Sold by: IBM Software
Deployed on AWS
Build GraphQL APIs & MCP Servers for all your data sources in minutes, deploy them in seconds, and run them securely and efficiently as fully managed SaaS. Whether backends are public or private, SQL or NoSQL, REST or SOAP/XML, or other GraphQL APIs, your team can deliver a flexible GraphQL API layer in days, not weeks or months. APIs are concise and declarative; they run as SaaS with built-in performance, cost, and reliability optimizations.
4.3
Overview
IBM API Connect for GraphQL as a Service is a modern API platform that lets you build GraphQL APIs and MCP Servers for all your data sources using a declarative approach. APIs run in an in-memory Golang based GraphQL engine deployed into Kubernetes, and are highly responsive to application needs. Delivered as a fully managed SaaS, it enables developers to create concise, performant GraphQL APIs and agent ready MCP servers in minutes, deploy in seconds, and run securely without managing infrastructure. APIs are built using a declarative approach, allowing developers to compose GraphQL schemas, federated graphs (supergraphs), and MCP endpoints by combining building blocks that describe your enterprise data. Strong introspection and schema composition mean you can model and expose your data; for applications, agents, or AI; with just a few lines of code. The platform runs on a high-performance, in memory Golang based engine deployed to Kubernetes, delivering low latency, high throughput, and minimal backend load. At runtime, it optimizes queries and orchestrates access to your backends, whether they are public or private, SQL, NoSQL, REST, SOAP/XML, or even other GraphQL APIs. Build modern APIs for any data source. Concise, declarative APIs and MCP Servers ready for applications and AI agents alike. Any data source. Any sized graph or schema. Learn more: https://stepzen.com/product/build Deploy & Run at scale. Fully managed Golang-based query optimization engine. Scale, secure, and optimize APIs and backends; no servers to manage. Learn more: https://stepzen.com/product/run-serverless Federate your data. The only declarative approach for federated GraphQL and agent ready data access. Learn more: https://stepzen.com/product/federation
Highlights
- Build GraphQL APIs & MCP Servers for all your data sources in minutes, deploy them in seconds, and run them securely and efficiently as fully managed SaaS.
- Unparalleled flexibility to retrieve data wherever it resides. Connect data from any backend data source: SQL, NoSQL, REST, SOAP/XML, GraphQL etc. Declarative, consistent approach reduces backend complexity. IBM API Connect Essentials as a Service's declarative approach to GraphQL results in smaller and more intuitive code, better runtime performance, and faster time to value.
- Automatic performance optimizations. Because the API is defined declaratively, IBM API Connect Essentials as a Service's runtime engine can parse the backend calls and create an optimal execution plan that includes caching, memorization, parallelization's, and combining multiple calls into one (N+1 problem). Furthermore, the runtime is a carefully designed thread-safe implementation in Golang, resulting in only a few milliseconds overhead.
Details
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Delivery method
Deployed on AWS
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Pricing
Pricing is based on the duration and terms of your contract with the vendor. This entitles you to a specified quantity of use for the contract duration. If you choose not to renew or replace your contract before it ends, access to these entitlements will expire.
Additional AWS infrastructure costs may apply. Use the AWS Pricing Calculator to estimate your infrastructure costs.
Dimension | Description | Cost/12 months |
|---|---|---|
Enterprise | 1 Location, 5 Environments, and 100M API Calls per year | $37,500.00 |
Dimensions summary
This listing has one pricing option, the Enterprise unit, sold as a contract. Each unit bundles three usage allowances: 1 location, 5 environments, and 100 million API calls per year. You buy against these fixed limits for the contract term. Pricing scales by adding more units when you need added locations, environments, or API call capacity. There are no separate tiers or add-ons to choose from — the allowances are set together within each unit.
Top-of-mind questions for buyers
An environment is a separate deployment context for your GraphQL APIs, such as development, staging, or production. Each unit includes 5 of these. A location is a distinct site or region where you run the service, with 1 included per unit. Both are counted against your fixed allowance.
Each request your GraphQL API receives counts as one API call. Queries, mutations, and subscriptions all draw from the same yearly pool of 100 million calls per unit. When you federate data from multiple sources, the incoming request still counts once against your allowance.
The three allowances are bundled together in each unit and cannot be bought separately. To add capacity in any category, you buy additional units. Each added unit brings another 1 location, 5 environments, and 100 million API calls per year.
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Vendor refund policy
All orders are non-cancellable and all fees and other amounts that you pay are non-refundable. If you have purchased a multi-year subscription, you agree to pay the annual fees due for each year of the multi-year subscription term.
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Delivery details
Software as a Service (SaaS)
SaaS delivers cloud-based software applications directly to customers over the internet. You can access these applications through a subscription model. You will pay recurring monthly usage fees through your AWS bill, while AWS handles deployment and infrastructure management, ensuring scalability, reliability, and seamless integration with other AWS services.
Resources
Support
Vendor support
For paid subscriptions, please visit IBM Support to create a ticket for API Connect for GraphQL as a Service: https://www.ibm.com/mysupport/s/?language=en_US For trial support, please visit API Connect community-based forum:
AWS infrastructure support
AWS Support is a one-on-one, fast-response support channel that is staffed 24x7x365 with experienced and technical support engineers. The service helps customers of all sizes and technical abilities to successfully utilize the products and features provided by Amazon Web Services.
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Customer reviews
Mohit G.
Easy Setup and Quick Learning, but Pricey Compared to Alternatives
Reviewed on May 07, 2026
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
It’s easy to set up and not too complex to learn, so I was able to get started quickly.
What do you dislike about the product?
It is very costly compared to other products.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Rapidly design, create, and document APIs (REST, SOAP, GraphQL) using built-in developer tools and AI-powered generators.
Niki H.
User-Friendly with Great Integrations, but Debugging APIs Can Be Tricky
Reviewed on Oct 17, 2025
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
It is very user-friendly. The product natively provides integrations with GraphQL and AsyncAPI, which enables a full service discoverability within the Dev Portal. This capability provides a self-service service consumption.
What do you dislike about the product?
Debugging API's might get somewhat difficult
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
securing API's (often proxies) to the public world
Francis C.
A solid API management platform that works well for basic to moderately complex solutions
Reviewed on Jun 17, 2025
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
- It offers a good balance of features, security, and usability.
- It has a User-Friendly Interface.
- Solid for Mid-Level Use Cases
- It has a User-Friendly Interface.
- Solid for Mid-Level Use Cases
What do you dislike about the product?
Learning Curve for New Users is a little high. While the interface is well-structured, beginners or those without prior exposure to IBM’s ecosystem may find the initial learning curve steep.
Occasional Bugs:
The platform does occasionally exhibit bugs or inconsistencies, which can impact the developer experience. Most issues are manageable, but they can be frustrating during critical development phases.
Occasional Bugs:
The platform does occasionally exhibit bugs or inconsistencies, which can impact the developer experience. Most issues are manageable, but they can be frustrating during critical development phases.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Mainly centralized API management, Security and Access control.
Satish K.
I am a senior software developer. I have worked as full stack developer and DevOps Engineer
Reviewed on Dec 07, 2024
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
I love security features and features like rate limiting and throttling
What do you dislike about the product?
UI can be improved and pricing is a bit higher comparatively
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Overall API creation and management. It helps us in security and scalability of our APIs.
Kiran D.
best for API Management life cycle
Reviewed on Nov 28, 2024
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
IBM API Connect is IBM Cloud based technology useful for API management lifecycle including development and administration.
What do you dislike about the product?
Limitations of Analytics data extraction
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
For SOAP and RESTful APIs, API development and management is easy with IBM API connect. IBM Analytics helps to keep the data for monitoring and troubleshooting.