Apigee vs IBM API Connect vs Microsoft Azure API Management comparison

Apigee is a platform for developing and managing APIs. Apigee offers an interface for your core services by wrapping them with a proxy layer which is then accessed by other developers. With Apigee, you can design and build APIs and then securely share their services and data without exposing any code.

Because app developers make HTTP requests to an API proxy rather than directly to your services, your services are separated from the developers. All the developer needs to know is the URL of the API proxy endpoint, necessary query parameters, authorization credentials (if they exist), and the response data format.

The API proxy isolates the app developer from your backend service. Therefore, you are free to change the service implementation if the public API remains consistent. By maintaining a consistent frontend API, existing client apps will continue to work regardless of changes on the backend.

Key capabilities of the Apigee API management platform include:

• Security: Protect APIs, messages, and backends with configurable policies such as OAuth, API key verification, XML/JSON threat protection, and access control.
  
  
• API gateway: Secure and mediate the traffic between clients and backends, and between a company’s APIs and the developers who use the APIs.
  
  
• Developer portal: Attract and engage application developers, enabling them to discover, explore, purchase, and test APIs and register to access and use the APIs.
  
  
• API console: The console helps developers learn and work with APIs.
  
  
• API lifecycle management: Manage the process of designing, developing, publishing, deploying, and versioning APIs.
  
  
• Automated documentation: Automate the development of API documentation and software development kits.
  
  
• Machine learning: Utilize machine learning and analytics to generate actionable insights and reports.
  

• API monitoring: Apigee offers monitoring tools for API troubleshooting, security, and optimization.

Reviews from Real Users:

Apigee stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Several major ones are its rich developer portal, its advanced analytics, and its central monitoring system.

Carlos R., a software architect at Caja Los Andes writes, “The central monitoring feature is the most valuable. It also provides security for the APIs and high availability for our use cases. Apigee is the best product in the industry in comparison to other API management solutions. It helps in fast development, which is a top point. It also supports a lot of industry standards and has excellent documentation.”

An associate vice president at a tech services company notes, “The analytics function and the developer portal are the two valuable features of Apigee. The analytics part is very good, and the developer portal is quite rich in features. The authentication mechanisms are quite easily built into Apigee, which is something that most of the other products have also now started supporting.”

IBM API Connect facilitates API management and integration in the financial sector. Companies use it to expose, secure, and manage APIs for banking, insurance, and fintech, deploying it on-premises, in the cloud, or as a hybrid solution.

IBM API Connect focuses on creating and monetizing APIs while enabling seamless transactions and integration with third-party services. It is vital for compliance with regulations and enhances external communication among institutions. With deployment options suitable for different environments, it supports centralized gateway management, robust security features, and comprehensive API lifecycle management. Users benefit from powerful analytics, user-friendly interfaces, and high performance with capabilities in message transformation and efficient monitoring.

• Centralized Gateway: Manages all APIs through a single entry point.
• Robust Security: Ensures API protection with advanced security measures.
• Comprehensive API Lifecycle Management: Covers creation, deployment, and retirement of APIs.
• User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies API creation and management tasks.
• Powerful Analytics: Provides insights into API usage and performance.
• Seamless Integration: Connects easily with third-party services and internal systems.
• Flexible Deployment Options: Supports on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.
• High Performance: Optimizes API performance and reduces latency.
• Message Transformation: Manipulates and formats messages between different systems.
• Visualization Tools: Enables clear and detailed views of API usage statistics.

• API Monetization: Generates additional revenue streams from APIs.
• Enhanced Compliance: Ensures adherence to industry regulations and standards.
• Improved External Communication: Facilitates integration and communication among financial institutions.
• Technical Support: Benefit from reliable customer support and easy configuration.
• Deployment Flexibility: Choose from on-premises, cloud, or hybrid options.

IBM API Connect is extensively implemented in the financial sector, enabling banking, insurance, and fintech services to manage APIs efficiently. Companies use it to ensure secure transactions, integration with third-party services, and compliance with regulatory standards. Its deployment flexibility accommodates different infrastructure needs, making it suitable for a wide range of financial applications.

Microsoft Azure API Management is essential for managing APIs, facilitating integration, and ensuring secure internal and external communication.

Organizations leverage Microsoft Azure API Management for seamless integration and effective API management. It supports microservices, legacy modernization, and platform orchestration in sectors like healthcare, telecom, and finance. Features such as developer portals and centralized libraries simplify usage. While it showcases strengths in hybrid cloud support and scalability, improvements are suggested in versioning and multi-tenancy.

• Integration with Microsoft services ensures robust access control and user-friendly deployment.
• Developer portal and documentation improve usability and learning.
• Hybrid cloud support offers seamless on-premise connectivity.
• Scalability and security features are well-regarded.
• Centralized API library simplifies management.

• Facilitates API lifecycle management enhancing user experience.
• Simplifies authentication and subscription models.
• Enhances data exchange and real-time monitoring.
• Streamlines API mapping and orchestration across platforms.
• Promotes flexibility and transparency in system integration.

Microsoft Azure API Management aids modernization across healthcare, telecom, and financial services by enabling legacy system updates and facilitating smooth platform orchestration.