What are the pros and cons if I expose entity keys in the URL?

by jaycee_rowe , in category: SEO , 2 months ago

What are the pros and cons if I expose entity keys in the URL?

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1 answer

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by delpha , a month ago

@jaycee_rowe 

Exposing entity keys in URLs has both advantages and disadvantages. Here are some of the most common pros and cons:


Pros:

  1. Improved URL readability: By exposing entity keys in URLs, it becomes easier for users to understand what information is being accessed simply by looking at the URL. This can be particularly useful in situations where URLs are shared between users or printed on paper.
  2. Improved caching: Caching can be improved by including entity keys in URLs because it makes it easier for cache systems to identify and cache specific pages.
  3. Improved bookmarks: Users can bookmark specific pages that they frequently access by including entity keys in URLs, making it easier to return to those pages later.


Cons:

  1. Security: Exposing entity keys in URLs can make it easier for attackers to access sensitive information, since entity keys can sometimes be guessed or brute-forced.
  2. Increased complexity: By exposing entity keys in URLs, it can make the URL structure more complex and harder to maintain, especially if entity keys change frequently.
  3. Reduced data privacy: Exposing entity keys in URLs can make it easier for third parties to track user behavior by monitoring the URLs that are being accessed.
  4. URL length restrictions: Including entity keys in URLs can make URLs longer, which can cause issues if there are restrictions on the length of URLs that can be used.


In conclusion, whether or not to expose entity keys in URLs is a trade-off between improved URL readability and caching, versus increased security and privacy risks. The decision should be based on the specific requirements of each application and the type of data being stored.