middleBrick vs Wallarm

middleBrick is a black-box API security scanner that submits requests to a live endpoint and analyzes responses. It requires no agents, SDKs, or code instrumentation and supports any language, framework, or cloud. Read-only methods (GET and HEAD) plus text-only POST for LLM probes are used, with scans completing in under a minute. Wallarm operates as a reverse proxy and runtime protection platform that inspects and can block traffic. It supports dynamic application security testing (DAST) style analysis and can be deployed as a cloud service or on premises. Because Wallarm runs in-line, it can influence request flow, whereas middleBrick remains non-disruptive and does not modify traffic.

middleBrick detects 12 categories aligned to the OWASP API Top 10 (2023), including authentication bypass, BOLA and BFLA, property authorization, input validation, rate limiting, data exposure, encryption misconfigurations, SSRF indicators, inventory issues, unsafe consumption, and LLM/AI security probes. It also parses OpenAPI 3.0, 3.1, and Swagger 2.0 with recursive $ref resolution, cross-referencing the spec against runtime behavior to surface undefined security schemes or deprecated operations. Findings map to PCI-DSS 4.0, SOC 2 Type II, and OWASP API Top 10 controls. Wallarm reports vulnerabilities during runtime and provides some compliance mappings, but specific framework alignments are not detailed in public documentation. middleBrick does not perform intrusive exploitation such as active SQL injection or command injection, and it does not claim business logic coverage.

middleBrick requires only a target URL to start a scan. Authenticated scans from Starter tier onward support Bearer, API key, Basic auth, and Cookie methods, with domain verification via DNS TXT record or HTTP well-known file to ensure only the domain owner can submit credentials. Header forwarding is limited to an allowlist including Authorization, X-API-Key, Cookie, and X-Custom-* headers. Wallarm integration typically involves DNS or reverse proxy changes to route traffic through its nodes, with configuration options for authentication, IP allowlists, and rule tuning. The level of ongoing maintenance is higher for Wallarm due to its inline deployment, while middleBrick aims for low setup friction with no persistent infrastructure to manage.

middleBrick provides a web dashboard for scan management and trend tracking, a CLI via an npm package (middlebrick scan <url>), a GitHub Action for CI/CD gating, an MCP server for AI coding assistants, and a programmatic API for custom integrations. Wallarm offers multiple deployment modes, including cloud and on-premises, with its WAF rules and API security features embedded in the proxy layer. Integration footprint for middleBrick is minimal, limited to API keys and optional header allowlists, whereas Wallarm requires traffic redirection and ongoing tuning to balance security rules and false positives. middleBrick does not install runtime components in your application, while Wallarm operates as a traffic gateway.

middleBrick pricing is subscription-based. The Free tier allows 3 scans per month with CLI access. Starter at 99 dollars per month supports 15 APIs, monthly scans, dashboard, email alerts, and MCP Server. Pro at 499 dollars per month adds continuous monitoring for up to 100 APIs, GitHub Action gates, CI/CD integration, Slack or Teams alerts, compliance reports, and signed webhooks. Enterprise at 2000 dollars per month or more offers unlimited APIs, custom rules, SSO, audit logs, SLA, and dedicated support. Wallarm pricing is not detailed in public materials and typically involves contact-based quoting. Operational considerations for middleBrick include data deletion on demand with purging within 30 days of cancellation and no use of customer data for model training. Wallarm may retain traffic data for rule training and analytics, depending on deployment choices.