One valuable feature of IBM API Connect is its role differentiation between API publishers and consumers. Publishers can easily identify, create, and publish APIs on the developer portal, defining plans, packages, and potentially billing rules. Consumers, interested in specific API packages, can subscribe, and use the APIs, and the platform tracks usage meticulously, allowing accurate billing applications for API consumers based on their usage patterns.
IBM API Connect - Full lifecycle API management
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I had an amazing experience with respect to IBM API Connect.
What do you like best about the product?
The best what I like about API Connect was the analytics section, in diagnoising issues in production, our go to approach would be to check the API Connect logs. In the latest API Connect 10 version we had on our Cloud Pak. That version had the capability to show the processing time the request spent on each policy with in the API, so it gave us really good insights in identifying bottlenecks whether it was our gateway script or the downstream system itself and then take appropriate action.
The other feature was the capability of synchronizing data such as client ids and secrets. We had two seperate API connect deployments (Active and DR) and using the internal sub system backups of the main deployement and backup in the other cluster we were able to onboard one client and the same id and secret could be used in the other cluster, in case of enabling DR traffic.
Since most of our integrations were routed from the API Connect, it was a touch point for all the services for the organization so it was able to handle immense workloads.
It was also relatively easy to develop APIs and deploy it on the products. And with the role based access control we were able to make sure that only relevant users after review could publish the API's.
The other feature was the capability of synchronizing data such as client ids and secrets. We had two seperate API connect deployments (Active and DR) and using the internal sub system backups of the main deployement and backup in the other cluster we were able to onboard one client and the same id and secret could be used in the other cluster, in case of enabling DR traffic.
Since most of our integrations were routed from the API Connect, it was a touch point for all the services for the organization so it was able to handle immense workloads.
It was also relatively easy to develop APIs and deploy it on the products. And with the role based access control we were able to make sure that only relevant users after review could publish the API's.
What do you dislike about the product?
The only problem which I observed was where we had two deployments (Active and DR) running in two seperate clusters, we had issues of analytics availaiblity at one place, other than that there weren't any issues from the development and deployment perspective.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
The main problem that API Connect was solving was authentication and authorization, since we want the consumers to only access only those services for which they were provided the access to, furthermore the other direction which the organization was thinking was to use monetization capability with the API Connect to avoid API abuse by the consumers.
From the analytics perspective we onboarded the clients with perspective to business domain and region, so we were able to also have the stats on hand if the management team wanted to inquire the numbers for the calls from a certain region or domain or both.
From the analytics perspective we onboarded the clients with perspective to business domain and region, so we were able to also have the stats on hand if the management team wanted to inquire the numbers for the calls from a certain region or domain or both.
Helps with efficient role differentiation and has a valuable feature for analytical report extraction
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
The platform’s integration with the payment gateway needs enhancement. The setup process and support services could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using IBM API Connect for three to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable product. I rate the stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable product. I rate the scalability an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
We encounter challenges related to the availability of local support and time zones.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used another product for API management. However, there were several areas of improvement related to the availability of a knowledgeable and skilled support team.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is complicated for container deployment. It is easy to maintain. I rate the process an eight out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
We use the platform’s analytics feature for extracting reporting for billing purposes. It is a good feature. It offers a sandbox environment where users, such as developers or testers, can interact with and test various APIs.
In the subscription process, EVOFRO (Evaluate, Offer, Verify, Fulfill, Render, Operate) is involved, specifically during the consumer's subscription attempt. It triggers a flow that includes reviewing and approving the subscription. It helps us achieve 80% compliance with regulations for our company.
I advise customers to identify the use cases before purchasing the product. I rate it an eight out of ten.
Helps monitor and manage API services and measure the API performance
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution to monitor, process, and manage API services.
How has it helped my organization?
We use the product to enforce standards to check and align things with the application design. The tool has enhanced our digital transformation efforts. With the adoption of the cloud, we deploy a lot of APIs on Lambda. We also have APIs deployed on-premise. We use the front-end access of all the APIs on-premise and on the cloud.
What is most valuable?
The API lifecycle management has helped us to do the version controls and naming of the APIs. The product gathers data to measure API performance. Users monitor the utilization of each API and the response times. It helps manage the environment. The product facilitates development by allowing the developers to go to the portal and test the APIs.
What needs improvement?
It would be nice to have a SaaS solution that can be deployed into the cloud.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for many years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The tool is very scalable.
How was the initial setup?
There's a bit of a learning curve to the setup process. Once the support team gets familiar with it, it is just like any other product.
What other advice do I have?
We started with DataPower ten years ago. Most of our APIs are SOAP APIs. When we started using RESTful APIs, we started using IBM API Connect. It took us a while to adopt API services. I will recommend the solution to people who need to manage their APIs. It's pretty good. It serves our purpose. Overall, I rate the product an eight or nine out of ten.
A decent API Management offering
What do you like best about the product?
The comprehensive set of tools for designing, managing and securing API's.
What do you dislike about the product?
The complex learing curve. IBM's tools and services are expensive.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
API Connect allows to me securely mange and design API's. I as a developer, leverage the visual interface to design APIs and define endpoints.
A complete package of tools under one roof.
What do you like best about the product?
-Multiple features such as api management, microservices architecure, REST/SOAP APIs handling.
-Subscription based model and platform independant and easy to integrate.
- Easily adaptable and available to use.
- Great customer support and escalations handled ontime.
-Subscription based model and platform independant and easy to integrate.
- Easily adaptable and available to use.
- Great customer support and escalations handled ontime.
What do you dislike about the product?
- Bad pricing marketvalue and low speed.
- Less number of repeat customers.
- Less number of repeat customers.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
- API Management -> Effortlessly manage and monitor all of your APIs from a one location.
Automation engineer
What do you like best about the product?
Good the IBM api to fetch the details using title and some details related and respond faster
What do you dislike about the product?
Basically i am developer and i not fscing any issue like disadvantages
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I using API for the some testcase write or any script created for automation and development then useful for me
A good option for API management
What do you like best about the product?
It is really easy to create, test and deploy all of our APIs in a single place.
What do you dislike about the product?
As of now I did not find any drawbacks. Although documationation can be improved.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It helps our organization to create and manage all our APIs and integrate those APIs to different external resources.
Offers basic API orchestration and provides robust security and governance features
What is our primary use case?
We mainly use it for API orchestration, basic gateway features, and data features. We use it just for orchestration and gateway functionalities.
How has it helped my organization?
Our client has a vendor contract with IBM and uses various IBM products, including API Connect. So, it's more of a forced usage within the organization.
So, it fulfills the basic needs.
What is most valuable?
It acts as a central gateway for both external APIs and underlying systems. It's basically a central middleware for hosting APIs to the internet and consuming APIs from internal systems.
It provides central governance for any APIs going outside the network, ensuring security and a common contract for API definitions.
What needs improvement?
We're good with things like API hosting, console features, etc. However, compared to Azure API, IBM API Connect lacks some things offered by the other platform.
I wish it covered the entire API lifecycle, including governance and management, more comprehensively.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using IBM API Connect for the past six months due to a client engagement.
We use the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability an eight out of ten. It has good stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
While Azure API Management offers configurable scalability, IBM API Connect relies on Kubernetes clusters. This might seem manual and require defining cluster instances upfront, but it's completely customizable and not on-the-fly scaling.
It's completely custom-driven, not on-the-fly scaling, which some may consider cumbersome.
Overall, I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten.
Almost all applications we've been exposing lately go through this middleware, so it's used extensively. There are around sixty applications directly using it, but six Kubernetes clusters serve those applications.
It's heavily used for integration, including system-to-system integration and product integrations.
Our usage has been increasing year-on-year based on our needs.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service and support. are good. They respond promptly to any issues requiring assistance, and they have an SLA for response times.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have a partnership with IBM for some products, but for IBM API Connect, we're just end users.
I used Azure API and then Microgateway. We use IBM API Connect because the client is an existing user of API Connect for another client's project. Their organizational practices favored using the same solution, so we had to go with IBM API Connect.
How was the initial setup?
I would rate my experience with the initial setup a seven out of ten, with ten being very easy to set up.
It wasn't complex overall, but the initial API creation had some challenges regarding security implementation. After that, it was much easier. We followed the template, but sometimes the page would close unexpectedly.
We faced some initial setup issues. Initially, understanding and implementing the right way to achieve API-level security, etc., was a bit tricky.
The documentation is decent, and they offer some provider-based human support, so that's sufficient.
We have on-premises installations for some applications hosted in Kubernetes clusters, and the on-premises Kubernetes cluster can be hosted anywhere. It's a containerized cluster deployment.
What about the implementation team?
IBM API Connect was already an existing middleware for the client, and we only expanded it for our new digital transformation project. So, the deployment process wasn't relevant to my experience.
Only two people manage it. They handle the entire API lifecycle, including hosting and management, across four different environments. They're DevOps engineers, playing both development and operations management roles.
What was our ROI?
There were two things: governance and security. This product helped greatly in both areas.
It is used across the entire organization, so the ROI is a hundred percent. Because if we couldn't have hosted an API gateway on some applications, that would be a failure. Now, any new application they build, any new product, can easily expose the appropriate API, making it worth the initial investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It can be quite expensive. It's okay for large-scale usage but quite expensive for smaller-scale implementations.
Overall, I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten, with ten being expensive. The pricing is fixed, not a floating model.
What other advice do I have?
If it's for a large-scale API ecosystem, IBM API Connect is a good choice. It's manageable, reliable, and offers extensive features.
Mainly understanding API gateway principles. If they grasp those, they can use this product. So, some background knowledge is advisable.
Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.
My review on IBM API CONNECT
What do you like best about the product?
The first thing i would love to mention about this software is the ease of integration, i was able to easily integrate it with our company website and during the process of integration, i found out that IBM API has a huge web of external systems that it could be easily integrated into and not just a company website. with IBM API CONNECT . we were able to easily control, manage, create, anaylse all our API link services... it allowed us to easily upscale and downscale at any moment of need... the tool that helped us in easily creating these API was very user-friendly without it taking so much time to set up. IBM API CONNECT provides us with a very strongly secured gateway to manage all our internal to external data send and requests... The customer care support team was also very responsive and very professionally knowledgeble
What do you dislike about the product?
The software implementation and structure can get so complicated at any moment especially with a lot of API on board.. which does lead to more hands on deck
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
The biggest problems we had issue with was security .. IBM API CONNECT really saved our side on that.
A great tool connecting the dot
What do you like best about the product?
IBM API connect is a great tool that has helped us in fetching, analysing data securely and hassle free. It's a great tool to meet our business day to day activities.
What do you dislike about the product?
I don't have any challenges using the API software so far.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
IBM API Connect help solve the problem of fetching data and information from one point to another securely and faster compare to manual data integration. It has helped to faten the business process by fetching data securely and faster
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