API Management

Application Programming Interface management, or API management, consists of a set of tools and services that enable developers and companies to build, analyze, operate, and scale APIs in secure environments. API management can be delivered on-premises, through the cloud, or using a hybrid on-premises – SaaS (Software as a Service) approach.

At their simplest level, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) enable communication between disparate software applications. Developers can connect APIs from different companies and services to achieve specific results. Popular API uses include enabling the implementation of libraries and frameworks across languages, specifying the interface between an application and an operating system, manipulating remote resources through protocols, and defining the interface through which interactions happen between a third-party and the applications that use its assets. From independent mobile developers and web developers to large enterprises and governmental agencies, APIs are increasingly leveraged across industries and use cases.

Today, developers, enterprises, and organizations often create open APIs that allow others to integrate with their products and services. Hundreds of thousands of APIs designed to facilitate the exchange of information exist across industries. As the number of APIs continues to grow, the need for developers and enterprises to monitor and manage them in a secure and scalable way increases.

All kinds of developers, including mobile developers, web developers, and backend developers, create their own APIs and often leverage others’ APIs in the products and services they build. APIs allow users to complete an action without having to leave the mobile app or website they’re on—this means that a customer can spend more time with the product or service they were initially interested in instead of having to visit multiple sites to achieve their desired action. It’s also common for teams across an organization to segment their internal work into separate applications across multiple servers that communicate with each other through APIs.

Businesses large and small increasingly need to offer their customers seamless browse, search, and check-out experiences that span sites and platforms. To create smooth end-to-end user experiences, developers use API management tools that make it easy to create, secure, deploy, and operate APIs that enable users to accomplish their goals without needing to navigate to multiple sites or services. With the proliferation of APIs, developers also utilize API management tools that allow them to monitor performance, manage traffic, and control who can access their APIs.

Building and using APIs allows developers to save time, avoid redundant work, accelerate their pace of development, and help others use their products and services seamlessly.

Building, deploying, and managing APIs should be quick and easy. Allowing others to leverage your APIs means that maintaining security across APIs should also be easy. In addition to facilitating simple application development and paramount security, APIs should be able to scale in real-time, offer visibility into their operations, and help you manage the third-party developers and companies that access them. Mature API management platforms offer a robust set of capabilities, including below: 

AWS offers a comprehensive platform for API management called Amazon API Gateway. Used across businesses and organizations, from enterprises to startups, API Gateway makes it easy to define, secure, deploy, share, and operate APIs at any scale. It also makes API monitoring simple and fast. API Gateway handles all the tasks involved in accepting and processing up to hundreds of thousands of concurrent API calls, including traffic management, authorization and access control, monitoring, and API version management. API Gateway also offers a serverless developer portal that enables API publishers to easily connect with API subscribers, as well as easily monitor, manage, and update their APIs.

From enterprises like Fox to government agencies like the UK Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, organizations increasingly leverage APIs across all industries and use cases. To learn more about more how companies use API management tools through Amazon API Gateway, see the full list of case studies.