Choosing an API lifecycle management platform can be a challenging prospect. With so many options to consider, it can be difficult to analyze the pros and cons of each one. To help, this blog provides an all-encompassing approach to understanding how to choose the right API lifecycle management platform and how they can help solve the basic problems associated with managing an API. Additionally, we’ve compared ten of the most popular API lifecycle management platforms.

What is an API Lifecycle Management Platform?

An API management platform is a type of software businesses use to manage their APIs. It provides a set of tools for developers to build, test, and deploy APIs. The platform also helps teams monitor and secure their APIs. True API lifecycle management platforms allow you to oversee the entire scope, providing a holistic platform to design, develop, test, monitor, deploy, and retire the APIs.

API lifecycle management platforms make it simpler for developers to build their APIs and collaborate with stakeholders to design them. It also enables easy management of APIs with their version control and documentation features.

How Do You Choose an API Lifecycle Management Platform?

The size and scope of your project will influence the number of features and functionality your chosen platform should provide. If you have a large and complex project, you will need a platform that can handle many users, developers, and a wide range of API types. Conversely, a smaller project may be able to get away with a platform that is less feature-rich.

The types of APIs you will build is another important factor. If you need real-time or streaming data, you will require a platform that supports those types of APIs. Additionally, if you need security or authentication for external use cases, you will need a platform that offers those features.

There are many API lifecycle management platforms available, each with its own set of features. Here are ten of the most popular API lifecycle management platforms.

IBM API Connect

IBM API Connect helps organizations securely expose their backend systems and data to external developers, partners, and customers. It provides a way to manage APIs throughout their lifecycle, from creation and publication to monitoring and security. This API lifecycle management platform also offers rate limiting and analytics to help organizations understand how their APIs are being used.

3scale

Red Hat 3scale API lifecycle Management is a comprehensive solution for managing APIs. It provides a centralized platform for managing API keys, rate limiting, and access control. 3scale also provides a self-service portal for developers to register for keys and manage their own access. Additionally, 3scale offers a wide range of features to help secure and optimize APIs, including gateway capabilities, traffic shaping, and analytics.

Dell Boomi

Dell Boomi is a cloud-based API lifecycle management platform that enables businesses to securely expose their data and services to partners, developers, and other third parties. Dell Boomi provides a complete set of tools for building, deploying, and managing APIs, including robust security features to protect data and services. Dell Boomi also offers a wide range of integration capabilities, making it easy to connect to various backend systems and services.

Apigee

Apigee is a platform that enables companies to design, secure, and scale their APIs. It provides a complete set of tools to manage the entire API lifecycle, from design to deployment to documentation to monitoring. Apigee also makes it easy to secure and control access to APIs and track and analyze API usage. Apigee API lifecycle management is built on top of the Google Cloud Platform and is available as a service or as an on-premises solution.

Layer7 API Management

Layer7 API Management from Broadcom (formerly CA API Management) is a cloud-based API lifecycle management platform. It is an API lifecycle management platform that enables companies to securely expose their backend systems and data to external developers. With Layer7 API Management, businesses can manage the entire API lifecycle, from creating and publishing APIs to monitoring and securing them. Layer7 API Management also provides a marketplace for developers to discover and consume APIs.

AWS API Gateway

AWS API Gateway is a powerful tool that allows you to easily manage and monitor your AWS resources. With this platform, you can set up alerts to notify you when API usage exceeds a certain threshold. You can also view API usage trends over time and get information about API calls made by specific users or groups. AWS API Gateway also provides a way to track API performance so that you can identify and troubleshoot slow or unresponsive API calls.

Microsoft Azure API Management

Microsoft Azure API Management is a cloud-based API lifecycle management platform that enables you to create, publish, and manage APIs. It provides a way to leverage the cloud to easily create and manage APIs while also providing a way to control access to those APIs. Azure API Management can be used to create APIs that expose data and functionality from a variety of backend sources, including Azure services, on-premises systems, and third-party services. It offers a wide range of features that can be used to control access to APIs, throttle traffic, and track usage.

MuleSoft Anypoint

MuleSoft’s Anypoint Platform is a complete solution for API lifecycle management, enabling you to design, build, secure, and publish APIs. The Anypoint Platform makes it easy to manage your APIs, providing a complete solution for API lifecycle management, from design to runtime. Anypoint Platform is built on top of Anypoint, MuleSoft’s integration platform, which offers a complete solution for API lifecycle management, from design to runtime.

Akana

Akana API Management from Perforce is a popular choice, and for a good reason. It is a comprehensive solution that offers a wide range of features, including API creation, API lifecycle management, and API security. It also has a robust developer portal that makes it easy for developers to discover and use your APIs. In addition, Akana API Management is scalable and can be easily deployed in the cloud or on-premises.

Treblle

Treblle is an all-in-one platform for the entire API lifecycle that helps engineering and DevOps teams build, ship, and maintain rest-based APIs faster. A very intuitive UI gives value, especially to teams that have APIs as a product. It gives you advanced API metrics and enriched data at a glance and easily detects and displays potential problems and errors. It offers a free forever plan, and out of the box, you get features like real-time API monitoring and observability, auto-generated API docs, in-depth API analytics, and an API score that helps teams benchmark their APIs.

Final Words

Above, we’ve listed ten API lifecycle management platforms you can use today. We’ve collected them here according to the needs we believe companies should consider when deciding which platform to use. Our list is not all-encompassing — there are plenty of other helpful API management vendors, including Axway, Postman, and others. Regardless, we hope this gives you a good starting point for your search.

What tools are you using for API lifecycle management? Let us know in the comments below!