In this tutorial, I’d like to share a few ZAP API basics. This should make it possible for anyone to integrate ZAP into various pipelines.

Requirements

• ZAP installed
• jq installed

Minimum configuration of ZAP

Start ZAP now, if you get asked for select the persistent session – just select option “No, I don’t want…” and press button “Start”.

Now open “Preferences” and ensure that ZAP API is enabled.

Our last action for configuration is to enable ZAP Proxy.

Start ZAP via command line

# show help (macOS)
$ /Applications/OWASP\ ZAP.app/Contents/MacOS/OWASP\ ZAP.sh -h

# show default directory (macOS)
$ ls -la ~/Library/Application\ Support/ZAP/

# start ZAP in daemon mode with specific port and apikey (macOS)
$ /Applications/OWASP\ ZAP.app/Contents/MacOS/OWASP\ ZAP.sh -daemon -port 8090 -config api.key=12345

# open ZAP API in browser
$ open http://localhost:8090/UI

Add URL (Site)

# add URL
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/core/action/accessUrl/?apikey=12345&url=https://www.webscantest.com&followRedirects=false" | jq .

Show ZAP Sites and Hosts

# list all sites
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/core/view/sites/?apikey=12345" | jq .

# list all hosts
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/core/view/hosts/?apikey=12345" | jq .

ZAP HTTP Sessions

# list all httpSession sites
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/httpSessions/view/sites/?apikey=12345" | jq .

# create new httpSession
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/httpSessions/action/createEmptySession/?apikey=12345&site=www.webscantest.com:443&session=session1" | jq .

# show active httpSession
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/httpSessions/view/activeSession/?apikey=12345&site=www.webscantest.com:443" | jq .

ZAP Spider scan

# start spider scan
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/spider/action/scan/?apikey=12345&zapapiformat=JSON&formMethod=GET&url=https://www.webscantest.com"

# show spider scan status
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/spider/view/status/?apikey=12345" | jq .

ZAP Context

# list all context
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/context/view/contextList/?apikey=12345" | jq .

# create context
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/context/action/newContext/?apikey=12345&contextName=Default+Context" | jq .

# show specific context
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/context/view/context/?apikey=12345&contextName=Default+Context" | jq .

# add regex into includeInContext
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/context/action/includeInContext/?apikey=12345&contextName=Default+Context&ex=https://www.webscantest.com.*" | jq .

# list all includeRegexs
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/context/view/includeRegexs/?apikey=12345&contextName=Default+Context" | jq .

ZAP Active scan

# start active scan
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/ascan/action/scan/?apikey=12345&zapapiformat=JSON&formMethod=GET&url=https://www.webscantest.com&recurse=&inScopeOnly=false&scanPolicyName=&method=&postData=&contextId="

# show active scan status
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/ascan/view/status/?apikey=12345" | jq .

ZAP alerts and reports

# list alert counts by url
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/alert/view/alertCountsByRisk/?apikey=12345&url=https://www.webscantest.com&recurse=True" | jq .

# list alerts by risk
curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/alert/view/alertsByRisk/?apikey=12345&url=https://www.webscantest.com&recurse=True" | jq .

# show json report
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/OTHER/core/other/jsonreport/?apikey=12345" | jq .

# list all alerts
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/core/view/alerts/?apikey=12345" | jq .

ZAP shutdown

# shutdown
$ curl -s "http://localhost:8090/JSON/core/action/shutdown/?apikey=12345"