Most business and consumer applications rely on APIs to integrate with various backend systems, databases, and messaging platforms. The key component enabling this integration is the API gateway.
Due to the development of distributed applications, acquisitions, and mergers, many companies use two or more API gateways from different vendors. This API sprawl places significant stress on operations teams.
This blog will explore how a centralized management plane can address this challenge.
Looking at the challenges
To begin, we would like to introduce a couple of terms that will be used throughout this blog:
- Data plane: A source of data or business function that is accessible through APIs.
- Management plane: A central location to federate and manage multiple data planes while applying uniform and consistent security and management policies.
With these definitions, an API gateway functions as a data plane. Medium-sized or large companies often use API gateways from three or more vendors.
The situation becomes even more challenging when non-production environments and cloud API gateways, such as AWS or Azure, are included. Many development teams create dozens or even hundreds of cloud API gateways, making the management of this complex environment a significant undertaking.
This situation is problematic because it:
- Introduces the challenge of managing authorization in complex, multi-gateway environments.
- Reduces operational efficiency, visibility, and auditing capabilities.
- Increases the time and cost of delivering new business applications or updating existing ones.
- Heightens security risks due to the distributed management of passwords, tokens, and compliance management.
It’s no surprise, then, that Axway’s State of Enterprise API Maturity report found 74% of senior IT and business decision makers say more than 20% of their organization’s APIs are unmanaged.
These challenges can be addressed by delegating API access management, security, and RBAC controls to a central component that enforces the same security and access policies across all APIs, regardless of the API gateway used.
It’s why Axway has undertaken a significant effort to deliver Amplify Engage – a management plane that creates a uniform API governance framework across API gateways and code repositories from many different vendors – both in the cloud and on-premises.
Federating APIs with Amplify Engage
Axway Amplify Engage is a SaaS solution that federates multiple data planes and creates uniform controls for discovering, managing, and exposing APIs to internal and external consumers.
When you connect all your existing and future API gateways and repositories, you get an API catalog with uniform API presentation and detailed visibility into all your APIs.
Amplify Engage adds curation of those APIs, RBAC, API presentation, testing, 360° visibility, and monetization. As a result, you achieve:
- Full control and visibility of your APIs
- Consumer-facing marketplace(s) that target internal and external developers
- The ability for developers to discover, subscribe to, and test APIs in a self-service manner
- Flexibility with different subscription options
- Monetization
Amplify Engage helps you control API sprawl and accelerates your digital initiatives.
Enhancing the developer journey
The success of an API program hinges on the appeal and usability of its API portal. Developers — your primary API consumers — expect a seamless, self-service experience that allows them to discover, understand, subscribe to, and test APIs without delays or the need to engage with sales teams.
A well-designed developer’s experience should prioritize:
- Effortless API discovery and exploration
- Clear, concise documentation
- Instant access to credentials (keys, tokens, etc.)
- Streamlined subscription and testing workflows
One of the most significant challenges for API providers is efficiently managing API subscriptions and credentials. Addressing this challenge can unlock significant benefits:
- Accelerated API adoption and enhanced developer satisfaction
- Lower support costs through reduced manual intervention
- Increased developer engagement and portal traffic
By investing in a developer-centric API portal, providers can transform their APIs from technical assets into powerful business drivers.
See also: Transform API Developer Experience: The Power of a Marketplace
Addressing API authorization
This is where Amplify Engage truly excels: by simplifying and streamlining API authorization management for consumers.
One of the most persistent challenges in API ecosystems is managing the lifecycle of credentials — creating, refreshing, and revoking keys or tokens, especially across multiple API gateways from different vendors. Amplify Engage addresses this complexity head-on with a powerful, yet lightweight solution.
At the core of Amplify Engage are intelligent agents that operate across all connected API gateways. These agents act as a unified control layer, enabling Amplify Engage to seamlessly manage credentials regardless of the underlying gateway technology.
See also: Bring Federated API Management to Life with Amplify Platform Agents
Whether it’s creating new access tokens, refreshing expiring credentials, or revoking access, these agents ensure consistent, secure, and automated handling across the board.
On the developer side, Amplify Engage offers a clean, intuitive user interface that abstracts away the technical nuances of each gateway.
Developers simply provide the necessary input through the UI, and Amplify Engage takes care of the rest, handling the intricate, vendor-specific operations behind the scenes via its agents.
Amplify Engage allows developers not only to request credentials but also to support their life cycle.
This support attracts developers and provides a great experience for your API developer portal (called Marketplace in Amplify Engage).
Key benefits of the marketplace include:
- Unified credential management: One interface to manage credentials across all API gateways.
- Automation at scale: Eliminate manual processes and reduce the risk of errors.
- Gateway-agnostic integration: Works seamlessly with gateways from multiple vendors.
- Developer-friendly experience: Simplifies onboarding and boosts productivity by hiding backend complexity.
In essence, Amplify Engage empowers API providers to deliver a frictionless, secure, and scalable experience, both for their internal teams and for the developers consuming their APIs.
See Amplify Engage in action