42Crunch API Scan vs express-brute: 2026 Comparison
42Crunch API Scan is a commercial api security tool by 42Crunch. express-brute is a free api security tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best api security fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of NIST CSF 2.0 coverage, core features, integrations, company size fit, here is our conclusion:
Teams shipping APIs built on OpenAPI specs need 42Crunch API Scan to catch contract violations and injection flaws before production; its real traffic simulation finds what static analysis misses. The tool covers OWASP API Security Top 10 issues and integrates directly into VS Code and GitHub Actions, meaning security checks happen at commit time, not weeks later in a separate scan cycle. Skip this if your APIs aren't documented in OpenAPI format or if you need broader web application scanning beyond API endpoints; 42Crunch is deliberately API-focused, which is exactly why it works.
Express-brute is built for Node.js teams protecting REST APIs where a lightweight, stateless rate-limiting layer is enough to stop credential stuffing and basic brute-force attacks at the route level. The 568 GitHub stars and active maintenance reflect real production use in shops that don't need distributed state or advanced behavioral analysis. Skip this if you're running microservices at scale or need account lockout logic that survives service restarts; express-brute stores attempt counts in memory, which breaks across load-balanced instances without external persistence configured.
