middleBrick vs Cloudflare API Shield

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What middleBrick covers

  • Black-box scanning with no agents or code access
  • 12 categories aligned to OWASP API Top 10
  • OpenAPI 3.0/3.1 and Swagger 2.0 parsing with ref resolution
  • Authenticated scans with domain verification
  • CI/CD integration via GitHub Action and MCP server
  • Pro continuous monitoring with signed webhooks

Scope and methodology comparison

middleBrick is a black-box API security scanner that submits requests to a target endpoint and analyzes responses. It requires no agents, SDKs, or code access and supports any language or framework. Scan time is under one minute, using read-only methods plus text-only POST for LLM probes. Publicly stated Cloudflare API Shield capabilities focus on WAF rules, bot management, and rate control; specifics on scanner coverage are limited in public documentation. middleBrick maps findings to OWASP API Top 10 (2023), PCI-DSS 4.0, and SOC 2 Type II. Cloudflare API Shield does not map its controls to these frameworks in publicly available materials.

Detection surface and API analysis

middleBrick detects issues across 12 categories, including authentication bypass, IDOR, privilege escalation, data exposure, injection surfaces, and LLM security probes. It parses OpenAPI 3.0, 3.1, and Swagger 2.0 with recursive $ref resolution and cross-references spec definitions against runtime behavior. This supports audit evidence for controls described in OWASP API Top 10 and SOC 2 Type II. Public documentation for Cloudflare API Shield does not detail an OpenAPI analysis feature or a comparable detection taxonomy. Uncertainty remains on exact coverage; verify current feature availability in the Cloudflare dashboard.

Authentication, scanning safety, and compliance framing

middleBrick supports Bearer, API key, Basic, and Cookie authentication for authenticated scans, with a domain verification gate to ensure only domain owners can scan with credentials. Header forwarding is restricted to a defined allowlist. All findings align with PCI-DSS 4.0 and SOC 2 Type II controls, and validate security configurations described in OWASP API Top 10. Cloudflare API Shield public documentation does not specify similar authentication options or verification mechanisms for third-party scans. middleBrick does not claim compliance certifications for HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001, or other regulations, and uses alignment language only where relevant.

Operational model, integrations, and monitoring

middleBrick provides a web dashboard for reports and score trends, a CLI via an npm package, a GitHub Action for CI/CD gating, an MCP server for AI coding assistants, and a programmatic API. Continuous monitoring in Pro tier includes scheduled rescans, diff detection, email alerts, HMAC-SHA256 signed webhooks, and Slack or Teams notifications. Cloudflare API Shield operates as a WAF and bot management layer; its native integrations focus on traffic enforcement rather than scan orchestration or trend tracking. Public documentation does not confirm equivalent scheduling, webhook signing, or CI/CD gating capabilities for API Shield.

Pricing model and target users

middleBrick offers a free tier (3 scans/month, CLI only), Starter at 99 USD/month (15 APIs, dashboard, email alerts), Pro at 499 USD/month (100 APIs, continuous monitoring, CI/CD gates), and Enterprise at 2000+ USD/month (unlimited APIs, SSO, audit logs). Target users range from developers validating API surfaces to security teams needing CI/CD integration. Cloudflare API Shield pricing is not detailed in public sources; access typically requires an underlying Cloudflare plan. Uncertainty remains on exact public tier limits; review the Cloudflare portal for current pricing.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does middleBrick perform active exploitation like SQL injection or command injection?
No. middleBrick is read-only and does not send destructive payloads. It does not perform active SQL injection or command injection testing.
Can middleBrick remediate or fix findings automatically?
No. The tool detects and reports with remediation guidance but does not fix, patch, or block issues automatically.
Does middleBrick detect business logic vulnerabilities or blind SSRF?
No. These require human expertise and out-of-band infrastructure, which are outside the scanner's scope.
How does middleBrick compare to a human pentester for high-stakes audits?
middleBrick does not replace a human pentester for high-stakes audits. It supports audit evidence and surface validation but cannot replicate contextual, domain-specific testing.