Why is [Authorize] on a controller useful?
PICTURE THIS: HOW TO EXPLAIN IT
Simple meaning
It locks down every action by default.
WHY — Security instead of guessing?
Why interviewers care about Security:
on Security.
the situation, the default choice, and one exception - that reads as experience.
Name the idea, why it exists, then one short example.
End with when you use it and one common pitfall.
STEPS — What happens step by step?
Before you speak the answer, walk the interviewer through these steps:
- 1It locks down every
action by default.
- 2I open specific endpoints
with AllowAnonymous.
- 3How it works
Fail-closed beats forgetting one attribute.
- 4Give an example
One tiny concrete case you can say aloud.
- 5Common mistake
What juniors usually get wrong.
- 6Close
When you pick this over the alternative.
EXAMPLE — See it in action
Here's a short line you can speak, broken into clear beats:
Note: Adapt this scaffold to your own project — keep it under 60–90 seconds.
Key takeaway
It locks down every action by default. I open specific endpoints with AllowAnonymous.