Windsurf
security
Windsurf Generated API Routes Without Auth Middleware
Windsurf's Cascade generated API routes and server endpoints that process requests without verifying the user is authenticated or authorized. Anyone who knows the URL can access, modify, or delete data without logging in.
This happens frequently when Cascade creates new CRUD endpoints, admin routes, or data export functionality. The generated handlers focus on the business logic but skip the authentication and authorization layer entirely. Your app may have a login page, but the API behind it is wide open.
You might discover this when testing your API directly with curl or Postman and realizing it returns data without any authentication header, or when a user accesses another user's data by changing an ID in the URL.
Error Messages You Might See
200 OK (but should be 401 Unauthorized)
Data returned without authentication header
User A can see User B's records
No authorization header required
Common Causes
- No middleware applied to new routes — Cascade generated route handlers but didn't wrap them with your existing auth middleware
- Auth check missing on individual endpoints — Some routes have auth, others don't, because they were generated in separate Cascade sessions
- No authorization checks — Routes verify the user is logged in but don't check if they have permission to access the specific resource
- Public endpoints exposing private data — API routes intended for internal use are accessible without authentication
- Missing user scoping on queries — Database queries return all records instead of filtering by the authenticated user's ID
How to Fix It
- Audit all your routes — List every API endpoint in your app and mark which ones require authentication. Any endpoint that reads or writes user data must be protected
- Apply auth middleware globally — Set up authentication middleware at the router level so all routes are protected by default, then explicitly mark public routes
- Add authorization checks — After verifying identity, check that the user has permission to access the specific resource (e.g., only the owner can edit their profile)
- Scope all database queries — Always filter queries by the authenticated user's ID: WHERE user_id = $currentUser instead of returning all rows
- Test with unauthenticated requests — Use curl or Postman to hit every endpoint without an auth token and verify you get 401 responses
- Enable Supabase RLS if applicable — Turn on Row Level Security and create policies that restrict data access at the database level
Real developers can help you.
Daniel Vázquez
Software Engineer with over 10 years of experience on Startups, Government, big tech industry & consulting.
Basel Issmail
’m a Senior Full-Stack Developer and Tech Lead with experience designing and building scalable web platforms. I work across the full development lifecycle, from translating business requirements into technical architecture to delivering reliable production systems.
My work focuses on modern web technologies, including TypeScript, Angular, Node.js, and cloud-based architectures. I enjoy solving complex technical problems and helping teams turn product ideas and prototypes into working platforms that can grow and scale.
In addition to development, I often collaborate closely with product managers, business analysts, designers, and QA teams to ensure that solutions align with both technical and business goals.
I enjoy working with startups and product teams where I can contribute both as a hands-on engineer and as a technical partner in designing and delivering impactful software.
Sage Fulcher
Hey I'm Sage! Im a Boston area software engineer who grew up in South Florida. Ive worked at a ton of cool places like a telehealth kidney care startup that took part in a billion dollar merger (Cricket health/Interwell health), a boutique design agency where I got to work on a ton of exciting startups including a photography education app, a collegiate Esports league and more (Philosophie), a data analytics as a service startup in Cambridge (MA) as well as at Phillips and MIT Lincoln Lab where I designed and developed novel network security visualizations and analytics. I've been writing code and furiously devoted to using computers to make people’s lives easier for about 17 years. My degree is in making computers make pretty lights and sounds. Outside of work I love hip hop, the Celtics, professional wrestling, magic the gathering, photography, drumming, and guitars (both making and playing them)
Victor Denisov
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Milan Surelia
Milan Surelia is a Mobile App Developer with 5+ years of experience crafting scalable, cross-platform apps at 7Span and Meticha. At 7Span, he engineers feature-rich Flutter apps with smooth performance and modern UI. As the Co-Founder of Meticha, he builds open-source tools and developer-focused products that solve real-world problems.
Expertise:
💡 Developing cross-platform apps using Flutter, Dart, and Jetpack Compose for Android, iOS, and Web.
🖋️ Sharing insights through technical writing, blogging, and open-source contributions.
🤝 Collaborating closely with designers, PMs, and developers to build seamless mobile experiences.
Notable Achievements:
🎯 Revamped the Vepaar app into Vepaar Store & CRM with a 2x performance boost and smoother UX.
🚀 Launched Compose101 — a Jetpack Compose starter kit to speed up Android development.
🌟 Open source contributions on Github & StackOverflow for Flutter & Dart
🎖️ Worked on improving app performance and user experience with smart solutions.
Milan is always happy to connect, work on new ideas, and explore the latest in technology.
Vlad Temian
15+ years shipping production infrastructure for startups. Former CTO at qed.builders (acquired by The Sandbox).
Cursor ambassador and agentic tooling builder.
I've scaled systems, automated deployments, and built observability tools for AI coding workflows. I specialize in taking vibe-coded apps from broken prototype to production-ready: fixing Supabase auth/RLS, Stripe integrations, deployment pipelines, and cleaning up AI-generated spaghetti.
I build tools in this space (agentprobe, claudebin, micode) and understand both sides: how AI generates code and why it breaks.
https://blog.vtemian.com/
Matt Butler
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Tejas Chokhawala
Full-stack engineer with 5 years experience building production web apps using React, Next.js and TypeScript.
Focused on performance, clean architecture and shipping fast.
Experienced with Supabase/Postgres backends, Stripe billing, and building AI-assisted developer tools.
Costea Adrian
Embedded Engineer specilizing in perception systems. Latest project was a adas camera calibration system.
Pratik
SWE with 15+ years of experience building and maintaining web apps and extensive BE infrastructure
You don't need to be technical. Just describe what's wrong and a verified developer will handle the rest.
Get HelpFrequently Asked Questions
How do I know which endpoints are unprotected?
Use curl or Postman to make requests to each API endpoint without any authentication headers. Any endpoint that returns 200 instead of 401 is unprotected. Also review your route files for handlers that don't reference auth middleware.
Should I protect every single endpoint?
Almost every endpoint should require authentication. The exceptions are typically: login/signup, password reset, public content pages, health checks, and webhook receivers. Everything that touches user data must be protected.