Learn SYMFONY-SECURITY with Real Code Examples

Symfony Security handles authentication (login, logout) and authorization (roles, permissions).

Supports multiple authentication methods: form login, HTTP basic, JWT, OAuth2, LDAP, etc.

Integrates with Symfony’s firewall system to control access to routes and resources.

Provides password hashing, CSRF protection, and user providers.

Highly configurable and extensible to meet enterprise security requirements.

Authentication: validating user credentials

Authorization: role/permission checking

Firewalls: route-specific security policies

User providers: fetching users from databases or services

Encoders/hashing: secure password storage

Firewall - protects a set of URLs and manages authentication

Authentication provider - verifies credentials

User provider - loads user information

Encoder/Hasher - secures passwords

Voter - grants/denies access based on roles and attributes

config/packages/security.yaml - security configuration

src/Entity/User.php - user entity

src/Security/ - custom voters or authenticators

templates/security/ - login forms

src/Controller/ - login/logout and protected resources

Define user entity and repository

Configure firewalls and authentication methods

Set up password hashing and user providers

Implement login/logout and remember-me functionality

Define access control rules or voters for authorization

Beginner: simple form-based authentication

Intermediate: role-based access control for routes

Advanced: JWT-based API security

Expert: multi-firewall applications with OAuth2 and LDAP

Enterprise: fine-grained access control and SSO integration

Symfony Security vs Laravel Sanctum/Passport: Symfony more flexible, Laravel easier to set up

Symfony Security vs Spring Security: Symfony PHP, Spring Java; concepts similar

Symfony Security vs ASP.NET Identity: Symfony focused on PHP apps, highly configurable

Symfony Security vs Node.js frameworks (Hapi, LoopBack): Symfony has integrated security stack

Symfony Security vs Django Auth: Both provide authentication, but Symfony more modular

2005 - Symfony framework initial release

2007 - Security component introduced

2012 - Major updates with Symfony 2.x

2017 - Symfony 4.x with modern authentication features

2025 - Symfony 6.x latest stable with security improvements

Firewall - protects routes and handles authentication

User provider - loads users from DB or service

Voter - decides access to a resource

Encoder/Hasher - hashes passwords securely

Access control - rules determining who can access what