tomevault-io Server Actions Security
Secure server actions with authentication, authorization, and validation.
Authentication Pattern
Every server action must verify the session before processing:
'use server'
import { verifySession } from '@/lib/dal'
import { z } from 'zod'
const updateProfileSchema = z.object({
name: z.string().min(1).max(100),
email: z.string().email()
})
export async function updateProfile(formData: FormData) {
const session = await verifySession()
if (!session) {
return { error: 'Unauthorized' }
}
const validatedFields = updateProfileSchema.safeParse({
name: formData.get('name'),
email: formData.get('email')
})
if (!validatedFields.success) {
return {
error: 'Validation failed',
fields: validatedFields.error.flatten().fieldErrors
}
}
const { name, email } = validatedFields.data
await db.user.update({
where: { id: session.userId },
data: { name, email }
})
return { success: true }
}
Authorization Checks
Verify user permissions beyond authentication:
'use server'
import { verifySession } from '@/lib/dal'
import { z } from 'zod'
const deletePostSchema = z.object({
postId: z.string().uuid()
})
export async function deletePost(formData: FormData) {
const session = await verifySession()
if (!session) {
return { error: 'Unauthorized' }
}
const validatedFields = deletePostSchema.safeParse({
postId: formData.get('postId')
})
if (!validatedFields.success) {
return { error: 'Invalid post ID' }
}
const post = await db.post.findUnique({
where: { id: validatedFields.data.postId }
})
if (!post) {
return { error: 'Post not found' }
}
if (post.authorId !== session.userId && session.role !== 'admin') {
return { error: 'Forbidden: You cannot delete this post' }
}
await db.post.delete({
where: { id: validatedFields.data.postId }
})
return { success: true }
}
Multi-Layer Security
Implement defense in depth with multiple security layers:
'use server'
import { verifySession } from '@/lib/dal'
import { z } from 'zod'
import { rateLimit } from '@/lib/rate-limit'
const transferFundsSchema = z.object({
toUserId: z.string().uuid(),
amount: z.number().positive().max(10000)
})
export async function transferFunds(formData: FormData) {
const session = await verifySession()
if (!session) {
return { error: 'Unauthorized' }
}
const rateLimitResult = await rateLimit(session.userId, 'transfer', {
max: 5,
window: '1h'
})
if (!rateLimitResult.success) {
return {
error: 'Rate limit exceeded',
retryAfter: rateLimitResult.retryAfter
}
}
const validatedFields = transferFundsSchema.safeParse({
toUserId: formData.get('toUserId'),
amount: Number(formData.get('amount'))
})
if (!validatedFields.success) {
return {
error: 'Validation failed',
fields: validatedFields.error.flatten().fieldErrors
}
}
const { toUserId, amount } = validatedFields.data
if (toUserId === session.userId) {
return { error: 'Cannot transfer to yourself' }
}
const balance = await db.account.findUnique({
where: { userId: session.userId },
select: { balance: true }
})
if (!balance || balance.balance < amount) {
return { error: 'Insufficient funds' }
}
await db.$transaction([
db.account.update({
where: { userId: session.userId },
data: { balance: { decrement: amount } }
}),
db.account.update({
where: { userId: toUserId },
data: { balance: { increment: amount } }
})
])
return { success: true }
}
If implementing production transaction error handling with P-code detection, timeout configuration, and retry strategies, use the handling-transaction-errors skill from prisma-6 for comprehensive patterns beyond this basic example.
Validation Patterns
For comprehensive Zod validation patterns and runtime type checking, use the using-runtime-checks skill from the typescript plugin.
Structure validation schemas for reusability:
'use server'
import { verifySession } from '@/lib/dal'
import { z } from 'zod'
const createPostSchema = z.object({
title: z.string().min(1).max(200),
content: z.string().min(1).max(50000),
tags: z.array(z.string()).max(5).optional(),
published: z.boolean().default(false)
})
type CreatePostInput = z.infer<typeof createPostSchema>
export async function createPost(formData: FormData) {
const session = await verifySession()
if (!session) {
return { error: 'Unauthorized' }
}
const tags = formData.getAll('tags').filter(Boolean) as string[]
const validatedFields = createPostSchema.safeParse({
title: formData.get('title'),
content: formData.get('content'),
tags: tags.length > 0 ? tags : undefined,
published: formData.get('published') === 'true'
})
if (!validatedFields.success) {
return {
error: 'Validation failed',
fields: validatedFields.error.flatten().fieldErrors
}
}
const post = await createPostInDb(session.userId, validatedFields.data)
return { success: true, postId: post.id }
}
async function createPostInDb(userId: string, data: CreatePostInput) {
return db.post.create({
data: {
...data,
authorId: userId
}
})
}
Security Checklist
Every server action must implement:
- Authentication: Call
verifySession()first - Authorization: Verify user permissions for the operation
- Validation: Parse and validate all inputs with Zod
- Rate Limiting: Protect sensitive operations
- Error Handling: Return safe error messages without leaking data
Integration with Forms
For comprehensive form state management patterns and action state handling, use the using-action-state skill from the react-19 plugin.
Use with React 19's useActionState hook for form state management:
'use client'
import { useActionState } from 'react'
import { updateProfile } from './actions'
export function ProfileForm() {
const [state, action, isPending] = useActionState(updateProfile, null)
return (
<form action={action}>
<input name="name" required />
{state?.fields?.name && <span>{state.fields.name[0]}</span>}
<input name="email" type="email" required />
{state?.fields?.email && <span>{state.fields.email[0]}</span>}
{state?.error && <div>{state.error}</div>}
<button disabled={isPending}>
{isPending ? 'Saving...' : 'Save'}
</button>
</form>
)
}
Related Skills
Zod v4 Validation:
- If customizing validation errors, use the customizing-errors skill for error formatting with unified error API, safeParse pattern, and user-safe responses
- If using string format validators (email, UUID, URL), use the validating-string-formats skill for Zod v4 top-level format functions
Prisma 6 Integration:
- If validating input before Prisma operations in server actions, use the validating-query-inputs skill from prisma-6 for Zod validation patterns
- If handling errors in multi-step database transactions, use the handling-transaction-errors skill from prisma-6 for P-code checking and retry strategies
- Use the preventing-error-exposure skill from prisma-6 for proper Prisma error transformation to ensure API responses don't leak database schema or P-codes
Common Vulnerabilities
Avoid these security mistakes:
export async function badAction(formData: FormData) {
const postId = formData.get('postId') as string
await db.post.delete({ where: { id: postId } })
return { success: true }
}
Problems:
- No authentication check
- No authorization check
- No input validation
- No error handling
Correct implementation:
'use server'
import { verifySession } from '@/lib/dal'
import { z } from 'zod'
const deletePostSchema = z.object({
postId: z.string().uuid()
})
export async function deletePost(formData: FormData) {
const session = await verifySession()
if (!session) {
return { error: 'Unauthorized' }
}
const validatedFields = deletePostSchema.safeParse({
postId: formData.get('postId')
})
if (!validatedFields.success) {
return { error: 'Invalid input' }
}
const post = await db.post.findUnique({
where: { id: validatedFields.data.postId }
})
if (!post) {
return { error: 'Post not found' }
}
if (post.authorId !== session.userId) {
return { error: 'Forbidden' }
}
await db.post.delete({
where: { id: validatedFields.data.postId }
})
return { success: true }
}
Converted and distributed by TomeVault — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.