Azure API Management - An introduction (Part 1)

Is there an API for that?

If you've worked for a SaaS vendor, I'm fairly certain that at some point you've been asked this question. For most apps today, integration is no longer a should-have but a must-have requirement.

As a developer we love writing amazing json:api compliant REST endpoints that expose app functionality BUT we often neglect the realities of hosting these endpoints in a production-ready state.

This is where Azure API Management comes in. Here's the pitch from Microsoft:

Azure API Management as a turnkey solution for publishing APIs to external and internal customers. Quickly create consistent and modern API gateways for existing back-end services hosted anywhere, secure and protect them from abuse and overuse, and get insights into usage and health. Plus, automate and scale developer on-boarding to help get your API program up and running. 

What is it?

• Serves as a proxy that sits between your back-end services/apis & the calling apps
• Essentially a common facade on top of existing apis
• This "intermediate layer" allows you to quickly create consistent and modern API gateways for existing back-end services hosted anywhere
• Turnkey solution for publishing apis to external and internal consumers.

Why use Azure API Management?

• Perfect way to easily package & publish your existing back-end apis
• Allows easy developer on-boarding (serves as a self-service portal)
• Ramp-up uptake with docs, samples & an api console
• Provide API documentation and an interactive console
• Allows API discoverability
• Enhance back end services by
• Throttle, rate limit and quota your APIs
• Monitor health of your APIs and quickly identify errors
• Gain analytic insights on how your APIs are being used
• Allows managing your service via the Azure portal, REST API, PowerShell, or Git repository

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I will be writing a series of posts to cover this topic, stay tuned ..

- Part 1: Azure API Management - An introduction 
- Part 2: Azure API Management - Your back-end api
- Part 3: Azure API Management - Creating a gateway & exposing your api
- Part 4: Azure API Management - Add rate limiting & consuming the api
- Part 5: Azure API Management - Add security