What it means
Gateways and management platforms can enforce authentication, authorization, rate limits, transformation, routing, analytics, and developer access, but they do not replace secure application logic.
Why it matters
APIs concentrate access to data and business functions and are often reachable through automated, high-volume clients.
Practical focus
- Define identity, authorization, and data policies per API
- Apply rate, quota, and abuse controls
- Version interfaces and monitor unexpected use
Common mistakes
- Using an API key as complete authorization
- Publishing internal interfaces without threat modeling
- Logging sensitive request and response bodies
Certification relevance
This subject appears in or supports the following certification bodies of knowledge: