APIs are absolutely necessary for any web or mobile application and serve as the foundation on which they are built. This dependency also makes them more vulnerable to cyber-attacks and data breaches.
Given its importance in the structure of any application, a single vulnerability can lead to the collapse of all the data it holds. A recent statistic showed that India experienced a 3000% increase in API cyberattacks in Q3 of 2024, with over 271 million API-focused attacks taking place during this time.
With this compounding increase in attacks, there has never been a better time to invest in a reliable API security tool to help you overcome this problem.
What are API Security Tools?
API security tools help maintain safety and security by picking up specific vulnerabilities, like broken authentication, data insecurity, and injection-related flaws. Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) help different programs and applications communicate with each other. Automated security tools also run tests while enforcing access controls to detect suspicious API traffic behavior.
Why Astra is the best in API Pentesting?
- We’re the only company that combines artificial intelligence & manual pentest to create a one-of-a-kind pentest platform.
- Runs 120+ test cases based on industrial standards.
- Integrates with your CI/CD tools to help you establish DevSecOps.
- A dynamic vulnerability management dashboard to manage, monitor, and assess APIs your web app consumes.
- Conduct 2 rescans in 60 days to verify patches.
- Award publicly verifiable pentest certificates which you can share with your users.
- Helps you stay compliant with SOC2, ISO27001, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, etc.
- Trusted by the brands you trust like Agora, Spicejet, Muthoot, Dream11, etc.
Types of API Security Tools
API security solutions can be divided into five main types. They are:
1. API Gateways
API gateways are the first entry point for your APIs, and security tools are designed to protect these gateways by completely controlling incoming API traffic. The security functions you should prioritise in these tools include authorization, data authentication, and rate limiting, which will help prevent unauthorized API access.
These features are designed to enhance your overall security framework by implementing stringent security standards at every access point. An organization should have indispensable API gateways to successfully execute projects involving microservices and cloud-native applications.
2. API Security Testing Tools (DAST, SAST, Penetration Testing)
API security testing tools enable the detection of API vulnerabilities using different evaluation approaches. Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) inspects active APIs by executing simulated attacks that mimic actual security threats. SAST, or Static Application Security Testing, performs a source code analysis to detect security vulnerabilities during the development stage.
On the other hand, penetration testing requires human involvement and relies on ethical hackers who perform simulated attacks to identify hidden vulnerabilities. These assessment techniques together form a holistic strategy to amp up API security right from the initial phase up until operational execution. By uncovering vulnerabilities even before deployment, organizations can prevent expensive security breaches from occurring.
3. API Discovery and Documentation Tools
API discovery tools and documentation tools help organizations organize all their APIs independently of their accessibility level. API documentation automation via these tools enables developers to understand APIs more quickly during their utilization.
Accurate API documentation protects organizations’ assets while detecting and controlling all accessible endpoints, thereby decreasing the chances of unauthorized API access.
4. Runtime API Protection (RAP) Solutions
RAP solutions have been developed to protect APIs in production environments, where they are the most vulnerable to exploitation, and they also enable continual monitoring of emerging threats.
API security stays strong in dynamic environments when organizations use these solutions to manage and protect their APIs during runtime.
5. API Monitoring and Analytics Tools
Security tools examine API traffic trends to collect the necessary pattern data, and using this, they uncover security vulnerabilities and atypical occurrences in relational data flows. Organizations can use this information to enhance API performance, strengthen security, and achieve compliance.
Security monitoring tools evaluate API usage metrics, which helps organizations detect possible threats. They allow organizations to oversee API health metrics and availability, ensuring optimal API performance.
Top 10 API Security Tools
- Astra API
- Probely
- FireTail
- APISec
- Akto (Open Source Option Available)
- ZAP (Open Source)
- Burp Suite Community Edition
- Acunetix
- Invicti
- 42Crunch
10 Best API Security Tools (2025)
1. Astra API Platform
Key Features:
- Pentest Capacity: Run 10,000+ tests to uncover vulnerabilities with expert manual pentesting
- Detect Hidden APIs (Zombie APIs, Shadow APIs, etc): Yes
- Access Control Scanning: Yes
- Compliance: GDPR, ISO 27001, SOC2, PCI-DSS, and HIPAA
- Price: Starts at $1999 per annum
- Best Suited For: Holistic API security testing services
Astra Security is one of the leading API security companies. It combines continuous automated testing with AI-driven test cases and manual reviews. We perform over 10,000 tests to map all endpoints and ensure thorough security.
With clients spanning multiple industries and countries, our tailored AI test cases, effortless technology integrations, and customized reports ensure a seamless experience while proactively saving you millions of dollars.
With automatic API detection and options for manual specification file uploads, a powerful GPT-driven chatbot, and expert, prompt support, we aim to make API security solutions straightforward, effective, and hassle-free.
Pros:
- Automation of API discovery
- Tests for the OWASP API Top 10 vulnerabilities
- Prevents injection and scripting attacks
Limitations:
- One-week trial is available for $7
2. Probely
Key Features
- Pentest Capacity: Credit-based vulnerability scanner for APIs to detect 100+ bug types
- API Vulnerability Scanner: Yes
- Access Control Scanning: No
- Compliance: GDPR, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, and HIPAA
- Price: Starts at $1180 per annum
- Best Suited For: Automated API penetration testing services
As an automated API security tool, Probely streamlines and scales API penetration testing capabilities. Its user-friendly interface and smooth integration with CI/CD pipelines offer extensive testing opportunities, even within its open-source plan.
Probely has established a reputation through its API-first approach, which maximizes security with dynamic authentication support.
Pros:
- Provides a complimentary security testing plan for APIs
- User-friendly interface
Limitations:
- Few customization choices for in-depth testing
- No manual penetration testing or vetting is available.
3. FireTail
Key Features:
- Pentest Capacity: Subscription-based automated pentester for APIs
- API Vulnerability Scanner: Yes
- Access Control Scanning: No
- Compliance: GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2
- Price: Enterprise plan at $48,000 per annum
- Best Suited For: Bug-bounty API security researchers
FireTail is designed based on contemporary API standards to deliver a complete API security solution that identifies, analyzes, and safeguards sensitive data across all APIs. It offers various features, including PII scrubbing, response validation, and data sanitization.
Firetail’s triggers allow for highly personalized and automated notifications. It also integrates with email, messaging, ticketing, and SIEM platforms.
Pros:
- Easy to set up
- Extensive open-source resource collection
Limitations:
- The enterprise version may be costly
4. APISec
Key Features:
- Pentest Capacity: Subscription-based scanner for APIs with 100+ test categories
- API Vulnerability Scanner: Yes
- Access Control Scanning: Yes
- Compliance: PCI, SOC 2, and CCPA
- Price: Starting at $500/month
- Best Suited For: Continuous API security testing services
APISec, a widely used API vulnerability scanning solution, utilizes automated and AI-powered penetration testing to provide ongoing security features. It creates and executes tailored attack vectors that mirror the specific architecture of each API.
Its quick response time for API scans and intuitive navigation ensure a seamless experience. Skilled customer success executives further enhance the overall user experience.
Pros:
- Expert assistance to customers.
- Easy to navigate
Limitations:
- High alert fatigue due to false positive
- Customization options are restricted because of automation
5. Akto (Open-Source)
Key Features:
- Pentest Capacity: Instant API penetration testing scanner with 150+ built-in test cases
- API Vulnerability Scanner: Yes
- Access Control Scanning: Yes
- Compliance: Owasp Top 10 API
- Price: Open-source
- Best Suited For: Open-source API penetration testing
Akto, a premier open-source API security tool, features over 100 built-in tests for API discovery and automated testing. By analyzing traffic data, the platform executes numerous business logic tests to detect the Top 10 bugs identified by OWASP and HackerOne.
Akto’s seamless integration with Burpsuite, AWS, Postman, GCP, and various gateways, along with its straightforward navigation features, makes it an ideal choice for startups and SMEs.
Pros:
- Create custom test cases
- Simple integration extensions to facilitate team and task management
Limitations:
- Documentation for Akto is a little thin
- Some features are not available in the open-source plan
6. ZAP (Open-Source)
Key Features:
- Pentest Capacity: Continuous API penetration testing tool with customization options
- API Vulnerability Scanner: Yes
- Access Control Scanning: Yes
- Compliance: No
- Price: Open-source
- Best Suited For: Open-source API penetration testing
ZAP, or the Zed Attack Proxy, is an open-source automated API pentesting tool that enables security analysts to automate and refine security regression pentesting of applications within the CI/CD pipeline.
The platform provides ongoing crawling and vulnerability scanning for APIs specified by OpenAPI, SOAP, or GraphQL, featuring active and passive scans for healthcare, fintech, and other industries.
Pros:
- Supports various languages
- A user-friendly interface, particularly for beginners
Limitations:
- Not dependable for identifying application logic errors
Astra Pentest is built by the team of experts that helped secure Microsoft, Adobe, Facebook, and Buffer
7. Burp Suite Community Edition
Key Features:
- Pentest Capacity: Automated API security testing tool with a manual pentest toolbox
- API Vulnerability Scanner: Yes
- Access Control Scanning: Yes
- Compliance: GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS
- Price: Open-source
- Best Suited For: Open-source API pentesting
Burp Suite is an all-in-one API penetration testing toolkit perfect for security analysts conducting manual security tests on endpoints. It can be pre-configured and integrated within the Chromium browser for API crawling and auditing.
Its strong community support makes it the go-to tool for developers. However, its advanced coding skills make it inaccessible to non-technical personnel.
Pros:
- Can conduct performance tests for both static and dynamic resources.
- Community-supported open-source software
Limitations:
- Burp Crawler sometimes overlooks endpoints
- Not dependable for scanning logically dependent APIs
8. Acunetix
Key Features:
- Pentest Capacity: Comprehensive vulnerability scanning and penetration testing.
- API Vulnerability Scanner: Yes
- Access Control Scanning: Yes
- Compliance: PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, and others.
- Price: $1958/yr (Vulnerability Scanning only. Pentest pricing available on demand)
- Best Suited For: Organizations seeking a comprehensive web application and API pentest solution
As a dedicated API security scanner with advanced features, Acunetix automates the process to the greatest extent possible. It scans your applications for over 4,500 vulnerabilities, including common threats like SQL and XSS injections.
Acunetix provides easy workflow integrations and comprehensive reports with proof-of-concept examples to enhance the effectiveness of an enterprise’s remediation efforts.
Pros:
- Intelligent automated scanning tool
- Simple to navigate and understand
Limitations:
- Limitations in vulnerability detection arise because specific bugs require manual insight
- May produce false positives.
9. Invicti
Key Features:
- Pentest Capacity: Automated and manual penetration testing for web applications and APIs.
- API Vulnerability Scanner: Yes
- Access Control Scanning: Yes
- Compliance: PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, and others.
- Price: Available upon request
- Best Suited For: Security teams looking for a flexible and scalable solution.
Invicti is a leading web application security scanner with sophisticated API security testing capabilities. It identifies REST, SOAP, GraphQL, and various other API vulnerabilities. In addition, it offers interactive scanning, vulnerability management, and compliance reporting.
Pros:
- Provides both automated and manual scanning options.
- Active community and frequent updates.
Limitations:
- Commercial licenses may be expensive for smaller organizations.
- Needs advanced setup for complicated situations.
10. 42Crunch
Key Features:
- Pentest Capacity: API security testing, vulnerability scanning, and penetration testing.
- API Vulnerability Scanner: Yes
- Access Control Scanning: Yes
- Compliance: PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, and others.
- Price: Available on quote
- Best Suited For: Organizations with complex API architectures.
42Crunch is a specialized tool for API security testing that identifies and mitigates API-specific vulnerabilities. It offers advanced features like interactive testing, automated vulnerability scanning, and compliance reporting. Additionally, 42Crunch integrates with CI/CD pipelines to ensure ongoing security testing.
Pros:
- Created explicitly for API security testing.
- Provides advanced features such as interactive testing and API fuzzing.
Limitations:
- Less comprehensive than general-purpose web application security scanners.
- Needs specialized knowledge for practical use.
Benefits of API Security Tools
1. Prevention of API-Specific Attacks
API security companies excel at defending against attacks unique to APIs, such as:
- Broken Object Level Authorization (BOLA): Guarantees appropriate authorization checks to prevent unauthorized access to data objects.
- Broken User Authentication: Identifies and prevents vulnerabilities in authentication systems, blocking unauthorized access.
- Data Exposure Control: Detects and limits APIs that reveal excessive data, reducing potential breach risk.
- Insufficient Resources & Rate Limiting: Implements rate limiting and manages resources to prevent denial-of-service attacks and misuse.
- Mass Assignment: Stops attackers from modifying API requests to alter unauthorized data fields.
2. Deep Content Inspection for API Payloads
The analysis conducted by API security tools scans API payload content (JSON and XML) for malicious data elements. Then, they perform a detailed inspection of content elements to find vulnerabilities that can be used to modify data during API transactions.
3. Automated API Discovery and Shadow API Mitigation
Good API security tools will identify entire API collections, including documented and undocumented shadow APIs. The security system detects and manages all APIs, thereby reducing the security risks associated with unmanaged APIs.
4. Continuous Protection Against API Abuse
One of the primary functions of an API security tool is to safeguard against the misuse of APIs through activities such as excessive requests, bot attacks, and scraping. It also promptly blocks harmful network traffic, preventing detrimental usage from leading to operational slowdowns or service disruptions.
5. API Schema Validation and Enforcement
Tools validate API requests and responses by enforcing the defined API schemas (like OpenAPI) to protect against the processing of unexpected or incorrect data inputs. APIs function as intended through this validation process and safeguard against security threats from unexpected data inputs.
6. API Behavior Analysis and Anomaly Detection
API security tools identify attacks by establishing a normal behavior baseline for APIs using their anomaly and behavior analysis capabilities. This approach helps with timely threat detection and response and prevents unknown threats from exploitation.
7. Granular Access Control and Authorization
Security scanners allow organizations to set controlled permission settings that grant or restrict users’ and applications’ access to specific API resources. The system ensures access to sensitive API resources is only permitted through authorized entities.
8. API Version Management and Security
Security tools allow businesses to track their API versions via version tracking systems, which protect vulnerable, outdated API versions by moving them to a deprecated state. Updated APIs remain secure because they cannot be exploited through known vulnerabilities.
Final Thoughts
API security breaches are increasingly worrisome, with global attacks surging rapidly, prompting an urgent requirement for enhanced security measures. Businesses today need a complete API security checklist and strategy to protect their operations because API gateways manage traffic flow alongside testing tools that reveal hidden threats and runtime mechanisms that stop active dangers.
When setting up your API security plan, choose between open-source solutions like Akto or ZAP or invest in end-to-end security platforms such as Astra Security, which will provide discovery testing, monitoring, and protection features. By putting these tools and practices in place, organizations can manage risks, achieve compliance, and protect the sensitive data passing through APIs, creating the foundation for a safe and secure API system.
FAQs
1. What are API security tools?
API security tools are software solutions that safeguard Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) from cyber threats. They detect vulnerabilities such as broken authentication and injection flaws, enforce access controls, and monitor traffic for suspicious activity. Thus, these tools ensure that APIs remain secure, helping to prevent data breaches and unauthorized access.
2. What are the must-have features in an API security tool?
An effective API security tool encompasses key features such as automated vulnerability scanning (DAST, SAST), real-time threat detection, API discovery, schema validation, and strong access controls. Choosing tools that provide extensive reporting and integrate smoothly with CI/CD pipelines is essential to guarantee constant protection and compliance.
3. How do I choose the best API security tool for my business?
Choose an API security tool that aligns with your unique requirements, considering the API’s complexity, compliance obligations, and financial constraints. Assess tools for thorough testing, real-time security, and simple integration. Favor options that offer robust customer support and can scale with your business as it expands.
4. How is AI being used in API security tools?
AI improves API security tools with anomaly detection via behavioral analysis, recognizing intricate attack patterns, and automating threat responses. Machine learning algorithms improve vulnerability scanning accuracy and reduce false positives, providing more efficient and proactive API protection against evolving cyber threats.
