IBM API Connect Reviews

We primarily use this platform as an edge computing device wherein we expose our internal capabilities, legacy capabilities, and cutting-edge capabilities, from a standard security point of view. From an interfacing point of view, the social aspect of API management is maintained, and we are looking forward to the proper monetization in API economy with this tool. This solution is deployed on-premises. 

One of the most valuable features is that we can seamlessly and harmoniously expose our capabilities, from a security point of view. 

IBM API Connect could be improved with better monetization and customization capabilities. I work for a Saudi Arabian client and we use Stripe as our payment gateway, but Stripe doesn't have a gateway in Saudi. This means that our monetization capabilities are limited. 

We are also not happy with the portal experience. The API developer portal isn't attractive. We want something eye-catching, but this isn't easy to do because the customization possibilities are so limited. 

Our main pain points are in these two areas: creating a better developer portal and improving stability in terms of synchronization and monetization. 

I have been using this solution since 2019, so about two years. 

IBM API Connect is based on data power and, from a security and stability point of view, it's good. However, we use a 2018 version that has a stability issue. The one problem we encounter is that the syncing between different components of API management is not happening. We had to get the administrator to do some locking, unlocking, things like that. Most of the time, I deploy it, everything is sorted, and the transactions are going through, but at times, we have issues with publishing the APIs. So I sometimes question the stability. 

This solution is scalable. We have a team of 10 developers using this platform to develop and deliver the APIs. We have about 15 different types of users. We are API-led in the architecture that we have right now and every day, we are exposing APIs for new, different types of users, so it's gradually increasing. 

IBM's technical support is good. They help and sort out any problems, so no complaints here. 

From a developer's point of view, the installation is easy. From an administrator's point of view, it's a mess, it's too much. I don't come from an administrative background, but I work as a solution architect in the API space and as a guide to the admin team. I'm not sure what the installation timeframe is, but I don't think it's too much of a hassle. It's Kubernetes-based. I think the hassle comes afterward, if you need to solve an administrative or syncing issue. We have a team of one or two admins and about ten developers. 

We implemented through an in-house team. 

This is a licensed product. If your company is looking to obtain a license, you have to work with IBM partners.

We are also evaluating Apigee. We aren't happy with the portal experience in IBM API Connect, and it looks like the theme implementation and customization in Apigee is much more attractive. This is why we are doing a comparative study of Apigee and IBM API Connect, to see if Apigee would be a better long-term API management platform. We want to see if our customization experience with IBM will be similar to Apigee or if it will be much simpler. 

I rate this solution a six out of ten. I would recommend this solution to others, but I'm not sure my recommendation would be fair since I didn't explore other platforms—I can't provide a comparative study. As a tool, I wouldn't recommend it to somebody looking for an API management platform, due to the limited API monetization capabilities. I would also not recommend it to clients who are working in Saudi Arabia, since there is no support there—they asked us to build a billing solution by ourselves, which we didn't like. I would absolutely recommend it to clients in other Gulf countries like UAE or Qatar, or maybe even clients in Europe or America. We are using version 2018, but I heard that they're coming up with a better solution in the next version. We have yet to explore it, though. 

Our primary use case of this solution is as an API gateway. We are customers of IBM and I'm a  technology consultant.

This solution is very easy to use. 

Debugging could be improved, the solution doesn't really give a lot of debugging, and I'd also like to see an improvement in the analysis. 

I've been using this solution for four years. 

In general, stability is good, although there are very frequent patches that are required, and that is annoying.

The scalability of this product is good. 

The technical support is very good. 

The initial setup was straightforward.

Licensing is expensive but it's a good product. 

I rate this product an eight out of 10. 

We use IBM API Connect before API publishing for enterprises. If we have a big enterprise and they want to publish their data for the public, we use API connect.

IBM API Connect is a good product, and their technical support is excellent.

The initial setup and installation could be easier. The price could also be better. I would like to see monetization of support, a monetization billing engine, and monetization within the product in the next release.

I've been using IBM API Connect for two years.

IBM API Connect is stable.

IBM API Connect is scalable.

Technical support is excellent.

The initial setup and installation aren't easy. It's complex.

One member of our team implements this solution.

IBM API Connect could be cheaper. We pay for the license yearly.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give IBM API Connect a ten.

Our primary use case for this product was doing a  project for the banking industry. We had to use it to help comply with PSD2 (Payment Services Directive) regulations.  

It is a complete API solution for everything having to do with application development. It is an automated and all-in-one solution. It helps provide the API, expose the API, manage their exposure, and affect monetization. I have the operator portal, management portal, and analytics. This is the product I wanted, because I can do everything that I needed to with this one solution.  

One place that I think the product could improve is that it could be lighter on computing resources and cheaper. We did not expect to have to add additional services for data processing.  

We have been using IBM API Connect for about one year.  

We had one problem with the security and data resources early on when beginning to use the product. The problem was mostly due to the fact that when we started using the product, we did not have any knowledge of its requirements or experience using it.  

We are mostly satisfied with the Technical support that we received. We did not have to interact with them a lot. 

I do not deal directly with the area of budgeting. We are partners with IBM, so maybe we get different pricing. I do not know about standard prices other than that this product can be expensive. We did not need to pay them anything extra for support or add-ons. It may not be the same for clients who are not partners.  

Initially, we did not do any exhaustive research on competing products. We are looking at the market more in-depth now. I think that API Connect is too expensive for us. For some companies that have a higher demand for using this type of product, this may be a good solution. We do not have a lot of projects of this type, so we are looking for some other solution that is cheaper for the long-term. It has to be good enough and have the proper security constraints to meet client needs. Our research into other products has not really narrowed the field yet.   

On a scale from one to ten where one is the worst and ten is the best, I would rate IBM API Connect as an eight-out-of-ten comparing what I know to other products.  

We use this solution for managing APIs.

The most valuable feature is the interface.

The capabilities are very good.

It would be helpful to have access monitoring.

The initial setup is complex.

We have used IBM API Connect in several projects over the past couple of years.

IBM API Connect is very scalable. Our integrations are typically with enterprise-level organizations or SaaS providers.

We normally rely on our internal team for support.

Most of the time, the initial setup is complex. Implementation will take from a few hours up to days.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

The gateway is the most valuable aspect of this solution. 

It has a good interface, dashboards, and monitoring tools.

In terms of what needs improvement, some of the product documentation could be better.

I have been using IBM API for around a year.

I haven't had any issues with the stability. There are around 1,000 users using IBM API in my company. 

Their technical support is okay. 

I would rate IBM API an eight out of ten. 

I would recommend it. I'd say that you need some time to negotiate the documentation and the conflicting support that's on their website. The website will day to do one thing and in another place, you do something else. You need some time to negotiate that.

Extracting the data could be improved.

My team members sometimes find it difficult to get something out of this solution.

I have been using it for the last year.

We have no issues.

The scalability is good.

The technical support is good. Whenever we need anything, we have our IT team work with IBM to change whatever requirement is needed.

I previously used the IBM Tivoli Monitoring tool before joining my company.

The initial setup was straightforward.

The pricing is too expensive with IBM. Sometimes, we prefer to go with an open source or something more lightweight.

I can recommend this solution and would rate it as an eight (out of 10).

We have done many implementations using API Connect. We work with some of the largest financial institutions in India, including life insurance companies and some of the banks. 

We have done most of them on-premise. The customers, because they are financial institutions and insurance companies, prefer to have this on their own premises and their own data centers.

It allows enterprises to expose some of their tech to outside stakeholders.

We have been implementing solutions with IBM API Connect for five to six years.

I would like to see automation of the installation. If there could be a single-click function where you could automate everything, that would be helpful. There should also be tools to automate the migratation from the older versions to the newer version. That would be another point that would bring my rating of it closer to 10 out of 10.

IBM sets the pricing, but it would be a good idea to bring down the pricing by at least 20 to 30 percent.

I would certainly recommend IBM API Connect for clients who are going with an enterprise version of implementation and when they have enough budget. Of course, if they have budget limitations, they can consider open-source solutions.

As implementers, we have a big resource pool here in India. All our associates have expertise with API Connect as well as IBM App Connect.

As of now, it is serving the needs of our customers. It is quite a proficient tool. It satisfies all of our requirements.