Top 10 API Security Tools

APIs are everywhere, driving your most critical data exchanges and powering every application, from IoT devices to mobile apps. However, they’re also quietly becoming one of your biggest security risks, as they provide direct access to data, backend systems, and critical functions – which has driven demand for API security tools.

Almost one-third of customer-facing APIs still lack HTTPS protection, even though 90% of web pages are secured with it. Many teams pour resources into securing data and applications but overlook APIs' unique security needs. 

With organizations now managing hundreds of APIs, fragmented management and inconsistent security open the door to severe risks that traditional approaches can’t handle. Thankfully, dedicated API security tools address the gaps that traditional methods leave behind.

What are API Security Tools?

API (Application Programming Interface) security solutions include specialized tools and adaptable security practices that secure API endpoints, data flows, and interactions. Some tools specifically tackle API challenges like authentication, authorization, and real-time anomaly detection. In contrast, others are broader solutions adapted to catch API-specific issues like coding vulnerabilities and injections.

In practice, these tools embed security across every stage of the API lifecycle – from design and testing to deployment and production. They can catch misconfigurations, validate API calls, and prevent exploitation without burdening developers with manual checks. Many of these tools also integrate into DevOps pipelines, providing continuous visibility and automated DevOps protection – alongside other security practices – without slowing down development.



Types of API Security Tools

Securing APIs takes a layered approach, with each tool tackling a different type of threat. Here’s a quick rundown of the critical kinds of API security tools and what they do:

• API Linter Tools check your API designs and code against style guidelines and security best practices. They catch issues like inconsistent naming, missing rate limits, or insecure configurations early in development, enforcing clean, secure API standards.
• DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) Tools scan running applications, actively testing endpoints for security flaws, like SQL injections or cross-site scripting, by sending requests to the live API. They provide insights into real-world vulnerabilities that attackers might exploit in production.
• API Mapping Tools (or Enumeration Tools) catalog every endpoint in your APIs, often visualizing their connection. This “map” helps identify unused or unprotected endpoints, monitor changes, and catch shadow APIs that could create backdoors for attackers.
• WAF (Web Application Firewall) Tools protect your API by filtering malicious traffic, such as bot attacks or injection attempts, based on defined rules. These WAF features analyze incoming requests and block suspicious activity before it reaches your backend.
• API Gateways manage and secure traffic flow between clients and backend services, handling tasks like authentication, rate limiting, and traffic routing. They enforce policies that restrict API access, control load, and block unauthorized access.



• SAST (Static Application Security Testing) Tools scan code at rest, catching security issues during development. They analyze source code for vulnerabilities like hardcoded keys or insecure dependencies, stopping issues before they hit production.
• SCA (Software Composition Analysis) Tools identify third-party dependencies in your APIs and flag any with known vulnerabilities. They scan libraries, frameworks, and packages, helping keep your components up-to-date and safe from known exploits.

Benefits of API Security Tools

With growing API sprawl and interdependencies, shadow APIs, legacy endpoints, and loose permissions can quickly become hidden risks. API security tools map and monitor every endpoint, giving you control over forgotten APIs and catching potential vulnerabilities. 

Interdependent APIs add complexity, where a breach in one can impact others. Security tools help by enforcing precise access controls and monitoring traffic patterns across the ecosystem to spot signs of abuse.

Another critical benefit of API security tools is their ability to streamline compliance and audit readiness, especially as regulations tighten around data privacy. By generating audit-ready logs and tracking access in real-time, API security tools make meeting standards like GDPR and HIPAA easier, reducing the manual workload and building trust with clients and regulators.



Key Features to Look For in API Security Tools

1. Real-time threat detection constantly scans for unusual patterns, like SQL injections or data scraping attempts, using machine learning to flag subtle anomalies. This feature helps you intercept attacks the moment they appear.

2. CI/CD integration allows security checks to run automatically in development and deployment workflows, catching vulnerabilities early without slowing down the pipeline.

3. Rate limiting protects your APIs from abuse by restricting request frequency. It is essential for blocking DoS attacks, bot activity, or credential stuffing. 



4. Fine-grained access controls allow you to set specific permissions for users or systems, enforcing least-privilege access to sensitive functions. This helps you build a zero-trust architecture, reducing exposure to insider threats or unauthorized access.

5. API traffic analysis gives you a clear view of your API usage, tracking request patterns, response times, and error rates. This feature helps you spot performance issues, unusual behavior, or misuse early on, offering insights into security and operational health. 

Top 10 API Security Tools

1. 42Crunch (API Linter Tool)



42Crunch helps secure your APIs from the start by auditing OpenAPI definitions with over 300 security checks, covering structure, data definitions, and security protocols. It offers instant security scores and specific remediation advice, allowing you to address vulnerabilities in your IDE or CI/CD pipeline at design time.

Best For

DevSecOps teams aiming to secure APIs directly within their development pipeline.

Review

“Together with 32Crunch, we bridge the gap of API security from development to runtime and empower security teams to exercise governance over their API ecosystem throughout the development lifecycle.”

2. Jit (DAST)



Jit’s DAST solution, powered by OWASP ZAP, scans live web apps and APIs to reveal security vulnerabilities in real-time. Configurable in just a few steps, Jit includes active and passive scanning rules. The tool prioritizes top risks through its Context Engine, which evaluates vulnerabilities based on factors like exposure and runtime context, helping you address critical issues first. 

Best For

Agile teams looking for an integrated, CI/CD-friendly security solution.

Review

“Jit provides continuous security by enabling my team to find and fix vulnerabilities in-PRs without slowing them down or expecting them to be security experts.”

3. Salt Security (API Mapping)



Salt Security continuously discovers and manages all your APIs, ensuring no endpoint is missed. With API Posture Management, you get visibility across your ecosystem, tracking API drift and design changes. Salt’s AI-powered Threat Protection identifies and blocks attacks in real-time, while its Incident Response provides insights into attacker behavior, speeding up investigations and response.

Best For

Large organizations with complex API ecosystems.

Review

“A very lightweight solution that builds upon existing integrations, a responsive and open-minded support team, and an easy-to-navigate product. Salt isn't trying to solve every problem; they've found a niche and have focused on tightly sealing that gap.”

4. Open-appsec (WAF)



Open-appsec leverages machine learning to secure APIs and web applications with minimal configuration. Key features include API discovery and schema validation to map usage and enforce safety limits, ML-based threat prevention that blocks OWASP Top 10 and zero-day attacks without signature updates, and anti-bot protection to stop automated threats. 

Best For

Organizations seeking an ML-powered WAF with minimal maintenance.

Review

“AppSec is an 'install and forget' solution. We don't need to mobilize valuable team members to monitor the solution. It provides state-of-the-art protection and allows us to focus on new business and customer satisfaction.”

5. AWS WAF (WAF)



AWS WAF allows you to create custom rules to filter web traffic based on IP addresses, HTTP headers, or specific URIs. With built-in protection against SQL injection and XSS, AWS WAF blocks common API attack patterns. It also provides bot control, rate limiting, and real-time monitoring, enhancing visibility and automated threat response for robust API protection tailored to specific AWS workloads.

Best For

Teams heavily invested in the AWS ecosystem.

Review

“We can set a standard of rules, and because of this, we can save time even though it has great inbuilt rules. It has an easy tracking and managing bots and blocking of bots function.”

6. Kong Gateway (API Gateways)



The Kong Gateway modernizes API security and infrastructure. Key features include advanced traffic management, request validation, rate limiting, and robust security controls like authentication, RBAC, and bot detection. With end-to-end automation and a user-friendly Kong Manager, it offers seamless API security, governance, and compliance while supporting modern workloads like gRPC and GraphQL.

Best For

Enterprise teams managing complex, high-traffic APIs that demand strong security and scalability.

Review

“In my view, the standout feature of the Kong gateway is the simplicity of setting up its data planes, especially with Docker compatibility, making it user-friendly. Additionally, I love the Kong's custom plugin feature, which allows me to enhance API capabilities according to my needs.”

7. Semgrep (SAST)



Semgrep is a trusted SAST tool for API security. It gives you high-confidence findings with up to 98% fewer false positives through reachability analysis. It integrates directly into your workflows—IDEs, CI/CD, and PR comments—delivering insights fast. With support for 30+ frameworks and easy customization, you can write specific rules to meet your API security needs without slowing down development.

Best For

Teams needing precise, low-noise API security insights.

Review

"Getting developers aligned on a SAST product and having them use it is the hardest part of the job for an AppSec Engineer. We were able to achieve this with Semgrep Code.”

8. Gosec (SAST)



Gosec inspects your Go code's AST and SSA representations to detect vulnerabilities like hardcoded secrets, unsafe permissions, and insecure TLS configurations. It includes specific rules for API risks, such as SQL injection checks and URL taint analysis, and can exclude test files for faster scanning. Gosec also outputs compliance-ready reports in formats like SARIF and JSON.

Best For

Go developers seeking automated API security checks in CI/CD.

9. Spectral (SCA)



SpectralOps protects your APIs and applications by continuously monitoring for open-source software (OSS) vulnerabilities and malicious code. It automatically generates an SBOM to map out dependencies, blocks malicious OSS packages from entering your pipeline by leveraging CheckPoint ThreatCloud, and integrates with your CI/CD workflows. 

Best For

High-velocity development teams needing actionable OSS security without disrupting productivity.

Review

“Protecting our customers’ data is very important to us. A solution that protects our organization from data breaches while not exposing our code to a third party is exactly what we were looking for.”

10. Myrror (SCA)



Myrror’s Reachability SCA maps application dependencies (both direct and transitive) to flag only truly reachable vulnerabilities in your API code. It also includes an exploitability check, flagging vulnerabilities only if there’s an active exploit circulating, helping prioritize real risks over hypothetical ones. Myrror’s developer-first remediation planner then breaks each prioritized risk into step-by-step, context-specific fixes.

Best For

Teams prioritizing real, exploitable API risks and seeking actionable remediation.

Review

“Myrror’s approach to Open-Source security is unique. Protecting the organization from Software Supply Chain attacks while prioritizing known vulnerabilities ensures security and improves MTTR.”

Lock Down Your APIs Without Locking Up Your Workflow

APIs are essential to modern business but also have inherent risks that can leave your systems vulnerable. Securing these APIs requires the right tools that provide comprehensive visibility, proactive threat detection, and control across your entire API ecosystem. The right solution should secure your APIs and integrate seamlessly into your existing workflows to prevent security from becoming a bottleneck.

Jit’s Open ASPM platform simplifies API security management by integrating with industry-leading tools like OWASP ZAP, Semgrep, and KICS to detect vulnerabilities early, offering real-time fixes, automated vulnerability management, and streamlined security protocols. With Jit, you don’t have to choose between strong security and efficient workflows. Our solution provides robust API protection that complements and enhances your team’s productivity. Learn more here.