only a single use or a narrow time window[1][4]. This article explains the cryptographic foundations, standardized algorithms (HOTP and TOTP), delivery methods, security tradeoffs, implementation considerations, and best practices—plus links to authoritative resources you can consult for implementation details and standards[3][4][9]. Table of contents Introduction OTP fundamentals: what an OTP is and why it helps Core algorithms: HOTP and TOTP (how they work step-by-step) Other OTP flavors and delivery channels Security considerations and common attacks Implementation guidance and developer checklist User experience and operational concerns Further reading and authoritative resources Conclusion OTP fundamentals: what an OTP is and why it helps Definition: An OTP is a code generated for a single authentication event or a short time window; once used or expired it cannot be reused[1][3]. Purpose: OTPs add a possession factor to authentication—something the user has (device, phone, token)—complementing something they know (password) and reducing the impact of leaked static passwords[1][3]. Typical properties: short numeric or alphanumeric codes (commonly 6 digits), cryptographically derived from a shared secret plus a moving factor (counter or time), and validated server-side without storing reusable credentials[3][4]. Core algorithms: HOTP and TOTP Both HOTP and TOTP are standardized, widely used, and form the basis of most OTP systems. ...

Introduction Redis Access Control Lists (ACLs) let you define who can do what across commands, keys, and channels. Introduced in Redis 6 and expanded since, ACLs are now the standard way to secure multi-tenant applications, microservices, and administrative workflows without resorting to a single, global password. In this guide, you’ll learn how Redis ACLs work, how to design least-privilege access for different use cases, how to manage ACLs safely in production (files, replication, rotation), and how to audit and test your permissions before you deploy. ...