APIs have a clearly defined role in business operations, so they should be treated as such: they are business capabilities, not just technical integrations. That’s where API marketplaces enter the picture. Much more than a catalog of APIs, an API marketplace is a user-friendly hub where developers can easily find and leverage APIs. Tools, documentation, and other resources conveniently included in the marketplace help drive API adoption.
At Axway, we’re proud to offer Amplify Enterprise Marketplace: a highly customizable storefront or portal designed to get your APIs adopted, both internally and externally. We recently recorded an overview of what you can do with Amplify Marketplace in this demo; read on for some of the highlights below.
An API marketplace that caters to both producers and consumers
When we think about an API marketplace, there are two personas to consider. There are the producers, who make digital assets, and the consumers, who come to the marketplace in search of products and services.
Naturally, these two personas each have their concerns and criteria as to what makes an API marketplace good.
For producers, API marketplace must-haves include:
✓ All assets are properly represented
✓ Proper security measures are in place
✓ There is compliance with relevant standards
✓ The interface is intuitive
For consumers, API marketplace must-haves include:
✓ APIs are easy to find
✓ Subscribing to APIs is simple
✓ All of the relevant API credentials are provided
✓ There is a clear understanding of pricing plans around APIs
Download our checklist of 5 things producers and consumers need from an API marketplace.
An effective marketplace has to be able to meet the needs of these two distinct types of personas when it comes to bringing assets and consuming them. That’s what Amplify Marketplace helps to do.
How Axway’s API marketplace fits into your infrastructure
Amplify Enterprise Marketplace is a SaaS component that sits in the Axway cloud. Configured to talk to your infrastructure, the marketplace can connect and communicate with all your gateways in a non-intrusive way.
Because its foundation is our universal API management platform, Enterprise Marketplace simplifies and enhances the developer experience by automatically discovering, capturing, and validating all APIs into one registry.
It allows your enterprise to reduce the risk of shadow APIs through a single control point that doesn’t impact existing development centers. All APIs from any platform, gateway, or repository can be managed, monitored, and governed in one place.
Read why universal API management is an essential foundation for an API marketplace here.
This discovery stage not only allows you to quickly locate all the APIs running on your gateways, but it also provides insights into the APIs. There may be an API key or some kind of security wall in front of APIs — information that is critical to know when cataloging these assets. Our technology shares these details.
At the same time, visualization of all your APIs can pinpoint areas to improve. For instance, you may notice duplicate versions of the same API. Getting rid of these duplicated assets can free up resources on a server and improve data.
(There’s a real cost savings associated: we found one of our customers was able to save some $15k USD per API by avoiding duplication. Read more about the cost of API complexity here.)
After you’ve discovered all the APIs in your system and consolidated them where necessary, the next steps are to:
- Organize the APIs into a service registry
- Start to manage them (e.g., grouping them into relevant categories)
- Productize your digital assets (e.g., pricing/subscription plans, quotas)
- Make all of your assets available as preferred in the API marketplace
Amplify Enterprise Marketplaces creates a consistent user experience
Amplify Enterprise Marketplace is a marketplace for your enterprise. This alludes to its highly customizable nature — one that lends itself to a consistent experience.
This customization can come in many forms. From a branding perspective, you can select the colors, logos, landing pages, and CTAs that are included in the marketplace’s UI. You can even include your organization’s name in the marketplace URL.
You can also opt to make the API marketplace open or make users log in to see and access your digital assets – or visibility can be based on the role of the consumer.
Enterprise Marketplace also lets you decide what’s attached to APIs.
- Does the API come with documentation?
- Is there markdown language within the product itself?
- Are there pricing plans wrapped around the API?
- Are there support links included with the product?
These are all good questions to ask yourself as an API provider — and Amplify Enterprise Marketplace allows you to implement each one when preferable.
Axway is here for discovery and visibility
At Axway, our goal is to help you efficiently discover all your APIs and give you a personalized, ready-to-go platform to market these digital assets to your internal developers – then take it public when you’re ready.
Amplify Enterprise Marketplace serves both purposes. While creating a rich experience for people that land in your marketplace, you, as an API provider, have the control and insight you need to drive API adoption and meet business goals.