COURSE OVERVIEW

This 5-week intensive program teaches students how to design, build, and secure RESTful APIs for production environments. Participants will learn secure coding principles, authentication and authorization techniques, input validation, and defenses against common API attacks. Real-world case studies and hands-on labs will reinforce learning, ensuring students can develop APIs that are both functional and resilient to threats.

Duration

5 Weeks • 40 Hours

Level

Advanced • Basic programming knowledge required

Certification

AstralGuard API Security Specialist Badge

Format

Online • Instructor-led with coding labs

COURSE CURRICULUM

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5

Week 1: Introduction to APIs & Security Fundamentals

Learning Objectives

Understand API fundamentals and architecture
Learn communication protocols and security requirements
Set up a basic REST API with secure configuration
Recognize common API security threats from OWASP Top 10

Topics Covered

What is an API? REST vs GraphQL basics
API communication protocols (HTTP, HTTPS, JSON, XML)
Importance of API security in modern applications
Common API architectures
Introduction to OWASP API Security Top 10

                            // Sample secure API endpoint
                            app.get('/api/secure', (req, res) => {
                              // Verify authentication token
                              const token = req.headers['authorization'];
                              if (!verifyToken(token)) {
                                return res.status(401).json({ error: 'Unauthorized' });
                              }
                              res.json({ data: 'Secure content' });
                            });
                        

Practical Labs

Setting up a basic REST API using Python (Flask/FastAPI) or Node.js (Express)
Secure server configuration basics (TLS/HTTPS)
API endpoint testing with Postman

Outcome

Students understand API fundamentals, architecture, and basic security requirements
Quiz: API security basics

Week 2: Authentication & Authorization

Learning Objectives

Implement secure authentication mechanisms
Design role-based access control systems
Manage API keys and tokens securely
Handle sessions and expiration policies

Topics Covered

Authentication vs Authorization
Token-based authentication (JWT, OAuth 2.0)
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
API key management best practices
Session handling and expiration policies

                            // JWT verification middleware
                            function authenticateToken(req, res, next) {
                              const authHeader = req.headers['authorization'];
                              const token = authHeader && authHeader.split(' ')[1];
                            
                              if (!token) return res.sendStatus(401);
                            
                              jwt.verify(token, process.env.ACCESS_TOKEN_SECRET, (err, user) => {
                                if (err) return res.sendStatus(403);
                                req.user = user;
                                next();
                              });
                            }
                        

Practical Labs

Implementing JWT authentication in an API
Creating role-based access control for API endpoints
Token refresh mechanism implementation

Outcome

Students can implement secure and scalable authentication/authorization in APIs
Assignment: Secure API endpoint with RBAC

Week 3: Input Validation & Data Protection

Learning Objectives

Implement robust input validation techniques
Prevent common injection attacks
Apply rate limiting to prevent API abuse
Handle sensitive data securely

Topics Covered

Data sanitization and validation techniques
Preventing injection attacks (SQLi, XSS, NoSQLi)
Rate limiting and throttling to prevent abuse
Secure handling of sensitive data (encryption, hashing)

                            // Input validation middleware
                            const validateUserInput = (req, res, next) => {
                              const { username, password } = req.body;
                            
                              if (!username || username.length < 4) {
                                return res.status(400).json({ error: 'Invalid username' });
                              }
                            
                              if (!password || password.length < 8) {
                                return res.status(400).json({ error: 'Password too weak' });
                              }
                            
                              next();
                            };
                        

Practical Labs

Implementing input validation middleware
Adding rate limiting to API endpoints
Data encryption and hashing exercises

Outcome

Students can validate and protect API input/output to reduce vulnerabilities
Assignment: Secure data processing API

Week 4: Common API Vulnerabilities & Secure Design

Learning Objectives

Identify and mitigate OWASP API Security Top 10 risks
Prevent Broken Object Level Authorization (BOLA)
Avoid excessive data exposure
Implement secure API design patterns

Topics Covered

Deep dive into OWASP API Security Top 10
Broken Object Level Authorization (BOLA)
Excessive Data Exposure
Mass Assignment vulnerabilities
Security misconfigurations

                            // Preventing BOLA
                            app.get('/api/users/:id', authenticateToken, (req, res) => {
                              const userId = req.params.id;
                              // Verify requester has access to this resource
                              if (req.user.id !== userId && !req.user.isAdmin) {
                                return res.sendStatus(403);
                              }
                              // Return user data
                              res.json(getUserData(userId));
                            });
                        

Practical Labs

Exploiting and patching API vulnerabilities in a lab environment
Secure API endpoint design and testing
Data filtering exercises

Outcome

Students can identify, exploit (ethically), and fix API vulnerabilities
Assignment: Vulnerability patching challenge

Week 5: API Testing, Monitoring & Deployment

Learning Objectives

Conduct automated API security testing
Implement logging and monitoring solutions
Generate secure API documentation
Deploy APIs with production-grade security

Topics Covered

Automated API security testing tools (Postman, OWASP ZAP)
Logging and monitoring API activity
Secure API documentation with Swagger/OpenAPI
Best practices for production deployment
Incident response and patching procedures

                            // API monitoring middleware
                            app.use((req, res, next) => {
                              const start = Date.now();
                              res.on('finish', () => {
                                const duration = Date.now() - start;
                                logApiRequest({
                                  method: req.method,
                                  path: req.path,
                                  status: res.statusCode,
                                  duration,
                                  ip: req.ip,
                                  userAgent: req.get('User-Agent')
                                });
                              });
                              next();
                            });
                        

Practical Labs

Implementing automated API vulnerability scans
Configuring secure API deployment with HTTPS & reverse proxies
Generating OpenAPI documentation

Outcome

Students can securely test, monitor, and deploy APIs in a production-grade environment
Final Project: Secure API implementation

COURSE RESOURCES

Final Assessment

Students will design, build, secure, and deploy a REST API from scratch, incorporating authentication, validation, and protection against real-world threats. The project will be evaluated based on security implementation, functionality, and adherence to best practices.

SECURE API DEVELOPMENT ADVANCED

COURSE OVERVIEW

Duration

Level

Certification

Format

COURSE CURRICULUM

Week 1: Introduction to APIs & Security Fundamentals

Learning Objectives

Topics Covered

Practical Labs

Outcome

Week 2: Authentication & Authorization

Learning Objectives

Topics Covered

Practical Labs

Outcome

Week 3: Input Validation & Data Protection

Learning Objectives

Topics Covered

Practical Labs

Outcome

Week 4: Common API Vulnerabilities & Secure Design

Learning Objectives

Topics Covered

Practical Labs

Outcome

Week 5: API Testing, Monitoring & Deployment

Learning Objectives

Topics Covered

Practical Labs

Outcome

COURSE RESOURCES

Final Assessment

READY TO BUILD SECURE APIs?