APIsec is a platform that focuses on providing security to APIs through regular security assessments and automated testing. It identifies the APIs' increasing challenges, which cyber actors usually attack because of their essential role in modern web applications.

This blog will explain what is APIsec, its distinctive approach to API security, its key capabilities, and its comparison with Akto to help organizations make an informed choice.

What is APIsec?

APIsec is an API security testing platform that provides tools to perform penetration testing on various API endpoints, methods, and input parameters. It detects and remediates various security weaknesses through different approaches, which include an API Attacker, an API Analyzer, and an API scanner.

Organizations can effectively deploy their APIs and protect them from possible threats through regular monitoring and security measures.

Source: APIsec

APIsec Approach to API Security

APIsec uses an innovative approach to API security. Some of the key components of the APIsec approach include:

Automated Security Testing

APIsec’s automated testing enables organizations to detect various security weaknesses before the deployment of the APIs. These regular testing allow the early detection of possible threats and breaches.

Comprehensive Vulnerability Coverage

APIsec offers wide coverage of possible security weaknesses, which include role configuration, access control vulnerabilities, and business logic flaws. This allows security teams to address various security concerns.

Penetration Testing Support

APIsec includes penetration as part of its overall API security strategy. Security teams carry out these penetration testing to detect various security weaknesses that automated tools may have overlooked.

Key Features and Capabilities of APIsec

APIsec offers advanced features to provide API security. Some of its features are as follows:

Threat Detection with DAST

The platform uses Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) to handle real-time evaluations during the API development lifecycle. This enables security teams to detect security weaknesses like cross-site scripting and SQL injection, allowing them to handle security threats immediately.

Furthermore, the platform also automates the security weaknesses discovery, which minimizes the exploitation risk in the live environments.

Comprehensive Coverage of API Endpoints

The platform offers extensive coverage of all the API endpoints in the organization's infrastructure. This ability allows the security team to evaluate all the endpoints efficiently by auto-generating various test cases.

Additionally, APIsec builds technical playbooks that map to the OWASP API Security TOP 10, helping security teams perform different attack simulations to detect potential security weaknesses.

Zero-Touch Environment

APIsec's zero-touch environment operates without requiring direct access to API endpoints for evaluation purposes. This helps in reducing the exposure of during the testing phases, which in turn boost the overall security by minimizing the risk that may come up while accessing the live APIs.

Vulnerability Management and Reporting

After discovering security weaknesses during testing phases, APIsec automatically creates tickets in project management tools like GitHub or JIRA. This process helps in immediate remediation, and make sure that detected security weaknesses are addressed instantly.

Comprehensive Reporting and Analytics

The APIsec platform offers comprehensive reports after detecting the security weaknesses in the organization's security posture. These insights assist organizations to understand the risk landscape in a better way and make proper decisions regarding their API security procedures.

APIsec Pricing

APIsec offers flexible pricing plans for API security testing. The Free Plan provides lifetime access to custom-generated tests covering the OWASP API Top 10, cloud-based scanning, and a full pen-test report. The Pen Test Edition, priced at $325 per month for up to 100 endpoints, includes a 30-day free trial, authenticated testing, internal API scanning, and community support.

Source: APIsec pricing

The Standard Plan costs $650 per month for up to 100 endpoints and adds business logic testing, such as BOLA, RBAC, and mass assignment. The Pro Plan, available for $2,600 per month, includes all Standard features along with custom-branded reports, scheduled continuous testing, integrations with gateways and CI/CD pipelines, and premium support. Visit APIsec’s official pricing page for more details.

APIsec Crunchbase

APIsec specializes in automated API security testing. Founded in 2018, the company is headquartered at 845 Market St., Suite 450, San Francisco, California, United States.

Image Source: Crunchbase

APIsec has around 4 to 10 professionals who work for it in various capacities to help with its operations and product development. The company has raised a total of $2 million in funding, mostly in a seed round, to take its automated security solutions forward.

With the increase in reliance on APIs in current applications, APIsec places itself as a key player in the current API security landscape aiming at effective protection against evolving threats through automation.

Akto’s Approach to API Security

Akto strengthens API security through comprehensive, proactive testing. It identifies vulnerabilities throughout the entire lifecycle of an API. Its platform continuously monitors and analyzes real traffic data and integrates easily into development workflows to enhance its security posture.

Continuous API Discovery

Akto automatically discovers APIs across internal, public, and third-party applications, ensuring that the inventory is updated. It identifies sensitive and undocumented (shadow) APIs, which are mostly overlooked by traditional security assessments.

Extensive Testing Library

Akto provides over 800 pre-built tests covering critical vulnerabilities outlined in the OWASP Top 10 and HackerOne’s Top 10 for APIs. Security engineers can also build customized tests depending on the specific structure of their APIs, guaranteeing complete security reviews.

Seamless CI/CD Integration

Akto integrates seamlessly with CI/CD workflows to automate testing APIs before deploying them. This shift-left security approach detects vulnerabilities at the early stages of development, thereby reducing the risk of breaches after release.

Real-Time Alerts and Comprehensive Reporting

Akto sends real-time alerts to channels like Slack and email regarding possible vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. It also provides reports in HTML and PDF formats to support effective communication.

APIsec vs. Akto: A Detailed Comparison

APIsec and Akto are both prominent tools in the realm of API security, each offering unique features and approaches to protecting APIs from vulnerabilities. Below is a detailed comparison of their key features, vulnerability detection, and integration capabilities.

Final Thoughts

Ensuring robust API security needs more than just traditional testing methods. As APIs become an important component of modern applications, organizations must adopt proactive measures to safeguard them from evolving threats.

While APIsec offers a structured approach to API security with automated testing and penetration testing support, Akto enhances API security through continuous discovery, real-time traffic analysis, and seamless CI/CD integration. Akto's ability to detect shadow APIs and business logic vulnerabilities makes it an essential tool for security teams aiming for comprehensive API protection.

To experience Akto’s powerful API security capabilities firsthand, book a demo and take a proactive step toward securing APIs effectively.