RESTful API Security Quiz

What does the X-RateLimit-Remaining header represent in an API?

What is the purpose of using HTTPS in API communication?

What does the HTTP Basic Authentication method allow a client to provide when requesting access to a protected resource?

What status code does the server typically respond with when a client tries to access a protected resource without proper credentials?

What does the WWW-Authenticate header inform the client about in an API response?

What security measure helps protect APIs from replay attacks?

What format is the value of the Authorization header supposed to follow in Basic Authentication?

What is the drawback of using Basic Authentication?

In Token-based authentication, what does the successful response include?

What HTTP status code does the server respond with upon successful deletion of a resource?

Why is it advisable to avoid including username and password directly in the URL?

What type of scheme is typically indicated in the Authorization header when using an access token?

Rate Limiting

Rate Limit is a limit on the number of requests to an API within a time slot
X-RateLimit-Limit specifies the number of calls during the time slot
X-RateLimit-Remaining specifies the number of remaining calls
X-RateLimit-Reset specifies the time when the call counter will be reset
Receiving a 429 Too Many Requests response indicates that the rate limit has been exceeded

Authentication

Authentication is a method for a client to provide a username and password to a server when requesting access to a protected resource
HTTP Basic Authentication is a common method for authentication
The client is challenged with a 401 Unauthorized status code and a WWW-Authenticate header when attempting to access a protected resource
The client responds with an Authorization header containing a Base64-encoded string of the username and password

Security Issues with Basic Authentication

The Base64-encoded string is not encrypted, making it vulnerable to interception and decoding
The username and password are transmitted in plain text, making it susceptible to security breaches

Token-based Authentication

The client sends a POST request to the server's /auth endpoint with credentials in the body
The server responds with a 201 Created status code and an access token upon successful verification
The access token is a unique identifier for the user session
The client can access resources on the server using the access token in the Authorization header

Security Principle

Avoid sending credentials in the URL to prevent exposure through logging systems and proxies
Use a separate login request to keep credentials out of URLs and reduce the risk of exposure

Test your knowledge on RESTful API security concepts such as rate limiting, authentication, attack vectors, and best practices. Learn about preventing injections, XSS, CSRF attacks, and ensuring secure communication with HTTPS.