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Defining an API using API JSON configuration file in sideband mode

To secure your API environment using sideband ASE deployment, APIs need to be configured in ASE using an API JSON file. Each API has a unique API JSON file. ASE ships with sample JSON files located in the /config/api directory. You can manually configure the JSON file with the required parameters as shown in the next section.

The API JSON file parameters define the behavior and properties of your API. The sample API JSON files shipped with ASE can be changed to your environment settings and are populated with default values.

The following table describes the JSON file parameters:

Parameter Description

protocol

API request type with supported values of:

http - HTTP

url

The value of the URL for the managed API. You can configure up to 10 levels of sub-paths when ASE is deployed in sideband mode. For example,

"/shopping"- name of a 1 level API

"/shopping/electronics/phones/brand" – 4 level API

"/" – entire server (used for ABS API Discovery or load balancing)

hostname

Hostname for the API. The value cannot be empty.

“*” matches any hostname.

Configure the client identifiers (for example, cookie, API key, OAuth2 token) used by the API

cookie

Name of cookie used by the backend servers.

cookie_idle_timeout

logout_api_enabled

cookie_persistence_enabled

N/A

oauth2_access_token

When true, ASE captures OAuth2 Access Tokens.

When false, ASE does not look for OAuth2 Tokens.

Default value is false.

For more information, see Capture client identifiers - Sideband.

is_token_mandatory

When set totrue, if the request has a missing token, ASE adds the IP address of the client to blacklist and blocks the request. When set tofalse, ASE does not block the client.

For ASE to check and block the client the following values must be set to true:

The default value is false.

apikey_qs

When API key is sent in the query string, ASE uses the specified parameter name to capture the API key value.

For more information, see Configuring API keys.

apikey_header

When API key is part of the header field, ASE uses the specified parameter name to capture the API key value.

For more information, see Capture client identifiers - Sideband.

login_url

Public URL used by a client to connect to the application.

enable_blocking

When true, ASE blocks all types of attack on this API. When false, no attacks are blocked.

Default value is false.

api_mapping

N/A

API pattern enforcement

protocol_allowed

http_redirect

methods_allowed

content_type_allowed

error_code

error_type

error_message_body

N/A

Flow control

client_spike_threshold

client_connection_queuing

N/A

api_memory_size

Maximum ASE memory allocation for an API.

The default value is 128 MB. The data unit can be MB or GB.

Health_check

health_check_interval

health_retry_count

health_url

N/A

server_ssl

N/A

Servers:

host

port

The IP address or hostname and port number of each backend server running the API.

server_spike_threshold

server_connection_quota

N/A

Decoy Config

decoy_enabled

response_code

response_def response_message

decoy_subpaths

When decoy_enabled is set to true, decoy sub-paths function as decoy APIs .

response_code is the status code (for example 200) that ASE returns when a decoy API path is accessed.

response_def is the response definition (for example OK) that ASE returns when a decoy API path is accessed.

response_messageis the response message (for example OK) that ASE returns when a decoy API path is accessed.

decoy_subpathsis the list of decoy API sub-paths (for example shop/admin, shop/root)

See Configuring API deception for details.

username_header

The name of the custom header containing username. When the value of username_header is set, ASE extracts the username from the custom header. For more information, see Extract username from custom header in sideband mode.

You can configure Username capture from either username_header or JWT object, but not both.

JWT

location

username

clientid

When the parameter values of JWTobject are set, ASE decodes the JWT to extract the user information from the JWT object.

location is the place of occurrence of JWT in an API request. The supported values are:

  • qs:<key name>

  • h:<custom header name>

  • h:authorization:bearer

  • h:authorization:mac

  • h:cookie:<cookie key>

username is the JWT claim to extract the username.

clientid is the JWT claim to extract the client-id.

For more information, see Extract user information from JWT in sideband mode.

You can configure Username capture from either JWT object or username_header, but not both.

Here is a sample JSON file for a REST API:

         {
         "api_metadata": {
         "protocol": "http",
         "url": "/rest",
         "hostname": "*",
         "cookie": "",
         "cookie_idle_timeout": "200m",
         "logout_api_enabled": false,
         "cookie_persistence_enabled": false,
         "oauth2_access_token": false,
         "is_token_mandatory": false,
         "apikey_qs": "",
         "apikey_header": "",
         "login_url": "",
         "enable_blocking": true,
         "api_mapping": {
         "internal_url": ""
         },
         "api_pattern_enforcement": {
         "protocol_allowed": "",
         "http_redirect": {
         "response_code": "",
         "response_def": "",
         "https_url": ""
         },
         "methods_allowed": [],
         "content_type_allowed": "",
         "error_code": "401",
         "error_def": "Unauthorized",
         "error_message_body": "401 Unauthorized"
         },
         "flow_control": {
         "client_spike_threshold": "0/second",
         "server_connection_queueing": false
         },
         "api_memory_size": "128mb",
         "health_check": false,
         "health_check_interval": 60,
         "health_retry_count": 4,
         "health_url": "/health",
         "health_check_headers": {},
         "server_ssl": false,
         "servers": [
         {
         "host": "127.0.0.1",
         "port": 8080,
         "server_spike_threshold": "0/second",
         "server_connection_quota": 0
         },
         {
         "host": "127.0.0.1",
         "port": 8081,
         "server_spike_threshold": "0/second",
         "server_connection_quota": 0
         }
         ],
         "decoy_config": {
         "decoy_enabled": false,
         "response_code": 200,
         "response_def": "",
         "response_message": "",
         "decoy_subpaths": []
         },
         "username_header": "x-username-header",
         "jwt": {
         "location": "h:authorization:bearer",
         "username": "username",
         "clientid": "client_id"
         }
         }
         }

The sample JSON file has an extension of .example. If you are customizing the example file, then save the file as a .json file.

Manually add API JSON to ASE

After configuring an API JSON file, add it to ASE to activate ASE processing. To add an API, execute the following CLI command:

/opt/pingidentity/ase/bin/cli.sh –u admin -p admin add_api {file_path/api_name}

After configuring API JSON files for each API, ASE configuration is complete.

Update a configured API JSON

After activation, an API JSON definition can be updated in real time. Edit the API JSON file located in the /config/api directory and make the desired changes. Save the edited API JSON file and execute the following CLI command:

/opt/pingidentity/ase/bin/cli.sh –u admin -p admin update_api <api_name>

For example:

/opt/pingidentity/ase/bin/cli.sh –u admin -p admin update_api shop
api shop updated successfully