We primarily use the solution for a bank. It's used for the operations portion of the bank. It's primarily used for the review of the personnel in your accounts et cetera. It's for many operations for the bank.
Consultant at Bancolombia
Robust with an easy initial setup and good stability
Pros and Cons
- "The interface is very nice. It makes the solution easy to use and navigate."
- "The documentation needs to be a bit better."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The interface is very nice. It makes the solution easy to use and navigate.
You can install it in coordinates, in general, and you can deploy it in Amazon, in Google, in the IBM cloud, or other clouds as well. You don't have to worry about having to work on a specific cloud. It makes it very flexible. This is very important.
The product is quite robust.
The initial setup is very easy and the deployment is very quick.
What needs improvement?
The documentation needs to be a bit better. It's very sequential, however, I don't understand what options to choose for certain tasks. I need to read all of the documentation to find what I need. It's easier to look at recommendations or to watch Youtube videos that show specific examples.
There needs to be more in the toolkit to complement the product. We could have more features, for example, for queries to the platform.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for three years or so. It's been a while.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability has been fine. We've found it to be very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash and freeze. In the past versions, stability was a bit of an issue, however, in the latest version, we have found it to be much better and much more reliable. We are satisfied with it so far.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability has been good. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so.
We have an average of 1,000 people using the platform normally. On top of that, there are 10 developers that are also on it at any given time.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support could be better. They are so-so. They could be more supportive and be better at answering questions. We'd like it if they made issues easier to resolve.
There's also a general lack of documentation, which sometimes means finding answers on your own is difficult to do.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not overly difficult or complex. It's very simple and straightforward.
The deployment is quite quick. It only takes about one hour to have everything up and running.
What other advice do I have?
I'd recommend the solution to other users and organizations due to the fact that it is very, very easy to use. The product is good, however, that said, they need to pay more attention to their documentation and support.
Overall, I would rate the solution at an eight out of ten. We have largely been satisfied with the solution and its capabilities.
We are IBM partners.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner

Associate Director, Cloud Architect at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Stable with good functionalities and works well overall
Pros and Cons
- "The functionalities on offer are very good."
- "The solution would be better if it had cloud functionalities."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is primarily used as the API gateway. It's for the application that performs the function as the API for the consumer.
What is most valuable?
The customer seems to really like how this particular solution works.
The solution is very stable.
The functionalities on offer are very good.
What needs improvement?
The solution would be better if it had cloud functionalities.
It would be very helpful if it supported Azure and/or AWS marketplaces. Right now, if I want to set up something in Azure, I need to set up a VM from scratch instead of just being able to have it be supported and integrated.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've only really been assisting my customer, who uses this solution. However, it's my understanding that they have been using the product for a long time.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability has been very good. It doesn't crash or freeze. There are no bugs. From a performance perspective, it's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The customer has many, many users on the solution currently. I can't speak to exact numbers. I know there are a lot.
How are customer service and technical support?
I've never dealt with IBM's technical support. I'm unsure if the client even has a contract that allows them access to IBM's support. If they do, I would definitely reach out to discuss the product and its capabilities more. I'm not sure if a technical support license is extra or just comes with the license itself or if it expires over time, et cetera. I haven't looked into it at all.
How was the initial setup?
I've never handled an installation before. I wouldn't be able to speak from personal experience. I can't get into details about implementation or deployment or how long the process takes.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I proposed to the client that they use the cloud-native API gateway in Azure or in AWS, however, they wanted to go for the API Connect.
What other advice do I have?
I'm considering migrating API Connect to Azure.
I'm still doing the assessment for this product. That is due to the fact that the move to the cloud is just not only for this product. We have a lot of products in terms of the customer's applications. I need to assess everything together and then propose to my end customer.
I'm a vendor. I do assessments for my customer.
I wouldn't recommend this solution to other organizations at this time. It's on-premises and everyone is moving to the cloud. It makes more sense to seek out a cloud solution.
Overall, I would rate the solution at an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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March 2023

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API Engineer/IBM Datapower Specialist at Tenece Professional services
Integrates well with other vendors, highly secure, and flexible installation
Pros and Cons
- "I have found IBM API Connect to be highly secure, efficient, easy to deploy, and has a great GUI. It can operate and integrate well with other vendors, such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft."
- "The installation was difficult with the IBM toolkit."
What is our primary use case?
We are using IBM API Connect to integrate bank applications. We are linking frontend services with the backend to prevent unwanted penetration.
What is most valuable?
I have found IBM API Connect to be highly secure, efficient, easy to deploy, and has a great GUI. It can operate and integrate well with other vendors, such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using IBM API Connect for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution has a modern cloud and it has been stable and reliable. We have not had any breaches of security.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is highly scalable, you can scale up and down. It has good performance, and you are able to customize the APIs to what you want.
How are customer service and technical support?
The support we have received from IBM has been great, they have been very responsive.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used Oracle API gateway. When comparing the two, they are both very reliable and have good APIs but IBM on-premise installation is more flexible.
How was the initial setup?
The installation was difficult with the IBM toolkit.
What about the implementation team?
We have an architectural roadmap to follow while doing the implementation of the solution and it took approximately three months for our teams to complete. I had some support from IBM during the process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of the solution is very expensive, it can turn many customers away.
What other advice do I have?
The solution is very good and might not be suited for everyone's use case. Organizations might not need such a robust solution that is priced as high as it is. The demographics can play a role in if this solution is suitable, it depends on what others are using to make it competitive. For example, in Africa, the use of this solution is very low, they are not thinking too much about security. However, if your organization wants to take its operations to the next level then this solution might be the right choice.
I rate IBM API Connect an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Cloud Architect at a energy/utilities company with 501-1,000 employees
Analytics are helpful for identifying problem areas
Pros and Cons
- "API Connect is a good product, and everything works fine. All the analytics are good, and it is easy to follow up. I like it in that sense. I'm more focused on following up on analytics by seeing how many API calls we are getting and where we see a lot of problems. I was working on that API level."
- "We ran it on top of the Kubernetes cluster, so it wasn't a standalone service. In the worst-case scenario, API Connect couldn't stay online if all the containers went down. We had to restart all the services. We shut down all the containers automatically one by one."
What is our primary use case?
We used API Connect for OPIE management. About 50 developers in my company are using it.
What is most valuable?
API Connect is a good product, and everything works fine. All the analytics are good, and it is easy to follow up. I like it in that sense. I'm more focused on following up on analytics by seeing how many API calls we are getting and where we see a lot of problems. I was working on that API level.
For how long have I used the solution?
We used API Connect for at least three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
API Connect's stability was okay. We ran it on top of the Kubernetes cluster, so it wasn't a standalone service. In the worst-case scenario, API Connect couldn't stay online if all the containers went down. We had to restart all the services. We shut down all the containers automatically one by one. That was the only problem. It didn't happen often— maybe three or four times in two years — but it was still somewhat problematic. API Connect is not fully cloud-native in that sense.
What about the implementation team?
We outsource maintenance to a local company in Finland. They built it for us and maintain it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
API Connect was highly expensive for us, but the decision to switch was made before I joined the company. It seems like the company bought it, but they didn't know how to use it. After two years, they decided to reevaluate and conduct some cost estimates.
What other advice do I have?
I rate API Connect eight out of 10. If you are using a microservice like Kubernetes, that should be tested to ensure it's working. If you are running API Connect on top of Kubernetes, you trust that you can update the Kubernetes cluster on the fly during the daytime.
In our case, every time we had to update the Kubernetes cluster that API Connect was running on, it was so much work. We could update all the other clusters with no problem. So my advice is to make sure that it is working. Otherwise, I think everything was okay.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Google
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IT Architect at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Protects our backend system, but the installation could be easier
Pros and Cons
- "One of the most valuable features of this solution is that it protects our backend system. We are exposing services to external parties and using this solution to protect the backend system, and to have a navigation in between."
- "The installation process could use improvement. I hope that in the next release, the installation process is easier."
What is our primary use case?
We use IBM API Connect for external communication with outside partners and external companies doing business with our company.
This solution is deployed on-premises. We are currently using Version 5.0, but we are upgrading to version 10.0, which is a cloud-based solution.
What is most valuable?
One of the most valuable features of this solution is that it protects our backend system. We are exposing services to external parties and using this solution to protect the backend system, and to have a navigation in between.
What needs improvement?
The installation process could use improvement. I hope that in the next release, the installation process is easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
My company has used this solution for at least four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There have been some internal issues within the product that have caused instability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
How was the initial setup?
API Connect is not straightforward to install. If you don't have a lot of dependencies in your organization, it will take a short amount of time. In our case, we took at least a month because of dependencies to other departments in the company.
For our technical team, we have approximately 10 people, a combination of managers, admins, and engineers.
What about the implementation team?
We provide this solution to customers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There aren't any additional costs for the consumer solution. There is no cost for the consumers to use the services because we don't monetize the services.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have plans to upgrade from this solution. We are upgrading to ensure that we have a supported version late next year, in November or December, and are evaluating alternative solutions in the market.
What other advice do I have?
I rate API Connect a seven out of ten. This solution is stable, but maybe not the most modern product on the market.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Technological Architect at Banco de Chile
An easy-to-use web interface, but room for improvement in customer support
Pros and Cons
- "One of the most valuable features is the easy-to-use web interface."
- "Documentation for the CLI is not very complete. Also, the support could be improved, and we have had several problems with backing up and restoring the product."
What is our primary use case?
We deploy APIs to expose the BFFs of mobile apps, and this is mainly in the cloud. All mobile apps consume the APIs of your BFF. On-premise, we have APIs that expose services and mainly functionalities, such as the balance of the client or the customers or the products.
What is most valuable?
One of the most valuable features is the easy-to-use web interface.
What needs improvement?
Documentation for the CLI is not very complete. Also, the support could be improved, and we have had several problems with backing up and restoring the product.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for two or three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of the solution is good.
How are customer service and support?
IBM support is not available in Chile, so we must go through other countries to get a response from customer support.
How was the initial setup?
I would rate the setup as a medium in difficulty.
What about the implementation team?
The solution was first set up with the help of IBM, but when we moved to another environment, we followed the initial instructions given by IBM and implemented it ourselves.
We used Bamboo as a pipeline for automatic deployment of the API. The deployment took four hours.
What other advice do I have?
The product is easy to use, but the installation is not easy. We have a team of three architects who maintain the product. I would rate this solution as an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Associate Manager at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Robust product that lets you easily create and manage your API
Pros and Cons
- "Using API Connect allows us to quickly create proxy APIs and saves time on end-to-end testing, which lets us deliver quickly to clients."
- "The developer portal could be easier to customize."
What is our primary use case?
API Connect is mainly used as a gateway solution to expose, secure, and manage APIs.
How has it helped my organization?
Using API Connect allows us to quickly create proxy APIs and saves time on end-to-end testing, which lets us deliver quickly to clients.
What is most valuable?
API Connect's most valuable features are API management and creation.
What needs improvement?
The developer portal could be easier to customize - as it's Drupal-based, I have to hire a Drupal developer to do it for me. I feel there should be a drag-and-drop or UI-based configuration to customize the developer portal. In the next release, I would like some support for file uploads and MQ integration.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using API Connect for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The newer versions, from 2018 forwards, are quite stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
API Connect is scalable because it's completely containerized.
How are customer service and support?
IBM's technical support is very good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward, and deployment took two days.
What about the implementation team?
I did the implementation myself.
What other advice do I have?
I would say that if you want stability and security, you should go for API Connect. It's a very robust product that lets you easily create and manage your API. I would rate API Connect as nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Architect of solutions at Gire S.A.
API management solution that offers effective management of APIs and is stable in its performance
Pros and Cons
- "The management of the API and API portal is good."
- "The monetization of the API could be improved. The pricing for the consumer is also very important to improve this solution."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution in a hybrid way. All the processes and data is in the cloud but the API gateway is part of the API Connect solution and runs on prem in Argentina, connected to the cloud.
What is most valuable?
The management of the API and API portal is good.
What needs improvement?
The monetization of the API could be improved. The pricing for the consumer is also very important to improve this solution. Nowadays, we are sending information to other tool in order to process out of API Connect. They could improve this internal service in order to have the balance for the consumer's API for different companies, external to our company.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a strong and stable solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is complex. When setting it up, you will need support. We are using AVP support from IBM. Its an extra support service. I would recommend using this kind of support because it will help your company move quickly in order to set up the different products. IBM AVP stands for accelerated value program.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution a nine out ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Last updated: Sep 22, 2022
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