Alternatives to APIsec at Pre-seed startups

A self-service API security scanner where you submit a URL and receive a risk score from A to F with prioritized findings. It performs black-box scanning only, requiring no agents, no code access, and no SDK integration, and supports any language, framework, or cloud. Scans complete in under a minute using read-only methods (GET and HEAD) plus text-only POST for LLM probes.

The scanner maps findings to three frameworks: PCI-DSS 4.0, SOC 2 Type II, and OWASP API Top 10 (2023). It detects 12 categories including Authentication bypass, JWT misconfigurations such as alg=none and expired tokens, BOLA and IDOR via sequential ID enumeration, BFLA and privilege escalation attempts, Property Authorization over-exposure, Input Validation issues like CORS wildcard misconfigurations, Rate Limiting and oversized responses, Data Exposure including PII patterns and API key formats, Encryption checks such as HTTPS redirect and HSTS, SSRF probes against URL-accepting parameters, Inventory Management issues like missing versioning, and LLM / AI Security through 18 adversarial probe tiers. OpenAPI 3.0, 3.1, and Swagger 2.0 files are parsed with recursive $ref resolution, and spec definitions are cross-referenced against runtime findings.

Authenticated scanning is available from the Starter tier upward, supporting Bearer, API key, Basic auth, and Cookie credentials. Domain verification is enforced through a DNS TXT record or an HTTP well-known file so that only the domain owner can scan with credentials. The scanner forwards a restricted header allowlist including Authorization, X-API-Key, Cookie, and X-Custom-* headers. All scanning is read-only; destructive payloads are never sent, and private IPs, localhost, and cloud metadata endpoints are blocked at multiple layers. Customer data is deletable on demand and purged within 30 days of cancellation, and it is never sold or used for model training.

The Web Dashboard centralizes scans, reports, and score trend tracking, with branded compliance PDF downloads. The CLI via the middlebrick npm package supports commands such as middlebrick scan <url> with JSON or text output. A GitHub Action provides CI/CD gating, failing the build when the score drops below a set threshold. An MCP Server enables scanning from AI coding assistants like Claude and Cursor. The Pro tier adds scheduled rescans every 6 hours, daily, weekly, or monthly, diff detection across scans, email alerts rate-limited to 1 per hour per API, and HMAC-SHA256 signed webhooks that auto-disable after 5 consecutive failures.

The scanner does not fix, patch, block, or remediate issues; it detects and reports with remediation guidance. It does not perform active SQL injection or command injection testing, which requires intrusive payloads outside its scope. Business logic vulnerabilities are not detected, as they need human domain understanding, and blind SSRF is out of scope due to the absence of out-of-band infrastructure. It does not replace a human pentester for high-stakes audits. This tool helps you prepare for audits and aligns with security controls described in relevant frameworks, but it is not a certified compliance solution.