GSSAPI (Generic Security Service Application Programming Interface) is a function interface that provides security services for applications in a mechanism independent way. This allows different security mechanisms to be used via one standardized API. GSSAPI is often linked with Kerberos, which is the most common mechanism of GSSAPI.

For Windows, GSSAPI offers integrated authentication for Windows 2000/2003 networks with Kerberos. This method utilizes domain accounts, since local accounts are not transferable across machine boundaries.