First JSON itself. If you don’t know what that is, well…you probably shouldn’t be coding anyway. But for those of us who are familiar with this ubiquitous data format, we all know the risks it poses to our precious information. That’s why it’s so important to follow these best practices when working with JSON:

1) Always validate your input This is a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people skip this step. Before parsing any incoming JSON data, make sure it conforms to the expected schema and format. If not, reject it immediately! And if you really want to go above and beyond, consider using a tool like Joi or Ajv to validate your input automatically.

2) Use HTTPS This one’s pretty straightforward too. When sending JSON data over the network (especially sensitive information), make sure you’re doing it securely with HTTPS. Otherwise, anyone can intercept and read that data in plain text. And if you really want to be paranoid, consider using SSL/TLS 1.3 or higher for maximum security.

3) Encrypt your JSON If you absolutely must send sensitive information over the network (like passwords or credit card numbers), make sure it’s encrypted before sending. This can be done using a tool like OpenSSL or GnuPG, which will ensure that only authorized parties can access the data. And if you really want to go above and beyond, consider using symmetric-key encryption with a strong cipher (like AES) for maximum security.

4) Use JSON Web Tokens If you’re working on an API or web application, consider using JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) for authentication and authorization. JWTs are self-contained tokens that include all the necessary information to authenticate a user, including their identity, roles, and permissions. And because they’re signed with a private key, it’s virtually impossible for anyone to tamper with them or impersonate another user.

5) Use JSON Web Signatures If you need to sign your JSON data (like when sending an email or creating a digital signature), consider using JSON Web Signatures (JWS). JWS are similar to JWTs, but instead of including authentication and authorization information, they’re used for signing data. This can be useful in situations where you want to ensure that the data hasn’t been tampered with or modified during transmission.

6) Use JSON Web Encryption If you need to encrypt your JSON data (like when sending sensitive information over an unsecured network), consider using JSON Web Encryption (JWE). JWE is similar to JWS, but instead of signing the data, it’s used for encryption. This can be useful in situations where you want to ensure that only authorized parties can access the data.

7) Use a secure key management system Finally, make sure your keys are stored and managed securely. This means using a tool like Kubernetes or AWS Key Management Service (KMS) to manage your encryption keys, rather than storing them in plain text on disk. And if you really want to go above and beyond, consider using hardware security modules (HSMs) for maximum protection.