3 Reasons Developers Should Shift Left for API Security

Shifting left for API security has many benefits. It allows developers to produce better code, catch API issues earlier in the development cycle, and get their work done faster. 

In order to build API security testing into the development process naturally, use a shift left approach along with an automated API tester, such as Mayhem. 

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What Is Shifting Left? 

Shifting left is the process of testing the quality and performance of software earlier in the development cycle. Instead of having a separate testing phase before software deployment, shift left testing is done as a continuous process throughout development. 

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What Is Mayhem? 

Mayhem is an API and code testing solution that uses fuzzing automation technology to give developers detailed API testing results in less than five minutes. You can use Mayhem to test for API defects with each commit or build. 

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3 Reasons Developers Should Shift Left for API Security

1. Produce Software With Fewer Defects 

In the traditional software development life cycle (SDLC), all testing occurs just before the deployment phase. However, this is the point where the software has the largest API attack surface. A shift left approach gives you more time to discover vulnerabilities, since testing occurs throughout the entire development process. 

How Mayhem Can Help: 

Mayhem gives you the opportunity to build a secure API from your earliest commit. 

Running directly in your command line, Mayhem generates a security report in less than five minutes. Detailed documentation about API issues can be viewed in the application, where each issue is tagged, cross-referenced with the latest specs, sorted by the path it was found in, and assigned a severity score for easy remediation.

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2. Identify API Bugs Sooner 

Since shift left testing happens throughout the DLC (development life cycle), developers are able to identify vulnerabilities earlier in the process, when they are easier to remediate. 

How Mayhem Can Help: 

Mayhem flags your API defects in real time, commit-by-commit or build-by-build, and provides you with context for each issue, including: 

• Hints that describe the problem 
• Potential remediation techniques 
• Fast tips on how to resolve critical errors 

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3. Save Time 

Using a shift left approach means there is not a separate testing phase before deployment. This lets development teams avoid bottlenecks in the DLC and bring software to market faster. 

How Mayhem Can Help: 

You can save even more time by letting Mayhem take on the bulk of API testing. While you might eventually be able to find API issues manually with random requests, Mayhem for API will find them much faster and can run in the background while you work on solving high-level problems for your clients. 

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Try Mayhem Free 

Using Mayhem is the easiest way to integrate API testing into your CI/CD pipeline. Try Mayhem free for 30 days and see how easy it is to shift left for API security.