Best alternative to Cloudflare API Shield
What middleBrick covers
- Black-box scanning with no agents or code access
- Risk scoring aligned to OWASP API Top 10
- OpenAPI 3.x and Swagger 2.0 parsing with ref resolution
- Authenticated scans with header allowlist controls
- LLM adversarial probe testing across scan tiers
- Continuous monitoring with diff detection and alerts
Scope and approach compared to Cloudflare API Shield
Cloudflare API Shield provides edge-side protections such as schema validation and bot mitigation, which are valuable for specific deployments. middleBrick is a black-box API security scanner focused on detection rather than runtime enforcement, offering an alternative for teams that need broad coverage without code or agent dependencies. Because it operates read-only, it fits environments where runtime changes are not permissible.
Detection coverage aligned to industry standards
middleBrick maps findings to OWASP API Top 10 (2023), PCI-DSS 4.0, and SOC 2 Type II, enabling audit evidence collection against recognized controls. Coverage includes authentication bypasses, JWT misconfigurations such as alg=none and HS256 usage, sensitive data exposure like PII and API keys, and input validation issues including CORS misconfigurations and dangerous HTTP methods. The scanner also covers SSRF indicators and LLM security probes without performing intrusive exploitation.
Deployment model and integration flexibility
As a self-service scanner, middleBrick requires no agents, SDKs, or runtime instrumentation, making it applicable to any language, framework, or cloud environment. It supports OpenAPI 3.0, 3.1, and Swagger 2.0 with recursive $ref resolution, cross-referencing spec definitions against runtime behavior. Authenticated scans are available with Bearer, API key, Basic auth, and cookies, gated by domain verification to ensure only domain owners can submit credentials.
Operational characteristics and scan lifecycle
Scans complete in under a minute using read-only methods such as GET and HEAD, with text-only POST for LLM probes. Results deliver a risk score from A to F and prioritized findings. Continuous monitoring options include scheduled rescans every 6 hours, daily, weekly, or monthly, with diff detection to surface new or resolved issues. Alerts are rate-limited and delivered via email or HMAC-SHA256 signed webhooks, with data deletable on demand and purged within 30 days of cancellation.
Limitations and complementary practices
middleBrick 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 or blind SSRF, and it is not a replacement for a human pentester in high-stakes audits. The tool identifies indicators and provides remediation guidance, while fixes and enforcement must be implemented through dedicated security and development processes.