Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) have become the fundamental building blocks of cloud-native applications, enabling microservices to communicate and external systems to integrate with internal services. However, this increased connectivity and exposure also creates significant security challenges that must be addressed through comprehensive API security strategies. Modern cloud-native applications often expose dozens or hundreds of APIs, each representing a potential attack vector that requires careful security consideration.

The security of APIs in cloud-native environments is particularly complex because these interfaces must balance accessibility with protection, enabling legitimate users and services to interact efficiently while preventing unauthorized access and malicious activities. This challenge is compounded by the dynamic nature of cloud-native deployments, where API endpoints may be created, modified, or destroyed frequently as applications scale and evolve.