Spring Security Learning Path

Use this path to learn Java and Spring Security in a practical production order. Start with fundamentals, then move through authentication, authorization, API protection, enterprise identity, microservice security, data protection, OWASP, and production readiness.

Module Order

Order	Module	Articles	Focus
1	Security Foundations	4	Start with application security fundamentals, authentication versus authorization, Spring Security internals, and password hashing.
2	Authentication and Authorization	6	Build secure login, role, token, OAuth2, OIDC, and API key authentication flows.
3	API Protection	2	Protect APIs from abuse, browser attacks, and unsafe request behavior.
4	Enterprise Identity	4	Integrate with enterprise identity systems and add fine-grained method-level security.
5	Microservice Security	2	Secure service-to-service communication in distributed Java systems.
6	Data Protection	6	Protect sensitive data at rest, in transit, in logs, and in application workflows.
7	OWASP, Hardening, and Production Readiness	6	Finish with OWASP risks, secure file handling, headers, dependency scanning, and production readiness.

Path Map

flowchart LR
  A["Security Foundations"]
  B["Authentication and Authorization"]
  C["API Protection"]
  D["Enterprise Identity"]
  E["Microservice Security"]
  F["Data Protection"]
  G["OWASP, Hardening, and Production Readiness"]

  A --> B --> C --> D --> E --> F --> G

Security Foundations

Start with application security fundamentals, authentication versus authorization, Spring Security internals, and password hashing.

1. Java Application Security Fundamentals
2. Authentication vs Authorization in Java
3. Spring Security Architecture Deep Dive
4. Secure Password Hashing with BCrypt

Authentication and Authorization

Build secure login, role, token, OAuth2, OIDC, and API key authentication flows.

1. Role-Based Access Control with Spring Security
2. JWT Authentication in Spring Boot
3. Refresh Token Implementation in Java
4. OAuth2 Login with Google and GitHub in Spring Boot
5. OpenID Connect with Spring Security
6. API Key Authentication for Internal APIs

API Protection

Protect APIs from abuse, browser attacks, and unsafe request behavior.

1. Rate Limiting APIs with Bucket4j and Redis
2. CORS and CSRF Protection in Spring Boot

Enterprise Identity

Integrate with enterprise identity systems and add fine-grained method-level security.

1. LDAP Authentication with Spring Boot
2. SAML SSO Integration in Java Applications
3. Multi-Factor Authentication Implementation
4. Method-Level Security with PreAuthorize

Microservice Security

Secure service-to-service communication in distributed Java systems.

1. Secure Microservice-to-Microservice Communication
2. mTLS Authentication between Java Services

Data Protection

Protect sensitive data at rest, in transit, in logs, and in application workflows.

1. Field-Level Encryption in Spring Boot
2. Database Encryption and JPA Attribute Converter
3. Secrets Management using AWS Secrets Manager
4. Hashing vs Encryption vs Tokenization
5. PII Data Masking in Java Applications
6. Secure Logging and Preventing Sensitive Data Leaks

OWASP, Hardening, and Production Readiness

Finish with OWASP risks, secure file handling, headers, dependency scanning, and production readiness.

1. OWASP Top 10 for Java Developers
2. Input Validation and SQL Injection Prevention
3. Secure File Upload Implementation
4. Security Headers in Spring Boot
5. Vulnerability Scanning with OWASP Dependency Check
6. Production Security Checklist for Java Applications

Completion Path

1. Complete the articles in order from top to bottom.
2. Build a small Spring Boot security example for login, JWT, roles, and method security.
3. Add API protection, enterprise identity, and microservice security patterns.
4. Finish with data protection, OWASP prevention, dependency scanning, and the production checklist.

Outcome

By the end of this path, you should be able to design secure Spring Boot APIs, explain authentication and authorization clearly, protect sensitive data, integrate enterprise identity providers, and prepare Java applications for production security reviews.