API Security in Action

Secure APIs with a Practical, Developer-Friendly Approach

API Security in Action focuses on the security decisions that matter most when you are building and shipping APIs: authentication, authorization, token handling, encryption, logging, rate limiting, and the trade-offs that appear once APIs move beyond a simple trusted environment.

Neil Madden takes a hands-on route through the subject, using a sample API project to show how vulnerabilities arise and how security controls can be applied in practice. The book starts with core security mechanisms and then builds into token-based authentication, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, identity-based access control, and capability-based security models. It also reaches into more specialized territory, including microservice APIs and IoT scenarios, so the material does not stay locked inside one narrow deployment style.

What the book covers

• API security fundamentals and threat-aware design
• Authentication, session handling, and token-based security
• JWTs, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect
• Role-based, attribute-based, and capability-based access control
• Security concerns in microservice and IoT API environments

Built for developers who work with real APIs

This is a technical ebook for readers who already understand the basics of RESTful APIs and want to go deeper into secure implementation. The examples are in Java, and the emphasis stays on applying security concepts rather than discussing them only in the abstract. If you are building APIs that need to survive hostile networks, multi-user access patterns, or distributed systems, the book gives you a clear framework for thinking through those problems.

A clear path from concepts to implementation

One of the strengths of this title is its progression. The early chapters establish the vocabulary of API security; later sections connect those ideas to concrete mechanisms such as cookies, bearer tokens, scoped access, encryption, and policy enforcement. That makes the book especially useful as both a learning guide and a reference when you need to revisit a specific security pattern.

Digital Delights note: a strong choice for developers, engineers, and security-minded readers looking for a serious, practical API security ebook.