Best alternative to Akto

middleBrick serves as a self-service API security scanner that emphasizes objective measurement over marketing claims. Submit a URL and receive a risk score from A to F with prioritized findings. The scanner operates as a black-box solution, requiring no agents, SDKs, or code access, and supports any language, framework, or cloud environment. Scan duration remains under one minute using read-only methods (GET and HEAD) plus text-only POST for LLM probes.

Compared to tools such as Akto, middleBrick focuses on broad compatibility and low-friction onboarding while maintaining strict limits on probe intensity. It does not attempt to fix, patch, or block issues; it detects and reports with remediation guidance. For teams that need lightweight coverage across many services and environments, this approach positions middleBrick as a direct alternative to Akto, whereas specialized SAST/DAST tools and comprehensive pentests remain complementary options.

middleBrick maps findings to three frameworks: PCI-DSS 4.0, SOC 2 Type II, and OWASP API Top 10 (2023). Detection covers 12 security categories aligned to OWASP API Top 10, including Authentication issues such as JWT misconfigurations and security header compliance, Broken Object Level Authorization (BOLA/IDOR) through sequential ID enumeration and active adjacent-ID probing, and Broken Function Level Authorization (BFLA) via admin endpoint probing and role leakage.

Additional categories include Property Authorization exposing internal fields, Input Validation such as CORS wildcard misconfigurations and dangerous HTTP methods, Rate Limiting and Resource Consumption indicators, Data Exposure patterns including PII and API key formats, Encryption and HTTPS hygiene, SSRF probes against URL-accepting parameters, Inventory Management issues like missing versioning, Unsafe Consumption surfaces, and LLM / AI Security through 18 adversarial probe tiers. The scanner parses OpenAPI 3.0, 3.1, and Swagger 2.0 with recursive $ref resolution and cross-references spec definitions against runtime findings.

Authenticated scanning is available from the Starter tier and above, supporting Bearer tokens, API keys, Basic auth, and Cookies. Domain verification is enforced through a DNS TXT record or an HTTP well-known file to ensure only domain owners can scan with credentials. The scanner forwards a strict header allowlist limited to Authorization, X-API-Key, Cookie, and X-Custom-* headers.

Safety measures include read-only methods only, with destructive payloads never sent. Private IPs, localhost, and cloud metadata endpoints are blocked at multiple layers. Customer scan data is deletable on demand, purged within 30 days of cancellation, and is never sold or used for model training. Note that the tool does not perform active SQL injection or command injection testing, does not detect business logic vulnerabilities, and does not replace a human pentester for high-stakes audits.

The Web Dashboard provides centralized scan management, 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 enables CI/CD gating, failing the build when the score drops below a configured threshold. An MCP Server allows scanning from AI coding assistants such as Claude and Cursor, and a native API client supports custom integrations.

Pro tier adds continuous monitoring with configurable rescan intervals of 6 hours, daily, weekly, or monthly. Diff detection highlights new findings, resolved findings, and score drift across scans. Email alerts are rate-limited to 1 per hour per API, and HMAC-SHA256 signed webhooks auto-disable after 5 consecutive failures. Enterprise tier provides unlimited APIs, custom rules, SSO, audit logs, SLA-backed support, and dedicated assistance.

middleBrick is a scanning tool that surfaces findings and guidance rather than enforcing fixes or controls. It does not conduct active injection tests that require intrusive payloads, nor does it discover business logic issues that demand domain context. The scanner does not replace specialized SAST/DAST tools, compliance auditors, or human-led penetration tests for critical assets.

1. What security frameworks does middleBrick support?
2. Does authenticated scanning require domain verification?
3. How are scan results stored and retained?
4. Can the scanner detect blind SSRF or business logic flaws?
5. What integrations are available for CI/CD pipelines?