Building Secure SaaS Apps: Authentication & Compliance

Security as a Foundation

For SaaS applications, security isn't a feature—it's a foundation. Enterprise customers require SOC 2 compliance, GDPR adherence, and robust access controls. Here's how we build secure SaaS applications.

Authentication Architecture

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

TOTP (Time-based One-Time Passwords)

SMS as fallback only (not primary)

Hardware key support (FIDO2/WebAuthn)

Single Sign-On (SSO)

SAML 2.0 for enterprise clients

OIDC for modern integrations

Just-in-time provisioning

Session Management

Short-lived access tokens (15 minutes)

Secure refresh token rotation

Device tracking and anomaly detection

Authorization Patterns

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Define clear roles: Admin, Member, Viewer

Assign permissions to roles, not users

Inherit permissions through role hierarchy

Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)

For complex scenarios: location, time, device

Policy-as-code with OPA or similar

Data Protection

Encryption

TLS 1.3 for data in transit

AES-256 for data at rest

Customer-managed encryption keys for enterprise

Data Residency

Region-specific data storage

Clear data flow documentation

Compliance with local regulations

Compliance Frameworks

SOC 2 Type II

Security, availability, processing integrity

Annual audits

Continuous control monitoring

GDPR

Data processing agreements

Right to deletion

Data export functionality

**HIPAA** (for healthcare)

BAA agreements

Audit logging

Access controls

Conclusion

Security is a continuous process. Build with compliance in mind from day one—retrofitting security is expensive and error-prone.