With the buzz around the API economy, there is also confusion around APIs, API Management, API integration, and other API-related concepts. In this article, we will demystify the role of API Management and how it differs from API Integration.
"As part of the digital transformation, we are seeking an API Management Tool that will act as the integration platform between our public-facing systems like the eCommerce platform and internal Enterprise Systems like Salesforce CRM, ServiceNow for Service Management and other home-grown systems."
The above example is a valuable need and can create better customer satisfaction, reduce costs, improve product delivery, and even create new opportunities to bring better products or services to market. However, when trying to find an API Management tool, customers often confuse what an API Management tool will do and what belongs to an API Integration or an iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) platform. Let’s break it down and start with the basics of the acronyms and their functional roles:
API Integration Platforms or an iPaaS, on the other hand, allow building complex workflows that use APIs from multiple applications and platforms to enable business processes. The API Integration Platform thus allows you to create new APIs that provide higher-value functionality using data and functionality from more than one application or database. These platforms consume available APIs and often provide new, higher-value APIs by aggregation.
"We need an API Management platform for API based integration between web, partner systems, our salesforce.com, databases on Azure and internal home-grown applications."
Similar to the first use case, you will need both an API Management platform and an API Integration platform (iPaaS, ESB, or an integration middleware) to meet your needs in the best possible way. As in any evolving market, many iPaaS vendors now provide some API Gateway capabilities like the application of policies and controls. However, when making a choice, it might be worth going for the best vendors for each of the API Management and API integration or iPaaS so that you reduce risk and vendor lock-in, while still getting the best features and capabilities in each category.
Want to learn more? Reach out to me or one of the API experts at RoboMQ.
RoboMQ is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with any of HR systems that it provides integration with and are mentioned in this post. All product and company names are the registered trademarks of their original owners.
Bramh Gupta
Bramh Gupta is the founder and CEO of RoboMQ. He has a background in large scale real-time manufacturing systems, telecommunications and design and architecture of highly scalable and resilient enterprise systems. He is passionate about real-time integration and the value that it brings to business operations and critical decision making.
Bramh holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Business and Industrial Engineering degree from the National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur. Bramh combines his business insights and architectural skills to design and create highly scalable, integration platforms and tools that are needed to power the API economy.
Did you enjoy this article? Subscribe below for RoboMQ updates:
