Anti-Malware APIs
Security and malware detection APIs
This directory lists 13 anti-malware APIs. Use the filters below to narrow by authentication, HTTPS support and CORS. Every entry shows whether it needs authentication, serves over HTTPS and allows cross-origin requests, so you can pick one that fits your stack before you read a single doc page.
Best Anti-Malware APIs for Developers
An anti-malware API allows developers to scan files, URLs, domains, and IP addresses for malicious content without building a threat detection engine from scratch. These APIs tap into continuously updated virus databases and threat intelligence feeds.
For checking IPs, domains and URLs against known threats, start with AbuseIPDB and Google Safe Browsing, both of which work with a free API key and cover the common phishing and malware cases. VirusTotal adds multi-engine file and URL scanning, useful when you need a second opinion from dozens of antivirus vendors at once.
For raw malware samples, MalwareBazaar and URLhaus from abuse.ch are the standouts, offering hash-based lookups, batch feeds and no cost for non-commercial projects, while CAPEsandbox suits teams that want to run their own sandbox analysis. The recurring pitfall in this category is licensing: most of these free feeds explicitly forbid commercial redistribution or antivirus-substitute use, so read the terms before building a paid product on top of them.
What to check before you pick one
- Detection coverage: APIs backed by multiple antivirus engines provide broader detection than single-engine solutions.
- Scan speed: For user-facing uploads, choose APIs with low latency to keep wait times acceptable.
- False positive rate: Evaluate the API's false positive track record to avoid incorrectly blocking legitimate files.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are anti-malware APIs?
Anti-malware APIs provide programmatic access to malware scanning engines, virus databases, and threat intelligence feeds, allowing you to scan files, URLs, and IP addresses for malicious content.
Is VirusTotal API free?
VirusTotal offers a free public API that allows up to 4 requests per minute for file and URL scanning. Higher rate limits are available on paid plans.
How do I add malware scanning to my app?
Integrate an anti-malware API by sending file hashes or URLs to the API endpoint and parsing the response for threat scores. Most APIs return JSON results that you can evaluate against a threshold.