What it means
Principles do not replace detailed requirements. They help architects ask repeatable questions when selecting technologies, defining interfaces, handling identity, protecting data, and planning failure modes.
Why it matters
Design choices made early can remove whole classes of weakness or make them expensive to fix later.
Practical focus
- Minimize privilege and exposed functionality
- Fail safely when dependencies or checks break
- Keep security decisions explicit and reviewable
- Assume components and identities can be compromised
Common mistakes
- Adding security only after implementation
- Using complexity as a substitute for control
- Relying on one perfect boundary
Certification relevance
This subject appears in or supports the following certification bodies of knowledge: