Alternatives to Akto for DevSecOps engineers

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 with prioritized findings. No agents, SDKs, or code access are required, and it works across any language, framework, or cloud environment. Scan completion occurs in under a minute using read-only methods (GET and HEAD) and text-only POST for LLM probes.

The scanner detects findings across 12 categories aligned to OWASP API Top 10 (2023). These include Authentication issues such as JWT misconfigurations and security header problems, BOLA and IDOR via sequential ID enumeration, BFLA and privilege escalation attempts, and Property Authorization related to over-exposure of internal fields. It also covers Input Validation (CORS wildcard and dangerous methods), Rate Limiting and Resource Consumption, Data Exposure including PII and API key patterns, Encryption checks, SSRF indicators, Inventory Management issues, and Unsafe Consumption surfaces. An additional LLM / AI Security category performs 18 adversarial probes across Quick, Standard, and Deep scan tiers, testing for system prompt extraction, jailbreak techniques, and data exfiltration scenarios.

middleBrick parses OpenAPI 3.0, 3.1, and Swagger 2.0 documents with recursive $ref resolution, cross-referencing spec definitions against runtime observations. This highlights undefined security schemes, sensitive field exposure, deprecated operations, and missing pagination. Authenticated scanning is available from the Starter tier onward, supporting Bearer, API key, Basic auth, and Cookie methods. Domain verification through DNS TXT records or HTTP well-known files ensures only domain owners can scan with credentials, and a strict header allowlist limits forwarded headers to Authorization, X-API-Key, Cookie, and X-Custom-*.

The Web Dashboard centralizes scans, report viewing, score trend tracking, and downloadable branded compliance PDFs. The CLI via the middlebrick npm package supports commands such as middlebrick scan <url> with JSON or text output. A GitHub Action can gate CI/CD, failing builds when scores drop below a defined threshold. The MCP Server enables scanning from AI coding assistants like Claude and Cursor. Continuous monitoring in Pro tiers includes scheduled rescans every 6 hours, daily, weekly, or monthly; diff detection across scans; email alerts rate-limited to one per hour per API; and HMAC-SHA256 signed webhooks that auto-disable after five consecutive failures.

Free tier offers three scans per month with CLI access. Starter at 99 USD per month supports 15 APIs, monthly scans, dashboard access, email alerts, and the MCP Server. Pro at 499 USD per month covers 100 APIs with options for additional APIs, continuous monitoring, GitHub Action gates, CI/CD integration, Slack and Teams alerts, compliance reports, and signed webhooks. Enterprise provides unlimited APIs, custom rules, SSO, audit logs, SLAs, and dedicated support. The scanner is read-only, never sending destructive payloads. Private IPs, localhost, and cloud metadata endpoints are blocked at three layers. Customer data is deletable on demand and purged within 30 days of cancellation, and it is never sold or used for model training.

middleBrick does not fix, patch, block, or remediate findings; it detects and reports with remediation guidance. It does not perform active SQL injection or command injection testing, as those require intrusive payloads outside its scope. It does not detect business logic vulnerabilities, blind SSRF relying on out-of-band infrastructure, or replace human pentesters for high-stakes audits. The tool maps findings to PCI-DSS 4.0, SOC 2 Type II, and OWASP API Top 10 (2023). For other frameworks, it helps you prepare for and supports audit evidence, aligning with security controls described in relevant standards without guaranteeing compliance.