API Safety by Contract-Pushed Programming

In response to MITRE, the most typical type of API (software programming interface) misuse happens when the caller doesn’t honor its finish of a contract. Within the context of this text, a “contract” refers to a proper, exact settlement that outlines the anticipated behaviors, inputs, outputs, and unintended effects that an API ensures to any caller, guaranteeing that each the API and its shoppers adhere to specified constraints and usages. This idea is essential in stopping misuse by clearly defining the boundaries and necessities for each events concerned within the interplay. This weblog submit explores contract programming and particularly how that applies to the constructing, upkeep, and safety of APIs.

API misuse usually happens attributable to not understanding the state of the system behind an API, which can result in incorrect ordering of calls and finish in an error state that could be a vulnerability. This misuse may occur when an implementation of an API doesn’t meet the specification. For instance, a client could also be anticipating a sure output per the specification however obtain one thing totally different. Lastly, misuse of an API can occur in an object-oriented programming (OOP) context with particular subclass implementations. These implementations might not present the identical performance that’s mandated by the tremendous class or interface. Within the design and implementation of software program methods there exists a idea of contracts that may assist to resolve a few of these points.

An API is, in a normal sense, a contract between a supplier of a software program and the patron of that software program about what the system will do. This concept of contract programming or Design by Contract was coined by Bertrand Meyer in 1986. On this paradigm, a software program engineer defines formally the specification for every perform or methodology that the system exposes ((within the context of this paper, the phrases “perform” and “methodology” are used interchangeably). This specification contains noting pre-conditions, post-conditions, and invariants. Whereas usually a very good design follow for enhancing the verifiability of methods, this contract programming assemble additionally permits API safety.

Pre- and Postconditions of a Contract

We outline a capabilities contract because the set of pre- and post- circumstances and the invariants of the perform that should maintain.

Preconditions are the set of standards required earlier than a perform could be executed. These are issues that the service or API supplier count on to be true earlier than a perform is named. An instance of this, within the context of an API, is {that a} precondition for accessing a protected endpoint be that the caller offers a legitimate authentication token. One other instance is a perform that requires a legitimate (i.e., not null) pointer be handed to it. In both of those instances, if the precondition isn’t met (i.e., the token is invalid, or the pointer is null), then the contract is damaged.

Postconditions are the state or set of standards that have to be true after a perform is executed. Postconditions for an API would be the return of some specified knowledge and an HTTP 200 standing code. A caller or client that makes use of an API perform whose preconditions usually are not met isn’t entitled to the postconditions. The system that’s furnishing the API is anticipated to offer the submit circumstances. Lastly, invariants are the information or state that can not be modified by perform execution whatever the operation or transformation utilized by the perform.

Subsequently, to honor the contract means to reply the three questions of a Hoare triple:

1. What does the contract count on?
2. What does the contract assure?
3. What does the contract preserve?

Defining an API Interface

As an interface, an API sometimes is outlined in knowledge definition language (DDL), interface description language (IDL), or simply plain textual content. Consequently, an interface’s implementation will not be true to the specification. Formal strategies present a way of verifying that an implementation refines a specification. Making certain an implementation meets all expectations of an interface can also be carefully tied to the Liskov Substitution Precept. In discussing each refinement of a specification and the Liskov substitution precept we will generalize the next constraints for a perform:

1. Preconditions can’t be strengthened (i.e., an implementation might not settle for a narrower vary of enter than the specification dictates). For instance, an implementation of a pop() methodology on a Stack can not add a precondition that the stack should have a minimal measurement of 5 parts earlier than permitting a name to pop().
2. Postconditions can’t be weakened (i.e., an implementation might not return a bigger vary of output than the specification dictates). For instance, after calling push(aspect) on a Stack the stack should mirror the addition of precisely one new aspect, however no more.
3. Invariants can’t be weakened (i.e., an implementation might not alter the state of invariants listed within the specification). For instance, the dimensions of a stack must not ever be destructive, whatever the variety of pop() or push() operations carried out.

Along with errors on the patron facet of an API, errors may also be attributable to not totally implementing the interface of the API or doing so incorrectly. For instance, the Open Worldwide Utility Safety Mission (OWASP) basis publishes an inventory of the prime 10 API safety dangers. For 2023 the highest threat was Damaged Object Degree Authorization (BOLA). BOLA is an instance of an implementation not honoring a contract precondition, reminiscent of a request to a given API perform or endpoint should comprise an authorization token that’s legitimate for the actual object being requested.

Who Ought to Test the Pre-and Postconditions?

This query relies on the type and structure of the codebase that’s implementing an API. In lots of instances the supplier of the API would require robust preconditions and won’t even try and work if they don’t seem to be met. This constraint places the burden on the consumer to make sure that every part is legitimate and within the correct state earlier than calling an API. Then again, the strategies of defensive programming counsel that it’s probably higher to deal with unexpected circumstances extra gracefully. Meyer suggests when designing by contract that dealing with one case properly and requiring robust preconditions is a greatest follow that has proved profitable.

Programming Language Instruments for Defining API Contracts

How contracts are outlined in a selected language varies. In Java using Javadoc feedback to doc the parameters, return worth, exceptions, and the capabilities goal is a standard (although much less formal) approach of documenting a contract. There are additionally quite a lot of instruments that supply various ranges of ritual for outlining contracts that may assist to allow verification of API utilization. Some notable examples are:

• Eiffel
• Java by way of Java Modeling Language (JML)
• Kotlin (natively)
• Rust by way of the contracts crate
• Ada 2012 (natively)
• API Blueprint
• OpenAPI

Given the prevalence of HTTP-based REST APIs, OpenAPI is a related software and format for specifying endpoints, enter and output for every operation, authentication strategies, and different data. The usage of the OpenAPI specification to outline an API aligns properly with the design-by-contract paradigm of specifying the preconditions, such because the area of inputs and an outline of the endpoint. OpenAPI additionally permits for specifying the return from an endpoint together with the return code, an outline of what that return code means, the schema of any returned knowledge, and examples of the information.

Particularly, within the realm of API safety, OpenAPI additionally permits for specification of the authentication and authorization necessities for every endpoint. In the documentation, OpenAPI refers to this as a safety scheme. Within the 3.0 model, this safety scheme contains HTTP authentication, API Keys, OAuth2, and OpenID Join.

Doubtlessly a spot that OpenAPI falls quick is within the capacity to specify invariants of a perform. As an example, in a REST API, GET requests needs to be idempotent. There may be, nevertheless, no solution to doc exterior of a textual content description what an endpoint might or might not change by way of state.

Whereas Open API and the opposite listed instruments all provide a machine readable or parseable format, as beforehand talked about, even a textual content description of a capabilities contract may also help. The benefit of a machine-readable contract, nevertheless, is the power to generate take a look at instances for the contract.

There are a number of open-source instruments, reminiscent of RESTler and Dredd, that can devour an OpenAPI spec and routinely generate and execute take a look at instances towards an implementation. Equally with Java and the Java Modeling Language (JML), there are purposes that may rework the Javadoc feedback into runtime assertions. An instance of this strategy is the JML compiler that provides in assertions to the Java bytecode.

Advantages to API Testing

As now we have explored, there are numerous instruments for supporting contract programming. Nonetheless, these instruments include a value. Specifically, builders have to be educated on their use; the instruments have to be built-in right into a product’s DevSecOps pipeline, and they’re yet one more dependency that have to be maintained and up to date. Along with the patron advantages of offering a contract, what advantages can the API builders get from utilizing these instruments? I contend that the largest benefit to builders working underneath the contract programming paradigm is the power to check the interface with out testing the implementation.

Josh Bloch, CMU professor and previously of Google and Solar Microsystems wrote, “Code the use-cases towards your API earlier than you implement it.” A product with a well-defined contract permits the staff to check out an API specification and write instance consumer code that makes use of the capabilities or endpoints very early on within the growth cycle. This strategy eliminates any time spent implementing a particular perform after which discovering out the perform is awkward or exhausting to make use of type the consumer perspective.

This idea additionally extends to integration testing of various software program modules. For big, complicated methods it may be exhausting to assemble all of the customers to carry out dwell testing of every element. Equally, some methods can show exhausting to simulate a take a look at setting for. Maybe the goal system is extremely costly to function on (reminiscent of quantum computer systems at ~ $1.60 per second) or the system isn’t even constructed but. In each instances having a contract that precisely represents a software program module or library can support the mixing testing carried out by each producers and shoppers of the software program.

Growing API Usability Will increase Safety

Whereas APIs can be utilized by each people and different purposes, they’re finally designed and applied by people. Ignoring the usability or developer expertise of an API can result in safety issues whereas rising API usability can bolster safety. For instance, a examine by Sascha Fahl et. al discovered that in 13,500 well-liked free Android apps, eight % had misused the APIs for the Safe Sockets Layer (SSL) or its successor, the Transport Layer Safety (TLS), and have been thus susceptible to man-in-the-middle and different assaults. A follow-on examine of Apple iOS apps discovered that 9.7 % have been susceptible with causes together with vital difficulties utilizing safety APIs appropriately. The authors of the examine suggest quite a few adjustments that might improve the usability and safety of the APIs.

Brad Myers contends that API safety is a perform of dangerous code written by programmers who’re human. Simpler-to-use APIs subsequently assist safety by making good code simpler to jot down and dangerous code tougher. To assist this strategy, contract pushed programming could be a means to ease the burden of counting on documentation exterior of the supply code as a result of it has been proven that many software program builders desire to make use of supply code over official documentation.

Each API doesn’t present supply code. Nonetheless, even for these which might be totally open, centralizing the API guidelines and expectations inside a contract may also help streamline the developer expertise. This idea of a code-driven strategy to studying meshes properly with the truth that most contract programming mechanisms are immediately embedded withing the supply code that implements the contract. Having a transparent, easy-to-find and easy-to-use API contract can forestall unintentional misuse.

One other instance of a damaged contract that had safety implications is Heartbleed. Within the implementation of OpenSSL, the heartbeat request message could possibly be exploited to overread the buffer when asking for extra knowledge than the payload wanted. This exploit was a violation of the contract within the sense that the payload_length subject ought to have been the identical because the payload however was not. Looking back, this error is a basic buffer over-read, nevertheless it affected many methods. If a contract has explicitly outlined the precondition that the payload and payload size have to be the identical, the error might have been extra apparent to the implementer. Whereas there are different means to resolve this similar drawback by automated code restore or utilizing languages with extra strict compilers, contract pushed programming may present a language agnostic solution to keep away from comparable errors in implementation.

The Way forward for API Contract Programming

Contract programming within the context of APIs is a strong idea that may assist guarantee an API conforms to a specification. APIs by their nature signify a black field the place an implementation and the how of the system is opaque to the person. Given the character of APIs, it is very important inform API customers what precisely is required and what to anticipate. A standardized strategy to representing these contracts helps testers automate and validate APIs. Properly-defined contracts may support within the developer expertise of an API and supply extra formal verification of methods that require much more assurance.