Protecting backend API routes

Learning Highlights

• 0:45

  Understanding why backend API protection is critical even when frontend routes are secured, as unauthorized users can still access endpoints directly via tools like Postman.

• 2:00

  How to implement JWT token authentication in API headers by sending access tokens from local storage to validate requests through a middleware layer.

• 3:40

  Learn how middleware validates tokens before processing requests, returning a 401 unauthorized status if authentication fails, preventing unauthorized database access.

• 7:15

  The key to securing all API endpoints at Vibe Coding Academy involves adding bearer token authentication to every frontend-backend connection, ensuring 90% security implementation is achieved.