IBM API Connect - Full lifecycle API management

We use IBM API Connect  for healthcare projects, not for telecom services.

The best features IBM API Connect  offers in my experience are the middleware capabilities, as it can connect the front end.

You can be more secure using JWT tokens with IBM API Connect. We can optimize API access, which will be more secure. We can add some policies to provide extra security, protect your backend, validate the consumers, and analyze based on the traffic limit to throw things out.

IBM API Connect helps with security by using OAuth 2.0 and basic authentication.

User management to authenticate the user is an important feature worth mentioning.

IBM API Connect has positively impacted my organization, as customer experience is good. Based on the subscription, we can handle the subscription, and customers use the environment as a handler, making the mechanism easy.

Based on the implementation, you can see improvements in onboarding speed. If this is a direct application, you can validate with the user and get the response from the application. If you require multiple transactions, it takes time.

To improve IBM API Connect, based on customer experience, you could work on latency. You can increase scalability and availability. If you're connecting with any other cloud, it connects to the infrastructure which needs to be managed with the customers and cloud providers, so if you have a setup, we can handle it easily.

I have faced latency issues on the server, related to our management. If you need to stabilize your server based on peak traffic, you need to configure the scalability model. You need to know when traffic peaks, so use auto-scaling when traffic comes. If the application is not in use, the value should be zero, and it starts from zero. Based on customer experience, the value will increase, and when there is no customer servicing, the peak would be reduced, making the value remain zero. Following this approach, you should be able to optimize costs and satisfy customer experience.

I have been using IBM API Connect for four years.

In my experience, IBM API Connect is stable enough, but downtime depends on traffic and backend server configuration. If your backend server is down, you may experience downtime. If it is functioning well, you won't have a bad experience and your application becomes more reliable.

IBM API Connect's scalability is good, as you can handle it easily similar to how you manage cloud providers.

I haven't reached out to customer support yet; there is a separate team for that.

Neutral

I used Google Apigee  middleware before switching to IBM API Connect.

My decision to move from Apigee  to IBM API Connect depends on the project I worked on.

I have seen a return on investment from using IBM API Connect, as we created multiple plans based on customer usage. In those plans, we can reduce traffic, and based on the traffic, we can optimize the cost.

I have not worked on pricing, setup cost, or licensing for IBM API Connect; that part is handled by the architect.

I did not evaluate other options before choosing IBM API Connect, as I mostly worked with Apigee. It depends on the provider; IBM API Connect allows movement into on-prem architecture, while Apigee is primarily a cloud solution.

My advice for others looking into using IBM API Connect is that it's a good platform to learn from. You can create API proxies easily, implement features effortlessly, and maintain them without hassle. There is also a support team available. It's a bit similar to Apigee and stands out as a unique platform.

Regarding a business relationship with this vendor beyond being a customer, I believe my vendor subscribed to IBM API Connect, and I'm working in the healthcare domain, so that's the vendor basis I believe.

I don't have any additional thoughts about IBM API Connect before we wrap up; it's a good opportunity to learn.

On a scale of 1-10, I rate IBM API Connect a seven out of ten.

Hybrid Cloud

Google

I primarily use IBM API Connect  as an API Gateway to expose enterprise APIs to the outside world. Most applications I have worked with consume APIs deployed as part of the API Gateway for internal use.

Some of the best features of IBM API Connect  are the Two-Way SSL and features similar to those in IBM DataPower Gateway . The key difference is how APIs are interacted with and bundled as a product. The API Gateway eases the development of REST APIs but retains the security features of IBM DataPower Gateway . It offers significant development efficiency, reducing man-hours from eighty to four when creating APIs.

When comparing API Gateway with DataPower Gateway, several features in DataPower Gateway are absent in the APIC layer. Examples include the lack of connectivity to MQ . Custom code is required to connect to MQ  and exchange messages. Enhancements for segregating APIs based on domain are needed. Auto-approval of APIs for non-prod environments has been requested. These were not developed in version 10.5.

The initial setup of IBM API Connect is straightforward. Although version five was tedious, version ten doesn't take much time for infrastructure setup, whether on-premises or in the cloud. Production-ready deployment in multiple sites can take about a week with high availability.

I would rate the stability up to nine, almost ten. The runtime engine for the APIC Gateway is still a DataPower component, which has been stable in the industry for about fifteen years. Stability is evident in the transaction execution.

With container versions, scaling up or down the gateways deployed into pods is a two to three-minute task for the operations team. It is not complex. The introduction of container versions has simplified scaling.

Support is excellent when it comes to APIC. However, the performance issues with containerized versions of DataPower, observed during migration from legacy VMware to OpenShift Container Platform, have affected the extent of support.

Positive

The company where I work did not have an API Management  solution before choosing IBM. We evaluated MuleSoft and Apigee  but opted for IBM API Connect due to pre-existing IBM Middleware  infrastructure.

The setup is not complex. While version five was somewhat tedious, version ten requires less time to build infrastructure, both on-prem and in the cloud. Production-level deployment would take about a week to achieve.

The deployment shouldn't take more than one resource with approximately a week's effort.

Development efforts minimized significantly. Reducing development hours from eighty to four for an API was possible due to reusing existing scripts from DataPower.

Pricing depends on how many instances run across environments. I don't deal with licensing, but compared to other IBM products, the licensing is not significantly higher.

Before choosing IBM API Gateway, we evaluated MuleSoft and Apigee .

IBM API Connect was chosen mainly for its compatibility with existing scripts and frameworks, minimizing development effort, especially in aspects like authentication, logging, and auditing. I would definitely recommend it. Overall, I rate it nine out of ten.

I use the solution in my company as an API Gateway and API Manager. We use a few of our products for technical documentation and API Specification, as well as as an API Manager. The rate limiting comes with the tool. It has been a very good product that we have been using for the last few years.

The most significant feature that we have been using in the tool in our company is the API Manager because it works like a gateway for APIs, and I think that is the best part that we have been utilizing.

The only downside where improvements are needed is probably on the licensing side.

Scalability is an issue with IBM API Connect, making it an area where improvements are required.

I have been using IBM API Connect for two years. I am a customer of the tool.

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

My company didn't face any sort of major problems running the tool till now. There were some issues in the tool for which we were getting support from IBM, but other than that, the product is stable.

The tool doesn't scale horizontally. I don't think there is a Kubernetes engine implemented in it. You have to include more resources, specifically vertical resources, for it to scale, and that is a hard part to handle.

The tool is basically configured for API, so it receives millions of hits per day. It has thousands of users.

With IBM API Connect, a few people in my company manage it, and a few are its developers. The company itself has around 3,000 to 4,000 people.

The solution's technical support team is good. As I am in Pakistan, we usually get local support here. Engaging someone from IBM takes some time, but otherwise, the support is pretty good as well. I rate the technical support a seven and a half out of ten.

Neutral

I am unaware of the initial configuration since my infrastructure team was involved in it, and a person from IBM was also helping us.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model. My company doesn't work with the cloud for security reasons and because of some confidential information.

It is a pretty expensive tool.

The tool is expensive if I consider how products like WSO2 are available in the market. You have pretty much many options in the open-source community, considering how IBM's pricing can be an issue. If you want to scale for more hits per month, although it's an SQL license, you need to buy it from IBM, and it becomes pretty expensive for me. The pricing is pretty high.

API lifecycle management capabilities have enhanced our company's operations, and they weren't hard to manage. When we procured the tool, we received some training from IBM. One was for administrators, and the other was for programmers. It was pretty easy to configure it. The only downside is that it requires a lot of physical resources, so we had to get a few servers to work with it.

The product is not only used in the government sector but also in the telco and banking sectors. It is one of the biggest products that is being used as an API Manager. The other products would be from Oracle or some other renowned vendors. I would obviously recommend IBM if you are going it for a large scale with APIs and if the number of hits is pretty much huge. I would definitely recommend the product to others if the pricing is not an issue.

In my company, we are not using AI with the tool, but it is probably one of the things that is being planned. Until now, AI has not been utilized in the tool.

In my company, we have not explored the tool for any other integrations. We just wanted to use it purely as an API Gateway-based product.

Considering the price factor, support, and stability, I rate the tool an eight out of ten.

On-premises

We use IBM API Connect primarily to expose APIs for various information systems in Terra and to integrate with our audit partners.

The main benefits of IBM API Connect for our API life cycle management are the core API functionalities, the developer's portal, and robust security capabilities.

IBM API Connect's security protocols enhance our data protection strategies by offering end-to-end security, mechanisms to counter common attacks like DDoS, and the ability to define policies for API groups to control traffic and prevent unwanted access to our systems.

We have encountered challenges with IBM API Connect, particularly during significant upgrades.

These upgrades demand substantial labour and financial resources, including consulting services from IBM.

I'd like to see increased flexibility, more frequent updates with new features, an efficient upgrade process, and additional AI capabilities for future releases.

I have been using IBM API Connect for the past five years.

Currently, around ten to fifteen people in our company are using IBM API Connect, and we plan to increase automation in the future to reduce manual effort.

My experience with IBM's technical support has been challenging. Accessing support and navigating their processes has limited flexibility. However, after successfully complying with their procedures and exercising patience, they know how to handle issues efficiently.

Neutral

Before using IBM API Connect, we worked with similar integration products, particularly an ESB from IBM, which was crucial in creating system integrations.

Setting up IBM API Connect initially was challenging, as expected, due to its complexity.

Compared to some other products on the market, implementation took about six months.

IBM API Connect has provided significant financial and operational benefits for our organisation.

It has facilitated integration across systems and enabled cross-organisational processes. As for the time it took to record a return on investment, we started seeing tangible benefits within approximately two years.

IBM API Connect has dramatically aided our AI-driven projects by increasing developer productivity and facilitating the development process using AI tools. It helped us automate sub-processes and perform thorough analysis for operations and security.

I would suggest considering IBM API Connect for enterprises focused on security and enhanced functionality, especially if they need rapid implementation. If they're looking for more advanced capabilities or a broader solution, I recommend exploring options like Google Apigee or MuleSoft Anypoint Platform. Each product has its strengths and focuses, so aligning with the organization's specific needs and priorities is essential.

Overall, I'd rate IBM API Connect an eight out of ten.

One valuable feature of IBM API Connect is its role differentiation between API publishers and consumers. Publishers can easily identify, create, and publish APIs on the developer portal, defining plans, packages, and potentially billing rules. Consumers, interested in specific API packages, can subscribe, and use the APIs, and the platform tracks usage meticulously, allowing accurate billing applications for API consumers based on their usage patterns.

The platform’s integration with the payment gateway needs enhancement. The setup process and support services could be improved.

We have been using IBM API Connect for three to five years.

It is a stable product. I rate the stability an eight out of ten.

It is a scalable product. I rate the scalability an eight out of ten.

We encounter challenges related to the availability of local support and time zones.

Neutral

We used another product for API management. However, there were several areas of improvement related to the availability of a knowledgeable and skilled support team.

The initial setup is complicated for container deployment. It is easy to maintain. I rate the process an eight out of ten.

We use the platform’s analytics feature for extracting reporting for billing purposes. It is a good feature. It offers a sandbox environment where users, such as developers or testers, can interact with and test various APIs.

In the subscription process, EVOFRO (Evaluate, Offer, Verify, Fulfill, Render, Operate) is involved, specifically during the consumer's subscription attempt. It triggers a flow that includes reviewing and approving the subscription. It helps us achieve 80% compliance with regulations for our company.

I advise customers to identify the use cases before purchasing the product. I rate it an eight out of ten.