Pages
216
Year
2020
Level
beginner
Read time
6h
Malcolm McDonald · No Starch Press · 2020
Reviewed by Ashish Sheth · Updated August 2026
Web Security for Developers
Real Threats, Practical Defense
4.6 / 5
AMAZON · 108 RATINGS
security
SUBJECTS
What you'll come away with
01.
The handful of attacks that cause most real-world breaches, explained plainly
02.
How each vulnerability looks in code you have probably already written
03.
Concrete defenses you can apply the same afternoon you read them
04.
Why input handling and output encoding sit under most web bugs
05.
Enough grounding to read OWASP guidance without getting lost
Strengths
+Short and readable; you can finish it in a weekend and act on it
+Explains each attack with just enough theory before the fix
+Written for developers, so the advice maps straight onto real code
+A gentle on-ramp for anyone intimidated by security books
Caveats
−Deliberately broad and shallow; specialists will find it basic
−Light on modern single-page-app and API-specific concerns
−Not a reference you keep coming back to after the first read
★ 4.6 FROM 108 READERS ON AMAZON
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Read this if
→Developers who want a first, friendly grounding in web security
→Small teams shipping web apps with no dedicated security reviewer
→Anyone who keeps nodding along to OWASP terms without real understanding
Skip this if
—Security engineers and pentesters who already work in this field
—Readers wanting deep coverage of a single attack class
—Teams needing API, mobile, or cloud-specific security guidance
Head-to-head comparisons
Web Security for Developers vs Alice and Bob Learn Application Security → Web Security for Developers vs The Web Application Hacker's Handbook → Frequently asked
Is Web Security for Developers good for beginners?
Yes. It assumes you can build a web app but have never studied security. Malcolm McDonald walks through each major attack with a short explanation and a concrete fix, so a working developer can follow along without a security background. Around 120 Goodreads readers rate it about 4.0, and most praise how approachable it stays.
Is Web Security for Developers still relevant in 2026?
Mostly, yes. The core attacks it covers, injection, cross-site scripting, cross-site request forgery, and broken authentication, still drive breaches today. What it does not cover well is modern single-page apps, APIs, and cloud-specific risks, so treat it as a solid foundation and read newer material for those areas.
How is it different from The Web Application Hacker's Handbook?
This book teaches developers how to defend their own code and is about 216 pages. The Web Application Hacker's Handbook is a much longer offensive manual written for penetration testers who attack applications. Start here if you write software; move to the Handbook if you want the attacker's full toolkit.
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