The difference is that many websites at least employ some type of access control, requiring authorized users to log in. Vulnerabilities exist in every system “zero-day” vulnerabilities are those that have not yet been discovered., an API endpoint is similar to any Internet-facing web server the more free and open access the public has to a resource, the greater the potential threat from malicious actors. In terms of potential vulnerability A vulnerability is an inherent weakness in a system (hardware or software) that an attacker can potentially exploit. By design, APIs give outsiders access to your data: behind every API, there is an endpoint-the server (and its supporting databases) that responds to API requests (see Figure 1). The downside of publicly available web APIs is that they can potentially pose great risk to API providers. Understanding the Potential Risks of APIs And ultimately, APIs benefit consumers, who appreciate (and drive demand for) innovative, feature-rich, interactive apps that provide many services all in one app. APIs also benefit providers, who are able to create new revenue streams by making valuable data and services available to developers, usually for a fee.

APIs benefit app developers by simplifying the coding process and granting them access to a wealth of data and resources they would not otherwise be able to access.

The example we gave was a travel app, which uses web API calls to pull in availability and pricing information from various hotel, airline, cruise line, tour, car rental, and other companies.

In part one, we learned that web APIs (application programming interfaces) provide a way for app developers to “call” information from outside sources into the applications they build.

Least insecure browser