When you’re dealing with a myriad of APIs, a solid management solution is non-negotiable. Not all API management software is created equal, though. The variables to consider—scalability, security features, and ease of use—can make the selection process labyrinthine. So, how do you wade through the plethora of options without getting lost in jargon or empty promises?
The good news? We’ve done the heavy lifting for you. In this article, we’re cutting straight to the chase, highlighting the API management software that actually delivers. Whether you’re a small startup or a well-established enterprise, you’ll find a range of solutions tailored to various needs and budgets. From traffic management to analytics, these platforms provide the essential tools to keep your API ecosystem humming smoothly.
If you’ve ever wondered which API management tool could best handle your growing list of APIs, or if you’ve been baffled by the pros and cons of different software offerings, you’ve come to the right place. In the next sections, we’ll dissect each option’s key features and ease of integration. We’ll also address the critical question: What sets the top-tier solutions apart? And, most importantly, which software is worth your investment?
Read also: Our curated list of the top API monitoring tools.
Apigee by Google Cloud
Apigee by Google Cloud is a full lifecycle API management platform that provides a comprehensive digital business management solution. As an integral part of Google Cloud’s business-centric tools and services, Apigee offers a robust platform for designing, securing, deploying, monitoring, and scaling APIs. It is designed to help businesses accelerate their digital transformation by enabling them to leverage the power of APIs in connecting with customers, partners, and employees.
Apigee’s main objective is to provide companies with the capability to design and manage APIs that can seamlessly connect applications and data across the enterprise and cloud. Its predictive analytics feature allows businesses to gain insights into their APIs’ performance in real-time. Moreover, it offers security controls that help protect sensitive data while ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
Key features
- Predictive Analytics: This feature uses machine learning algorithms to analyze API traffic patterns and predict potential issues before they affect end users.
- Developer Portal Creation: Apigee enables businesses to create customized developer portals where third-party developers can learn about their APIs, get access keys, test the APIs and monitor usage.
- Security Controls: The platform provides robust security controls including OAuth 2.0 support, API key validation, XML/JSON threat protection, bot detection etc., ensuring secure API communication.
As for pricing details of Apigee by Google Cloud:
- The Standard tier starts at $300/month for organizations that need basic API runtime capabilities.
- The Premium tier starts at $2500/month, including advanced runtime capabilities plus additional features like developer portal creation and custom domain SSL.
- For enterprises requiring a more comprehensive solution with advanced features such as monetization or integrated analytics platform can contact the sales team for a custom quote.
Please note that all prices are subject to change without notice and it’s recommended to check the official website or contact Google Cloud’s sales team for the most accurate pricing information.
AWS API Gateway
AWS API Gateway is a robust and versatile service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It’s designed to create, deploy, and manage APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) in a secure and scalable environment. As an integral part of the AWS suite of services, API Gateway provides a streamlined platform for developers to manage their APIs, allowing them to focus on writing code and improving their applications’ functionality.
API Gateway’s core functionality revolves around providing an interface for routing HTTP(S) requests to specific pre-defined operations including applications running on AWS Lambda, or any web application. It also offers robust features for managing traffic, authorizing access control, and maintaining security protocols. This makes it an ideal tool for developers who need a reliable solution for managing their APIs.
Key Features
- Traffic Management: This feature allows users to handle API traffic effectively with throttling rules that prevent your backend systems from being overwhelmed by too many requests.
- Authorization and Access Control: AWS API Gateway provides advanced security features that help in protecting your APIs. It supports IAM roles and policies, Cognito user pools, Lambda authorizer functions, and resource policies for authorization purposes.
- API Lifecycle Management: Users can create, deploy, monitor, and manage APIs using the AWS Management Console or the AWS CLI (Command Line Interface). This allows users to manage every aspect of the lifecycle of an API from creation to deprecation.
Pricing
AWS API Gateway follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model where you only pay for the calls made to your APIs and data transfer out. There is no upfront cost or minimum fee involved. The pricing details are as follows:
- For REST APIs: $3.50 per million API calls received plus data transfer costs.
- For HTTP APIs: $1 per million API calls received (first 300 million calls per region) then $0.90 per million (next 700 billion calls per region), plus data transfer costs.
- For WebSocket APIs: $1 per million messages (first one billion messages/month), then $0.80 per million messages thereafter plus data transfer costs.
Please note that these prices are subject to change and it’s always best to refer to the official AWS Pricing page for the most up-to-date information.
Mulesoft Anypoint Platform
Mulesoft Anypoint Platform is a robust and versatile API management solution that caters to businesses of varying sizes. Developed by MuleSoft, a Salesforce company, this platform offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to streamline the process of designing, implementing, and managing APIs. It provides an end-to-end approach to API lifecycle management, with capabilities ranging from design and testing to deployment and analytics.
The Anypoint Platform stands out for its ability to deliver advanced features in a user-friendly package. It’s built on an open-source Mule Enterprise Service Bus (ESB), which allows it to provide seamless integration across various systems and applications. This hybrid deployment model, combined with its robust security measures and insightful analytics tools, makes it an attractive option for businesses looking for a comprehensive API management solution.
Key Features
- API Design: The Anypoint Platform provides an intuitive interface for designing APIs. Users can easily define their APIs using RAML or OAS, create reusable assets, and generate visualizations of their API designs.
- Security: With pre-built security policies including OAuth 2.0, SAML, OpenID Connect and others, the platform ensures that your APIs are secure from potential threats.
- Hybrid Deployment: The platform supports both cloud-based and on-premises deployments, giving businesses flexibility in managing their APIs.
Pricing
The pricing for Mulesoft Anypoint Platform is not publicly disclosed by the company. You need to contact them directly for a quote tailored to your specific needs and requirements.
Kong
Kong is an open-source API and microservices management solution that is renowned for its high flexibility and scalability. Developed with the modern organizational needs in mind, Kong serves as a robust platform to manage APIs effectively, thus facilitating seamless interaction between different software applications. As an open-source tool, Kong offers the added advantage of community-driven development and enhancements, providing a solution that evolves with the changing technological landscape.
This API management software provides a secure, scalable, and flexible platform for organizations to manage their APIs. Whether you are a small startup or a large enterprise dealing with numerous APIs across various services, Kong’s dynamic architecture can be tailored to fit your specific requirements. It is designed to handle varying loads with ease, ensuring high performance even during peak times.
Key features
- High Flexibility: Being open-source, Kong allows developers to customize it according to their specific needs. This includes adding new functionalities or tweaking existing ones.
- Scalability: Kong has been designed keeping scalability in mind. It can easily handle increasing loads without affecting performance.
- Security Controls: With built-in security features such as authentication and authorization controls, Kong ensures that your APIs are protected from unauthorized access.
When it comes to pricing, Kong offers both free and paid options. The open-source version of Kong is available for free download and use. However, for enterprises looking for additional features such as advanced security controls and dedicated support, several paid plans are available starting from $200 per month depending on the number of nodes required.
Azure API Management
Azure API Management is a robust, Microsoft-powered solution offering a cloud-based API management platform. This service is designed to assist businesses in creating, deploying, and managing their APIs effectively. It provides a range of features including analytics, developer portal creation, and support for both SOAP and REST APIs. The platform helps organizations to streamline their operations by providing an efficient way to manage the full lifecycle of APIs.
This software is part of the broader suite of services offered by Microsoft Azure, one of the world’s leading cloud computing service providers. Azure API Management integrates seamlessly with other Azure services, providing a comprehensive solution for businesses looking to optimize their use of APIs. The platform is designed with scalability in mind, enabling businesses to manage and monitor their APIs as they grow easily.
Key Features
- Analytics: Azure API Management provides robust analytics capabilities that allow businesses to gain valuable insights into their APIs’ use.
- Developer Portal: The platform includes a customizable developer portal that enables developers to access API documentation and resources.
- Support for SOAP and REST APIs: Azure API Management supports both SOAP and REST APIs, offering flexibility for businesses in how they design and implement their APIs.
Pricing
Azure API Management offers several pricing tiers based on the needs of the organization. These range from the Developer tier (approximately $50 per month), intended for development and testing environments, up to the Premium tier (approximately $3,000 per month) which provides advanced features suitable for large-scale production environments.
Postman
Postman is a highly regarded tool in the realm of API development. This software has gained popularity due to its comprehensive features that streamline the creation, testing, and managing of APIs. Postman provides an intuitive interface and a collection of powerful functionalities that cater to both individual developers and collaborative teams.
The software’s capabilities extend beyond mere API development. With Postman, you can also perform testing, simulate requests and responses, create documentation, and share your work with others in your team. This versatility makes it an invaluable tool for developers who regularly work with APIs.
Key Features
- API Testing: Postman includes robust testing capabilities, allowing you to automate API tests. This feature ensures that your APIs are performing as expected and helps identify any issues early in the development process.
- Collaboration Features: The software offers a shared workspace where teams can collaborate on API development projects. You can easily share collections, environments, history, and more with your team members.
- Request Simulation: Postman lets you send requests to your API and view responses in real-time. This feature is crucial for debugging and understanding your API’s behavior in different scenarios.
Pricing
Postman offers a free version of their software, including limited access to their features. For full access to all features including collaboration tools, they offer the Postman Pro plan at $12 per user per month billed annually or $15 billed monthly. For businesses seeking additional features such as single sign-on (SSO) or audit logs, the Postman Enterprise plan is available at $24 per user per month billed annually.
IBM API Connect
IBM API Connect is a comprehensive tool designed to support the complete Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) lifecycle. This robust platform, developed by IBM, is capable of handling everything from the creation and run-time of APIs to their management and security. It’s an inclusive solution that provides developers with a streamlined environment for developing, managing, and securing APIs.
The IBM API Connect platform operates on the principle of agility. It allows developers to create APIs swiftly while maintaining high standards of security. The platform is also scalable, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes. Its versatility extends to its ability to work seamlessly with both on-premises and cloud environments.
Key Features
- API Creation: IBM API Connect allows developers to create new APIs rapidly. It supports both Node.js and Java, providing flexibility in development.
- Management and Security: The tool provides robust management features that help in monitoring API usage and performance. It also includes strong security controls for protecting sensitive data.
- Integration: IBM API Connect integrates well with other IBM solutions as well as third-party services.
Pricing
IBM offers a tiered pricing model for its API Connect tool. The Lite plan is free and includes access to essential features but has some limitations on usage. The Professional plan starts at $650 per month and includes additional features like a dedicated sandbox environment, premium support, and higher usage limits. For larger enterprises requiring more extensive capabilities, there’s the Enterprise plan whose pricing details can be obtained directly from IBM upon request.
WSO2 API Manager
WSO2 API Manager is an open-source, full lifecycle API management solution that stands out in the crowded field of API management platforms. It is designed to facilitate the tasks of creating, deploying and managing APIs across a variety of environments, whether they are on-premises, in the cloud or a hybrid setup. With its extensive set of features and flexibility, it caters to businesses looking to streamline their API strategies, enhance security and foster innovation.
One of the key strengths of WSO2 API Manager is its open-source nature which gives users the freedom to customize and adapt the solution according to their specific needs. Additionally, it provides full lifecycle management capabilities – from creating APIs to managing them at runtime and ensuring their security – all within one integrated platform. This makes it a comprehensive tool for businesses that aim for efficient and secure API operations.
Key Features
- Full Lifecycle Management: WSO2 supports all phases of the API lifecycle from design and creation, through deployment and publication, to retirement.
- Flexible Deployment Options: It allows deployment across various environments including on-premises, cloud-based or hybrid setups.
- Enhanced Security Controls: The platform offers robust security measures including authentication, authorization, throttling policies and access control.
Pricing
As an open-source solution, WSO2 API Manager can be downloaded and used free of charge. However, for businesses requiring professional support services such as technical support or consultancy services from WSO2 Inc., there are paid options available. The company does not publicly disclose the pricing details for these services but can be obtained by contacting them directly.
Boomi
Boomi is a leading provider of cloud-based integration platform as a service (iPaaS) solutions. This powerful tool offers extensive Application Programming Interface (API) management options, making it an essential resource for businesses seeking to streamline their digital processes. Boomi’s iPaaS solution allows organizations to integrate their various applications and data across both cloud-based and on-premise environments, simplifying the process of managing complex IT infrastructures.
What sets Boomi apart is its robust API management capabilities. With this tool, businesses can effectively manage their APIs’ lifecycle, ensuring they function optimally and securely at all times. The platform provides seamless connectivity between various applications and services, enabling organizations to create more efficient workflows and enhance their overall operational efficiency.
Key features
- Full Lifecycle API Management: Boomi provides comprehensive support for the complete lifecycle of APIs, from creation to deprecation. It enables businesses to design, secure, scale and retire APIs with ease.
- Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS): The tool offers a cloud-based integration platform that allows businesses to connect any combination of cloud and on-premise applications without software or coding.
- Data Mapping and Transformation: With its visual interface for data mapping and transformation, Boomi simplifies the process of integrating disparate data sources. It supports complex hierarchical data structures including XML, JSON, EDI and more.
When it comes to pricing, Boomi offers several plans tailored to different business needs. The Professional Edition starts at $2,000 per month while the Enterprise Edition starts at $4,000 per month. The Enterprise Plus Edition is available at custom pricing levels for larger organizations with more complex requirements based on individual business needs.
SwaggerHub by SmartBear
SwaggerHub by SmartBear is a comprehensive platform designed to streamline the process of building, documenting, and deploying APIs. The tool is an integral part of the SmartBear software suite, a collection of high-quality solutions that cater to various aspects of the software development lifecycle. SwaggerHub incorporates and enhances the open-source Swagger framework with additional features that enable teams to collaborate on API development effectively.
The platform provides an intuitive user interface and robust functionality that make it easy for developers and teams to design, build, and document APIs. With SwaggerHub, you can create an API in a few steps, generate interactive documentation automatically, and provide your team with a unified workspace where they can work together seamlessly.
Key features
- API Design and Modeling: SwaggerHub provides powerful yet easy-to-use tools for designing APIs from scratch or importing existing ones. It supports both RESTful and SOAP APIs.
- Interactive API Documentation: The platform automatically generates interactive documentation as you design your API. This makes it easier for developers to understand how your API works without having to dig through lines of code.
- Team Collaboration: SwaggerHub includes integrated tools that facilitate team collaboration on API development. You can share your API designs with your team members, get their feedback in real time, and track changes using the version control feature.
SwaggerHub offers several pricing options to cater to different needs:
- Free: This plan includes one private API, unlimited public APIs, unlimited collaborators for public APIs only.
- Team: Priced at $75 per user per month billed annually, this plan includes unlimited private and public APIs, unlimited collaborators for both private and public APIs.
- Enterprise: For pricing details on this plan, you must contact SwaggerHub directly as it offers customizable solutions tailored for large organizations or specific business needs.
Summary
Navigating the labyrinth of API management software options doesn’t have to be a herculean task. The key is pinpointing your specific needs— monitoring, security, or ease of integration—and aligning them with the features offered. In this article, we’ve given you a head start by curating a list of robust solutions that cover a wide spectrum of use-cases and budgets. From industry titans to promising newcomers, these platforms offer more than just fancy bells and whistles; they deliver tangible results.
So, what’s the final takeaway? The API management software that best suits your organization is the one that balances functionality, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. While it might be tempting to opt for a solution overflowing with features, it’s crucial to ask: will these features genuinely add value to your API ecosystem? Sometimes, less is more. Remember, the ultimate goal is to streamline operations and deliver better experiences, not just to have the flashiest tool in the shed.
