python - Do CSRF attacks apply to API's?

Question

I'm writing a Django RESTful API to back an iOS application, and I keep running into Django's CSRF protections whenever I write methods to deal with POST requests.

My understanding is that cookies managed by iOS are not shared by applications, meaning that my session cookies are safe, and no other application can ride on them. Is this true? If so, can I just mark all my API functions as CSRF-exempt?

Answer 1

That's not the purpose of CSRF protection. CSRF protection is to prevent direct posting of data to your site. In other words, the client must actually post through an approved path, i.e. view the form page, fill it out, submit the data.

An API pretty much precludes CSRF, because its entire purpose is generally to allow 3rd-party entities to access and manipulate data on your site (the "cross-site" in CSRF). So, yes, I think as a rule any API view should be CSRF exempt. However, you should still follow best practices and protect every API-endpoint that actually makes a change with some form of authentication, such as OAuth.