In the broad integration markets we play, terminology moves fast, as does technology. Most recently, a set of questions and discussions have surfaced on HIP-hybrid integration platforms and API Management Platforms. What's the difference? What is the relationship between them?
Some answers lie in two other blogs: (1) the differences
What Is an API Platform?
The term API Platform has been used synonymously by some vendors with API Management, Full Lifecycle API Management, and even the term API Gateway. Everyone loves to spice up a subject with the word platform but being loose with the term is cutting the subject short. What is an API Platform? An API Platform is all these things and more.
An API Platform's purpose is to serve net new application development — building new capabilities, new experiences, nurturing ecosystems, and more. API Management, Full Lifecycle API Management, and API Gateways are tables stakes here of course. These bring life to API design and development, to lifecycle management, to policy and security enforcement, to analytics and to nurturing development communities as consumers of these APIs. All critical.
Hybrid Integration Inconsistencies: Don’t Miss the Point!
A Forbes article recently talked about hybrid integration only focusing on the delivery methods and patterns of integration. Yet, for all of the pieces of the hybrid integration platform (HIP) to come together, the article misses focusing on the real center and heart of hybrid integration. The article left out the shift in the operation model for IT, from factory to the enabler — with HIP as a vehicle for offering integration as a service. This is a real key point for HIP!
Check out my article on Hybrid in HIP | It may distract.
Extending API Management With iPaaS: Next-Step API Integration
Ten years ago, we took on a strategy to build REST APIs for our products — to build our UI on those APIs and at the same time publish these APIs as *the* product APIs. This "eat-our-dog-food" approach helped solve an API to UI functional gap, yet we had much learning to do to really be what we can call API first. About the same time, we acquired our way into the API Management space.
We recognized the emergence of API Management and API Gateways to help customers lead in digital, and it was a natural next step as we serve the variety of edge-of-the-enterprise use cases. And wow! This opened us to the amazing world of developer communities consuming APIs and building brilliant experiences. We have invested heavily in the API Management space. Now, with an API-led integration platform, we are further extending API Management.