How do you secure your REST API in Node.js?

Short answer: Use HTTPS Implement authentication & authorization (e.g., JWT) Sanitize inputs to prevent XSS/SQLi Rate-limit requests Use helmet for HTTP headers: const helmet = require('helmet'); app.use(helmet());

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.