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Security Intermediate

What is API Security?

Practices and mechanisms for protecting APIs from unauthorized access, data breaches, and abuse.

API security encompasses authentication (verifying identity — API keys, OAuth tokens, JWTs), authorization (verifying permissions — scopes, RBAC), transport security (HTTPS/TLS), input validation (preventing injection), rate limiting (preventing abuse), and monitoring (detecting anomalies). Common vulnerabilities include Broken Object Level Authorization (BOLA — accessing other users' data by changing IDs), excessive data exposure (returning more fields than needed), and mass assignment (accepting unexpected fields). The OWASP API Security Top 10 lists the most critical API risks. Best practices include using short-lived tokens, validating all inputs, implementing proper error handling without leaking details, and logging all API access for audit.

Related Terms

Input Validation
The process of verifying that user-supplied data meets expected formats, types, and ranges before processing it.
Security Hardening
The process of reducing a system's attack surface by disabling unnecessary services, applying patches, and configuring security controls.
JWT (JSON Web Token)
A compact, self-contained token format used for securely transmitting information between parties as a JSON object.
Vulnerability Scanning
Automated testing that identifies known security weaknesses in systems, applications, and network infrastructure.
Principle of Least Privilege
A security principle where users and programs receive only the minimum access rights needed to perform their specific tasks.
RBAC (Role-Based Access Control)
An access control model where permissions are assigned to roles, and users are assigned to roles rather than getting permissions directly.
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