This lab provides a hands-on introduction to API security and visibility using F5 Distributed Cloud Web App and API Protection (XC WAAP). As APIs continue to grow in number and complexity, they have become a primary target for cyberattacks. This lab explores how to discover, document, and secure both known and shadow APIs using the platform's API Discovery, Schema Validation, and Security Dashboards. Participants will learn how to: Send traffic through the F5 HTTPS Load Balancer to trigger API Discovery and the API Crawler Automatically generate and maintain an API inventory, including undocumented shadow APIs Apply OpenAPI Schema Validation to enforce API conformity and detect anomalies Gain deep insights through advanced API Security Dashboards, including threat levels, sensitive data exposure, authentication status, and risk scores Understand the importance of integrating DevSecOps practices by leveraging IaC and GitHub Actions for API protection deployment By the end of this lab, users will gain critical visibility into their API ecosystem, identify vulnerabilities, and take actionable steps to secure both documented and undocumented APIs—helping to bring shadow APIs into the light.

In the current AI market, the demand for scalable and secure deployments is increasing. Public cloud providers (AWS, Google, and Microsoft) are competing to provide GenAI infrastructure, driving the need for multi-cloud and hybrid cloud deployments. However, distributed deployments come with challenges, including: Complexity in managing multi-cloud environments. Lack of unified visibility across clouds. Inconsistent security and policy enforcement. F5 Distributed Cloud provides a solution by offering a seamless, secure, and portable environment for GenAI workloads across clouds. This lab will guide you through setting up and securing GenAI applications with F5 Distributed Cloud on AWS EKS and GCP GKE.