API Security Basics

Last reviewed May 28, 2026 Content v20260528

Track mode

none

Means

Read / quiz

Reading

~1 min

Level

intermediate

This lesson

This lesson teaches API Security Basics: security mindset, common threats, and defensive practices for software teams.

Teams apply API Security Basics in every serious Cybersecurity rollout—skipping it leaves blind spots in reviews and incidents.

You will apply API Security Basics in contexts like: Web apps, APIs, CI/CD, and organizational compliance programs.

Read scenario-based lessons, map controls to code you write on other tracks, and complete MCQs—practice threat modeling on paper or in docs.

Toward the end—consolidate compliance preview, interview prep, and production checklist.

Modern apps are API-first—mobile and SPA clients call JSON endpoints that need the same auth, validation, and rate limits as server-rendered forms.

Checklist

OAuth2/OIDC or session auth consistently
Rate limiting and bot protection
Input schema validation (JSON Schema)
No sensitive data in URLs (GET tokens)
CORS configured narrowly—not * in production

Link

Build on Node.js or Django API lessons with security lens.

Important interview questions and answers

Q: CORS?
A: Browser cross-origin policy—not a substitute for auth.
Q: BOLA?
A: Broken Object Level Authorization on APIs—test object ids.

Self-check

Why rate limit login?
CORS misconfiguration risk?

Tip: Integration tests for BOLA on every CRUD route with two test users.

Interview prep

Rate limiting?: Slows brute force and abuse on APIs.

Discussion

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Starter discussion topics

CORS vs auth?
Rate limit why?

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