Most APIs that ship to production have some security in place. Most of the time, HTTPS is enabled, an API key is required, and maybe there’s even a quick code review before deployment.
By most measures, the box is checked. However, a checked box and a secure API are not the same thing. A common and costly example is an API that validates credentials correctly on every request, but never checks whether those credentials grant access to the specific resource being requested. In other words, authentication works, but there’s no proper authorization.
Such an API could not be called secure, but sometimes nothing in the happy path would reveal the issue until someone found the gap.
This is what makes API security genuinely tricky. The strategies may be well-documented, but understanding when to use a particular strategy can be confusing. In this article, we will look at various API security strategies and try to understand which strategy works in which scenario.
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More on how to implement api security
Stay tuned for updates on how to implement api security as the story develops. Related: The Organizational Playbook for Engineering Transformation at Scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
HTTPS and API keys verify credentials, but if the API never checks whether those credentials grant access to the specific resource being requested, authentication works while authorization is missing – a costly and common gap.
A checked box means security measures exist on paper, such as HTTPS, API keys, and a quick code review, while a secure API applies the right strategy in the right scenario – a difference that often stays invisible until someone finds the gap.
The strategies are well-documented, but understanding when to use a particular strategy in a particular scenario can be confusing.
It looks at various API security strategies and explains which strategy works in which scenario, so readers can match defenses to real use cases.
