APIs are nothing new. The application programming interface used by developers as routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications has been around for some time. APIs are used as building blocks that allow programmers to write an application much quicker and more efficiently than would happen without APIs. Despite APIs being around for quite some time, I can't tell you how many times this year non-developers have approached me to talk about APIs. APIs is no longer a topic just being discussed by developers but also by their managers and even the company executives.
Companies, government, and organizations are realizing that managing and controlling their APIs can offer a strategic advantage. Software providers are noticing this renewed interest in the libraries of code and services offered. Here now in 2015, we're seeing a new crop of tools and platforms that allow programmers to better publish and manage their APIs.
This week, WaveMaker, Inc., a leading enterprise application Platform-as-a-Service (aPaaS) software company, announced WaveMaker Gateway, a bundle of tools enabling enterprises to open their APIs to the external world. WaveMaker extends its suite of API tools beyond publishing, wrapping, and sharing APIs within the enterprise, allowing authorized partners and third-party developers to consume APIs vital to their business, and allowing API owners to eliminate risks from unintended users.
With the addition of WaveMaker Gateway and the WaveMaker API Portal, enterprises can open APIs to partners and external developers, fostering new developer ecosystems. Enterprises need faster innovation, and custom apps and APIs allow them to innovate faster, as well as to create or accelerate the growth of new revenue streams. WaveMaker says, in order for APIs to be successful, enterprises need a platform that provides them:
- The ability to easily create, publish and manage custom APIs
- The flexibility of exposing APIs internally in order to certify that they are robust and scalable, and then to open those APIs for external consumption
- The ability to open APIs to select external users initially
WaveMaker Gateway brings together API publishers (who publish APIs) and API consumers (who develop apps to consume the APIs) to form an ecosystem that benefits all stakeholders. According to their press release, WaveMaker Gateway helps in simplification, management, securing, operationalizing and analyzing the external rollout of APIs.
For API publishing, some of the features offered by WaveMaker Gateway:
- API owners can upload, document and make APIs visible. WaveMaker uses Swagger-enabled REST APIs for this purpose.
- Product managers can easily publish APIs and apply business relevant policies to manage the external consumption of the APIs.
- Operational administrators can monitor the consumption of the APIs in real time, providing rich business insights.
For API consumption:
- Partners as well as third party developers can choose various API subscription plans based on consumption needs. They can easily onboard applications and generate required keys to consume APIs within their apps.
- App developers can browse, list, test and understand Published API behavior.
- App developers can use the visual drag-and-drop Rapid Application Development methodology of WaveMaker Studio to simplify the consumption of APIs and greatly reduce the effort of developing custom apps, thus solving the last mile problem for API consumption.
“Custom apps are key to innovating and fostering ecosystems, and this cannot be done without APIs,” said Samir Ghosh, CEO of WaveMaker. “WaveMaker Gateway completes our suite of API tools for the enterprise, and is the next step for enterprises looking to selectively and securely share apps outside of their organization with partners as well as third-party developers. We believe we are unique in that we provide enterprise developers with tools to create, manage, and consume APIs and applications – within and outside the enterprise – on a single unified platform.