# Endpoint Security Endpoint security refers to the practice of protecting network entry points -- including end-user devices, servers, and API endpoints -- from unauthorized access and malicious activity. In the traditional IT sense, this involves securing laptops, desktops, and mobile devices with antivirus, encryption, and access controls. In the context of APIs, endpoint security focuses on protecting API endpoints from threats such as injection attacks, credential stuffing, data exfiltration, and denial-of-service attacks. This includes implementing authentication, input validation, encryption in transit (TLS), and monitoring for anomalous request patterns. API gateways serve as a centralized enforcement point for endpoint security. They can validate incoming requests, strip malicious headers, enforce content-type restrictions, and block suspicious traffic before it reaches backend services. In serverless architectures, where backend functions are stateless and ephemeral, the gateway is often the primary layer of defense. Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules can be applied at the gateway to protect against common attack vectors. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.serverlessapigateway.com/glossary/e/endpoint-security.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.