It is extremely difficult to manually execute API management, so here are reasons that are convincing enough for you, to know why you need to have a dedicated API management platform:

 

• Enjoy Better Visibility With API Performance

With API management platforms, it is possible to evaluate the response times and the frequency with which each API is called. You can even use API tools with automatic monitoring capabilities, so if any feature of the application goes offline, you can fix it even before the user knows that something went wrong. The developers will know when something goes wrong, thereby giving better visibility on performance.

 

• Improves Security, Plugs Holes In It

Having a designated API management platform grants granular access to the various architectural layers of the application. This can easily help plug any security vulnerabilities, and when any hacking happens, the developers can easily revoke access.

 

• Quick Integration With Other Apps

If you are looking to integrate with other apps and services for seamless user experience, API management platforms would help with just that. They can be easily integrated with other systems. A good example of this would be E-commerce websites. They use these API integrations with much success and the information accumulated regarding the customers, vendors, suppliers and products would all be processed simultaneously. 

Another powerful example of an API integration platform would be the payment gateways. When users make a purchase and make payments online, they don’t actually see what’s happening, but only the end result – either success or failure. What happens in the background happens through a secured API connection.

 

• Speeding Up Development Time

API management platforms have pre-built building blocks that developers can use for time consuming, basic use cases like authorization, authentication and validation. Developers can reuse the building blocks in all the interfaces, which means they don’t have to write custom codes for each interface. Not only can this speed up development time, but developers can utilize this time for other tasks. 

 

 

Every business with an online presence will use APIs, and often you need to use plenty for smooth digital transactions. Some businesses customize the APIs for better performance and responsiveness. Here are a few reasons why you need to have the right API integration platform:

 

• Connecting Apps With Seamless Interface

It is through API integration platforms that you can collect all the apps easily. Thought there are tons of tools for executing the marketing demands, like developing creatives, launching advertising campaigns, analyzing and monitoring them, other marketing and public relations demands having an API integration platform makes all the difference.

 

• Unwavering Connection to Cloud

APIs have become the standard solution for connecting cloud apps. There are hundreds of cloud apps in use at any given time. Through an integration platform that’s born in the cloud, and quite unlike the integration technologies that usually remains in one place, there are unlikely to be any glitches in integrating cloud-based apps.

 

• Makes it Easier to Focus on Strategic Projects

With API integration platforms, businesses can focus on other business aspects like improving ROI. But with a manual API platform, the team would always be busy working on making sure that everything works perfectly. This directly enables the teams to be more productive, because the hours spent on managing, monitoring and fixing APIs can be saved, thereby saving on labor hours.

 

• Small Teams for Developing Apps

It is possible to create apps with smaller team members, and use existing integration with API integration platforms for quicker delivery. 

1. Improvado

Improvado is a marketing data aggression tool that helps automate marketing activities by collecting modern data from multiple sources and bringing them to a single virtual database. A curious feature of this API integration tool is that it’s developed by marketers for marketers. 

The focus of this app is to clear all kinds of marketing problems because it lets you gather all the data related to your marketing campaigns into one platform in real time. This tool pulls granular data so the marketers can capture the whole picture. It also helps the marketing teams to understand where to invest. Both small to mid sized businesses would greatly benefit from using this platform, either in the cloud or on-premises. 

Improvado does not have a free version, they come with a free trial followed by pricing plans.

2. IBM API Connect

IBM API Connect is a comprehensive, scalable and innovative API platform that lets you create, expense, manage and monetize APIs across clouds in a secure manner. The platform can easily handle peak traffic and can easily work across multiple hybrid cloud environments. IBM API Connect allows for a number of features like creating APIs, customizing them, securely managing API usage, monitoring and monetization through API programs.  

IBM API Connect comes with a Lite plan that you can start at no cost to get a feel of the API.

 

 

3. Mulesoft Anypoint

The Mulesoft platform is a very popular platform that allows users to integrate with any device or data, both on the cloud and on-premises. The platform has broad connectivity to provide secure access to data through an open-pluggable architecture to cloud systems and existing systems. 

Though developed by MuleSoft, the platform was acquired by Salesforce in 2018 and has evolved to be a complete solution for API management and publishing. Being a hybrid integration platform, MuleSoft Anypoint includes iPaas and ESB. 

MuleSoft Anypoint comes with a free trial.

 

4. Apigee Edge

Apigee Edge by Google is meant for the developer sot there is a developer self-service portal that lets developers integrate with enterprise applications easily. The platform comes with automated monitoring capabilities for APIs. There is support for both cloud infrastructure and on-premises. Apigee is more popularly used among large enterprises because their security features are extremely airtight. 

Apigee is slightly more expensive and so small businesses steer clear of it. 

 

5. Layer7 API Management

Layer7 API Management comes with tools that allows you streamline development, integrate systems, manage even sensitive data and the gateway. One of the best features of the platform is its secure authorization and authentication (JWT, OpenIP Connect, OAuth, SAML and more) This tool was earlier known as CA API Management. The platform allows for easy rule writing without having to code. 

Layer7 API Management comes with a free trial, followed by pricing. 

 

6. Dell Boomi API Management Platform

A highly secured API that can help you maintain high level documents of your API, share them to clients, Boomi is one of the best platforms around since you can manage all the APIs in one place. The security of the platform is high, thanks to its extra layers of security that comes with the platform. The platform hosts the API, can design and develop microservice -based architecture. Boomi is flexible and can be customized according to architecture. 

You can use Boomi for free, and then switch to a paid version.

 

7. Zapier

Zapier can be used by non-technical savvy users to help automate workflows. However, a downside is that you cannot customize the tool, so it cannot be called a developer tool. Nn-developers can definitely use it, thanks to its easy to use, visual interface. 

Initially, you can use Zapier for 100 tasks for free, and then move on to the free version. 

 

8. Akana

Akana is another full fledged API management platform that comes with several features that lets you access and manage entire API lifecycle through the platform. Another highlight of the platform is its open source support.

There is a free trial, after which you can choose either their Business plan or the Enterprise plan. 

 

 

9. 3Scale

3Scale API Management platform makes it easy to manage APIs. With this API, you can share, secure, distribute, control and monetize your APIs, both internally and externally. This platform is perfect for small to large enterprises since it can manage and secure access through rate limits. It helps you scale, and it grows with you through all the stages of your business.

You can start a free trial, and then follow it up with the paid versions. 

 

10. DreamFactory

DreamFactory comes with a host of ready-made connections to help developers integrate different apps quickly into new apps, existing apps and IT infrastructures. The platform provides API lifecycle management tools like automated REST API generation tools. With this tool, you can create fully-documented REST APIs in a matter of minutes. DreamFactory helps developers automate business logic for complex, high-volume workflows. 

DreamFactory comes with a free-open source community edition, followed by paid tiers, depending on the features you need. 

Application programming interfaces play a very significant role in the development, deployment, management and marketing of applications, especially the mission-critical ones. Explore the full potential of the API platforms to help integrate your apps effortlessly into internal and external systems.