IBM API Connect Reviews

We've yet to realize real value in the solution. The goals that we were trying to achieve from it were to implement microservices and a lot of the features and functionality that were part of the documentation, but we haven't achieved success with it yet.

The benefits would be that we'd have a great platform for our microservices and API management. But since we haven't had a lot of success with it yet, it's been frustrating.

I would like greater stability and greater ability to actually administer the product without needing to go to technical support. It's very proprietary and support has secret passwords that they use to get into certain functions.

IBM has limited the capability for executing typical admin commands and only provide a small list of proprietary commands. Without a secret command line password, clients are limited to what they can view and administer – even in a read-only mode.

Stability is not good.

Scalability is good.

I would rate technical support fair, at best.

We weren't using a different solution. This is a new approach. We do have alternatives that we are using, including other IBM products. But we did this one more from a sales relationship, technical sales team pitch.

When selecting a vendor, reliability and experience are most important; the fact that we had experience with them. We have a lot of IBM products and we had a lot of good relationships.

I was involved in the initial setup and it was somewhat complex; medium complexity.

We didn’t look at other vendors.

Certainly look at other options that are out there and absolutely go with the latest and greatest version of the product, because there have been a lot of issues and it's going through growing pains. It's not completely mature.

I like how it runs within DataPower, and adds the extra OAuth security. It gives me a common place to do security for all my API services.

The biggest benefit is the availability provided to the people that will use my services. They can go to a portal and look for services to identify which ones they'll use.

We use it for existing IIB services. We call on multiple back ends from the same service where the record layouts are different. It's difficult to describe and use them in the product.

Actually, we're in production for demo purposes, so I really can't speak to this. So far, we've had no issues.

We have used technical support and we have a good response.

The decision to switch was made before I had left IBM and went to this company four months ago.

When selecting vendor, support and longevity are the most important criteria.

I was involved in portions of the initial setup. It was complex from the standpoint that there were a lot of components, but it wasn't difficult.

Make sure to understand its purpose and what it's used for and not used for.

• GUI-based accelerated API development
• Segregation of ownership and control for different stakeholders
• Self-service Developer Portal: a highly customizable portal based on Drupal CMS
• Security support for oAuth, basic authentication and keys
• Analytics
• High-performance solution when used with DataPower IDG. DataPower IDG can support 8K TPS per appliance
• Easy-to-implement, configurable API security and analytics
• LoopBack projects allow API creation using a datasource

This product has been designed very well and addresses many advanced use cases of API development in a collaborative environment, which are not yet available in other existing products, for example, Layer 7.

• Self-servicing portal allows users to explore APIs, create and manage keys. and manage subscriptions.
• Advance infrastructure load balancer/cluster management features
• GUI-based accelerated API development and deployments

• Production traffic monitoring features can be better.
• A few advanced API managementfeatures such as monetization and portal syndication are not yet available in the product, but are included in the product road map for the near future.
• API hosting needs a separate product (for example, DataPower) or Micro Gateway (a node js component). However, in a few cases, this can be seen as a better overall solution.
• Frequent product design changes were observed during the early stages of this product evolution; however, currently this product is very stable.
• A few minor quality issues were observed during the early stages of this product evolution; however, currently this product is very stable.

I have used it for 1+ years.

Current versions are stable. However, a few minor issues were observed during the early stages of product evolution.

No scalability issues were found.

Technical support is 9/10:

• Highly responsive
• Quarterly enhancement/bug fix releases
• Detailed product documentation

We previously used Apigee. We switched due to version upgrade cost issues and a need for performance improvement.

Initial setup is very well documented and straightforward. However, please refer to API Management experts for the most-optimized solutions.

It's available in SaaS and on-premise versions. This product comes in three offerings: Essentials, Professional & Enterprise.

As per the required API Management components, pricing and licensing might vary on a case-by-case basis.

Enables a cost-effective solution when implemented properly.

Before choosing this product, we also evaluated CA Layer 7, Akana, and Mashery.

API Connect is an easy-to-learn, very advanced, reliable, business-to-business API management product. However, understand your requirements clearly and use expert help for the most optimized yet secure solution.

The API Connect product comes with API management, developer portal, offline API development toolkit and a node js component called Micro Gateway. Licensing can differ for these components.

From an API development features perspective, API Connect and API Management might appear significantly different. However, inherently both products exhibit a very easy, refined and mature API implementation process. I would personally recommend to everyone to use API Connect over API management.

V3 is way better then v2, and v4 has further improvements. We have the ability to secure, control, transform, catalogue and optimize access to our APIs for external and internal partners and developers.

The APIs are exposed to B2B partners in a secured, and better way. Internal re-usability of APIs are encouraged by cataloguing all the APIs.

It lacks the ability for billing and metering the API usage to invoicing in v3, however, v4 does have this. Automation of deployments is needed.

We've used it over a year, v3 was purchased in Q2, 2014.

Manual steps for deployment is needed.

No issues encountered.

No issue with scalability as the run timefor API Management is proven and time tested i.e. Datapower which all fortune 1000 companies use.

The IBM customer rep was very helpful in the POC phase, and helped us escalate custom/new features which we requested.

Ir's excellent.

No other product was used, and the service was just exposed by Datapower.

Initial setup was straightforward as 50% of the solution was already in place. IBM API runs on IBM Datapower so the setup was only needed for IBM API Management itself.

We did it in house using the same set of Datapower developers supported API Management.

We also looked at WS02 which was way too complex and needed almost 14-15 VMs to run. As we had Datapower, it was a natural choice for us.

If the customer is already using IBM Datapower then it is a no brainer that IBM API Management will complement their existing investment.

The most important feature is, for sure, the security gateway. But if we think commercially, the possibility for easily creating and exposing service plans and charging is also valuable.

We are planning the usage possibilities of API management inside our company, and outside, as well. Plenty of our web services are spread throughout various enterprise infrastructures and we want to control them in a better way with this tool. Of course, the valuable part outside the company is possibility for tracking and exposing telco services, as well as a commercialization aspect, through a developer community.

We have no suggestions so far.

After six months testing the platforms we now have a preparation period for commercial usage. The platform is technically ready for use. We are using a Data Power XG45 v6.0.0.4 as the gateway layer alongside API Management.

No issues encountered.

No issues encountered.

No issues encountered.

We have no such information so far.

We know that our implementer had some problems while implementing the platform but the main vendors technical support (IBM) responded very quickly and professionally.

No, we didn't. This is our first tool with this functionality.

Initial setup is very simple. Later implementation is a little bit complex (disagreement of reference in documentation, different recommended OS versions for additional parts of the environment etc.)

The implementation team did it with the support of a main vendor team. They have high level of expertise.

No we didn't. Maybe ESB (Enterprise Service Bus which we already use) is one of the solutions for exposing different kind of web or other services for sharing usage data but we realized that API management will be more useful for our wider purposes.

It's a good solution with a simple user interface. It has many different possibilities as a business solution.

The seamless conversion between rest and soap and service catalog.

I am a consultant so I can explain how this product has improved my customer's organization: it has made it very simple to expose new services securely with a specific general policy in DataPower and also keeping track of their use (amount of calls, etc.).

Integration with Exchange Server. Also if it could be easier to configure or direct the DataPower policies that would help. I'd like to see a combo box to choose which processing rule to apply.

I've used it for a few months.

Only issue is with connecting it to Exchange Server.

No issues with stability.

No issues with scalability.

I did not require the customer service.

I did not require technical support.

It was an addition and not a substitution to anything.

It was straightforward.

Seems good so far, as it saves a lot of time. It used to take a long time to expose services, whereas now it's just a few clicks.

It's pretty simple, there's no need for any special advice actually.

I use IBM API Connect as a black box, I only consumed the APIs that it provides.

The services that I consume through IBM API Connect are beneficial. It can handle multiple API management.

The solution could improve security and performance.

I have been using IBM API Connect for approximately two years.

I rate IBM API Connect an eight out of ten.