Defending Against Python Application-Based DOS

One of the hardest web-based attacks to defend against is a denial-of-service (DOS) attack. It is a simple matter of overwhelming a server with requests such that it cannot handle all the requests at any given time. Every request, and every instance of a web application, takes system resources. If a DOS attack is run against a web application, the application may spawn repeatedly and rapidly. It may not choke the network, but it can consume the server's resources until the server crashes from lack of RAM. If processes are allowed to spawn unchecked, the process will repeat ad nauseum. For help on how to code so that your web applications cannot be used against you, see the latest installment in the series on web application security, "Denial of Service".