How to Allow Anonymous Access to All URLs Except One in Spring Security

How can I configure Spring Security to allow anonymous access to all URLs except for a specific one?

   @Override
   protected void configure(HttpSecurity http) throws Exception {
       http.authorizeRequests()
           .antMatchers("/**").permitAll() // Allow access to all URLs
           .antMatchers("/employee/me").authenticated() // Protect this URL
           .and()
           .csrf().disable();
   }

Configuring Spring Security to allow access to all URLs except one specific URL can simplify your security management significantly. This configuration enables anonymous access across your application while securing only the URL you wish to protect.

import org.springframework.security.config.annotation.web.builders.HttpSecurity;
import org.springframework.security.config.annotation.web.configuration.EnableWebSecurity;
import org.springframework.security.config.annotation.web.configuration.WebSecurityConfigurerAdapter;

@EnableWebSecurity
public class SecurityConfig extends WebSecurityConfigurerAdapter {
    @Override
    protected void configure(HttpSecurity http) throws Exception {
        http.authorizeRequests()
            .antMatchers("/**").permitAll() // Allow access to all URLs
            .antMatchers("/employee/me").authenticated() // Protect this URL
            .and()
            .csrf().disable();
    }
}

Causes

• Complex code when manually specifying permissions for every URL.
• The need for frequent modifications whenever new URLs are added.

Solutions

• Use the 'antMatchers' method to specify the protected URL while allowing all others to be accessed anonymously.
• Implement a simpler Spring Security configuration that achieves the desired outcome without overwhelming complexity.

Mistake: Not using antMatchers correctly for the specific secured URL.

Solution: Ensure you specify the URL correctly in antMatchers to protect it, while permitting all others.

Mistake: Forgetting to disable CSRF when doing public APIs.

Solution: When working with APIs, consider using csrf().disable() if CSRF protection is not needed.