Neon, the innovative serverless Postgres database tailored for developers, has unveiled a significant enhancement with the launch of Neon Authorize. This new feature streamlines the management of permissions and access controls, allowing developers to focus more on building robust applications rather than getting bogged down by security complexities.
Streamlined Security with Postgres RLS
At the heart of Neon Authorize is the implementation of Postgres Row-Level Security (RLS). This foundational security measure safeguards data against unauthorized access, even when third-party tools are involved. Bryan Clark, VP of Product at Neon, emphasizes the importance of establishing authorization policies at the database level. He notes, “It makes perfect sense to set up authorization policies at the database layer – but it can be a cumbersome task especially at scale.” With Neon Authorize, developers can now harness the capabilities of Postgres RLS with unprecedented ease.
The urgency for enhanced security measures is underscored by recent findings from the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP), which identifies broken access control as the most critical risk in web application security. The report reveals that a staggering “94% of applications were tested for some form of broken access control,” leading to potential unauthorized data exposure or manipulation. This scenario often traps developers in a cycle of repetitive tasks, diverting their attention from core functionalities and necessitating additional engineering resources to manage permissions effectively.
Postgres RLS empowers database administrators to dictate user access at a granular level, controlling which rows of data can be viewed or modified. By applying filters to tables based on security policies, RLS ensures that only authorized users can access sensitive information. This feature is particularly beneficial for multi-tenant applications, where data safety is paramount.
With the introduction of Neon Authorize, the integration of existing authentication providers into the Neon ecosystem has never been simpler. Developers can now authenticate database calls using a JSON Web Token (JWT) generated by their chosen authentication provider. This advancement enables the creation of entirely client-side applications, eliminating the need for a traditional server or backend infrastructure.
Andy Young from Lockdown Ventures shares his experience with Neon Authorize, stating, “Replacing a previous home-grown approach with Neon Authorize has simplified application code, provided better security via the use of asymmetric key encryption, and has improved performance by eliminating the use of additional SQL commands and unnecessary transactions previously required when implementing RLS directly in Postgres.” He further highlights the efficiency of the migration process, noting that it took less than a day and that the standardization of JWTs allows for the implementation of comprehensive security rules that encompass multiple tenants, users, groups, and workspaces.
