Allowforms

Allowforms is a term used in software architecture to describe a policy or configuration that governs which user-submitted forms are permitted within an application. It acts as a whitelist mechanism controlling where forms may submit data, what fields may be included, and what validation or sanitization rules apply. The goal is to provide governance over form usage to improve security, data integrity, and user experience.

Origins and scope: The concept arises in multi-tenant systems, content management platforms, and modular applications where forms can be embedded across modules or content. Allowforms settings help standardize submission behavior, reduce accidental data leakage, and simplify auditing by centralizing rules for form handling.

Mechanism and features: Allowforms is typically expressed as a configuration object in JSON, YAML, or native code. It lists allowed endpoints for form submission, required CSRF tokens, permitted input types, and validation or sanitization rules. Implementations may connect to server-side route guards, middleware, or validation pipelines, and can align with content security policies by coordinating with form-action constraints to prevent submissions to untrusted origins.

Adoption and considerations: While allowforms can enhance security and governance, it adds configuration complexity and requires ongoing maintenance as applications evolve. It does not replace comprehensive server-side validation or robust CSRF protection but complements them by providing upfront submission controls and consistency across forms.

See also: Cross-site request forgery, Content Security Policy form-action directive, Input validation, Form security.