Building a GDPR-Compliant Web Application From Scratch

/Privacy by Design Principles

GDPR Article 25 requires data protection by design and by default. This means building privacy considerations into every layer of your application from the initial architecture phase, not bolting them on afterward.

/Data Architecture

• Implement data minimization: collect only what you need
• Use pseudonymization for analytics and reporting
• Encrypt personal data at rest (AES-256) and in transit (TLS 1.3)
• Implement data retention policies with automatic deletion
• Use separate data stores for different categories of personal data
• Maintain a data processing register (Article 30)

/Consent Management Architecture

Build a centralized consent service that tracks user preferences, enforces them across all services, and provides audit trails. Store consent records with timestamps, the specific consent text shown, and the method of collection.

interface ConsentRecord {
  userId: string;
  purpose: string;
  granted: boolean;
  timestamp: Date;
  consentTextVersion: string;
  collectionMethod: 'banner' | 'settings' | 'api';
  ipAddress: string; // hashed for security
}

/Data Subject Rights Automation

Articles 15-22 grant users specific rights over their data. Your application must support: right of access, right to rectification, right to erasure, right to restrict processing, right to data portability, and right to object.

Implement a DSR (Data Subject Request) API endpoint that can retrieve, export, and delete all personal data associated with a user across all your data stores within the mandated 30-day response window.

Our platform provides API endpoints for automated consent management, DSR handling, and compliance reporting. Check our developer documentation for integration guides.