Alternatives to 42Crunch on Django

middleBrick is a self-service API security scanner that operates as a black-box solution. You submit a target URL and receive a risk score from A to F with prioritized findings. It requires no agents, no SDK integration, and no access to source code or runtime environment. The scanner works with any language, framework, or cloud stack, including Django applications, because it interacts purely over the network using read-only methods (GET and HEAD) and text-only POST for LLM probes. Scan completion typically occurs in under a minute, enabling rapid security feedback during development or pre-deployment checks.

The scanner covers 12 security categories aligned to the OWASP API Top 10 (2023). It detects authentication bypasses and JWT misconfigurations such as alg=none, weak algorithms, expired tokens, missing claims, and sensitive data in token payloads. It identifies Broken Object Level Authorization (BOLA) and Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR) through sequential ID enumeration and active adjacent ID probing. Additional checks include BFLA and privilege escalation attempts, property over-exposure and internal field leakage, unsafe input validation patterns like CORS wildcards and dangerous HTTP methods, and rate-limiting characteristics. Data exposure checks surface PII patterns, valid credit card numbers via Luhn checks, multiple API key formats, and error or stack-trace leakage. Encryption, SSRF indicators, inventory issues, unsafe consumption surfaces, and LLM/AI security probes across multiple tiers are also covered. The tool parses OpenAPI 3.0, 3.1, and Swagger 2.0 definitions with recursive $ref resolution and cross-references spec definitions against runtime behavior.

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

The platform provides a Web Dashboard for scan management, report review, score trend tracking, and downloadable compliance PDFs. The CLI, distributed as an npm package, enables commands such as middlebrick scan <url> with JSON or text output. A GitHub Action is available for CI/CD gating, failing the build when the score drops below a defined threshold. An MCP Server allows scanning from AI coding assistants. For ongoing risk management, the Pro tier offers scheduled rescans at intervals from six hours to monthly, diff detection across scans to highlight new or resolved findings, email alerts rate-limited to one per hour per API, and HMAC-SHA256 signed webhooks that auto-disable after five consecutive failures. Enterprise tiers add unlimited API coverage, custom rules, SSO, audit logs, SLA-backed support, and dedicated assistance.

middleBrick maps findings directly to three frameworks: PCI-DSS 4.0, SOC 2 Type II, and OWASP API Top 10 (2023). For other regulations, the tool supports audit evidence collection and helps you prepare for security control reviews, but it does not guarantee compliance with any specific framework. The scanner is a detection and reporting tool and does not fix, patch, block, or remediate issues. It does not perform active SQL injection or command injection testing, which falls outside its read-only scope. It does not detect business logic vulnerabilities, blind SSRF via out-of-band channels, or replace a human pentester for high-stakes audits. Use it as an early warning layer rather than a comprehensive security audit replacement.