Search infrastructure presents unique security challenges. This guide covers authentication and authorization for search APIs, preventing query injection attacks, protecting sensitive data in search indexes, and implementing rate limiting to prevent abuse. We examine transport layer security (TLS) for search traffic, network segmentation strategies for Solr/Elasticsearch clusters, and audit logging for compliance. Special attention is given to preventing information disclosure through facet counts, wildcard queries, and debug endpoints. The guide includes practical examples of implementing IP whitelisting, HMAC-signed API requests, and role-based access control for multi-tenant search platforms.
Tag: security
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WordPress Plugin Development Best Practices: Security, Performance, and Standards
Building a WordPress plugin that passes the WordPress.org review requires strict adherence to coding standards, security best practices, and performance optimization.
Security essentials: 1) Nonces on every form (wp_nonce_field/wp_verify_nonce). 2) Capability checks (current_user_can) on every admin action. 3) Sanitize ALL input: sanitize_text_field(), absint(), esc_url_raw(). 4) Escape ALL output: esc_html(), esc_attr(), esc_url(), wp_kses(). 5) Never use eval(), never trust $_GET/$_POST without sanitization.
Performance: Enqueue scripts/styles only where needed (check the current page before loading). Use transients for caching API responses. Minimize database queries — batch operations instead of per-item queries. Use wp_remote_post() instead of cURL for HTTP requests (respects WordPress proxy settings).
Coding standards: TABS for indentation (not spaces!). Yoda conditions: if ( ‘value’ === $var ). Snake_case for functions, PascalCase for classes. File naming: class-name-here.php. Prefix everything with your plugin slug to avoid conflicts.
The WordPress Settings API handles option storage, validation, and nonce verification in one place. Use register_setting() with a sanitize_callback for validation. Group related options in a single array option to reduce database queries.