The GSS-API Security Interface
Generic Security Services Application Program Interface (GSS-API) hides from its callers the details of the specific underlying security mechanism, leading to better application portability, and moving generally in the direction of a better interworking capability.
The GSS-API also completely separates the choice of security mechanism from choice of communications protocol.
A GSS-API implementation is viable across virtually any communications method.
GSS_API is an Internet and X/Open standard.