APIs are the lifeblood of modern digital infrastructure—connecting applications, services, and data across cloud-native environments. According to Osterman’s 2025 Cyber Survey, API usage has surged 42% since 2023, with organizations now integrating an average of 19 third-party APIs per application. Yet only 6% of organizations have full documentation for all their APIs, and nearly 50% admit they don’t know what third-party code is running in their applications.
You Can’t Secure What You Can’t See. This lack of visibility creates serious risks—from data leakage and unauthorized access to hidden backdoors and business logic abuse. Security teams are left trying to protect an environment they can’t fully see, while DevOps and DevSecOps teams struggle to maintain control over rapidly evolving API ecosystems.
API Discovery: Your Map to the Unknown
API Discovery is the process of automatically identifying, mapping, and cataloging every API in your environment—whether internal, external, third-party, outdated, or shadow APIs. It’s not just about listing endpoints; it’s about understanding:
- Which APIs are active
- What data do they access
- How they’re being used
- What endpoints do they expose
This dynamic visibility is essential for understanding your API landscape and eliminating blind spots. Even if you have OpenAPI specs, they’re often outdated or incomplete.
Why Discovery Isn’t Optional Anymore
API Discovery isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s the foundation of any serious API security strategy. Discovery gives you a real-time view of what’s actually running in production, not just what’s been documented. Here’s why it’s so important:
- It enables schema enforcement: You can't validate requests or block malformed traffic if you don't know what "normal" looks like.
- It helps prioritize risk: With full visibility, security teams can identify misconfigurations, assess exposure, and respond faster.
- It's the first step in business logic protection: To defend against business logic attacks that exploit your application's API workflows, you first need visibility into the sequences and interactions between API endpoints. That begins with comprehensive API discovery. Once all endpoints are identified, you can map the application's business logic and define security rules and policies tailored to those workflows.
Visibility Is Power
In a world where APIs are growing faster than teams can track, API Discovery is your first line of defense. It turns blind spots into insight and gives security teams the clarity they need to build smarter, more adaptive security.
If you’re serious about protecting your digital ecosystem, start with visibility. Start with API Discovery.
Learn more on our Radware Minute video
What is API Discovery? | A Radware Minute