The World of API simplified – API Integration and API Management

APIs connect applications, systems and partners in real time. From mobile apps, e-business or cloud, to on-site or point-of-sales connections, APIs enable fast, secure, easy access to data and business processes. They enable interaction between systems, applications, mobile devices and apps.

We will answer these questions: What are APIs, exactly? Why are APIs so important? What opportunities and possibilities do APIs offer? How are APIs managed? What does API Full Lifecycle Management include?

We will also introduce you to a useful API solution and answer the most frequently asked questions about APIs and API Management.

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) integrate business processes, services, content and data. They connect partners, systems, internal teams and numerous other sources easily and securely.

APIs shape the digital world. Today there are more than 20,000 APIs listed in API online portal directories, with several hundred being added every month, and the trend is rising. In addition, only public APIs are listed in these directories. If you consider the countless APIs that are currently used internally by companies, the number 20,000 is conservative at best.

Why have APIs become so important to business?

APIs enable existing application functions and data to be leveraged by other systems and applications. This means, for example, that with an API, data within a company database can be made available to other internal systems (i.e. legacy system integration). Before APIs, only isolated or locally used resources could be made available to other systems.

Where external partners get access to internal APIs, it is often possible to develop a business model that generates additional revenue. There are virtually no limits to the opportunities.

The risk of overloading the provider with too many individual requests and the administrative overhead associated with the large number of individual requests (e.g., for checking access authorizations) are also reasons why APIs are less suitable for mass data processing and batch processes than classic asynchronous communication protocols (e.g., EDI).

Rather, the power of APIs lies in their openness and flexibility, which allow applications and systems to be loosely connected and data silos to be opened by allowing application developers to access and reuse existing applications and data sources. APIs are what make today's interactions between any system, application, mobile device, or app possible.

In short, APIs provide an elegant way to clearly define what kind of data or functionality a system or application can provide in real-time. These simple and fast entry points into systems and applications have transformed and continue to transform entire business models and drive new strategic business directions.

There are three types of APIs, depending on how they are used:

• Internal/private APIs
• Partner APIs
• Public APIs

To learn more about how APIs work, check out our in-depth blogs: What is an API and API – What is it really all about.

When Amazon founder Jeff Bezos proclaimed the API First strategy in his famous mandate in 2002, he was already aware that the digital future will be built on a strategy of data opening - not only internally, but also externally

Two points of this mandate are critical to the development of APIs and the status they have achieved today

Point 1
From now on, all teams will provide their data and functionalities via service interfaces (APIs).

Point 5
All these APIs must be designed to be externalizable - without exception.
(Must be shareable with the customer or the outside world)

So Jeff Bezos first dictates to develop APIs internally, according to the company's own needs (which ensures their practicality). In the following, he orders the synergy effects with business partners to design these APIs from the start in such a way that they can also be used externally.

Industrial IoT, APIs and Unlimited Possibilities

Providers of large, electronically controlled machines are now able to centrally monitor machine data using APIs. Each machine is connected to the system via its own APIs and transmits various data at regular intervals. Possible malfunctions and wear are detected at an early stage, maintenance can be provided, and spare parts ordered or exchanged when needed. In conjunction with an API-based infrastructure, this data can be directly networked with the ERP system, inventory, employees, etc., providing multiple opportunities for new efficiencies.

However, the scope of APIs goes beyond machine data. In fact, there are literally no limits to the possible applications. From sensors on a highway, to shipping containers to a cargo bay, data is transmitted via APIs to communicate with stops on a supply chain. Intelligent household appliances can be controlled via applications, desktops can be woven into a communicating IT infrastructure, and external partners can be connected and integrated into your partner portal, all via APIs.

The boundaries of APIs are shifting, and creating new opportunities in the digital age.

There are literally no limits to the possible uses of APIs. Be it machine data, sensors on the motorway, containers in shipping or railway trains, they can all transfer data and communicate with the outside world via APIs. Intelligent household appliances can be controlled via applications, desktops can be woven into a communicating IT infrastructure, and external partners can be connected and integrated via APIs. The universe of APIs pushes boundaries and creates new possibilities in the age of digitalization.

Yet, how is it possible that all this data can be collected and used from different sources, via different connections and in different formats? The cue is API integration.

In the context of APIs, API integration refers to the translation process for which the interface is responsible. It enables connected functional units to communicate with each other. The target structure of adjacent functional units and data units can differ greatly, which can make mediation difficult. In addition, outgoing responses must also be transmitted in the appropriate format.

All these translation tasks are handled by API integration.

Another factor is the fact that an API does not necessarily have to be associated with only one functional unit. Depending on the scenario and the structure of the infrastructure, it is necessary that the request of an API must be resolved into various request types on different backend systems. Since the respective backend systems can communicate in different ways, multidimensional API integration is necessary to finally provide a unified response.

Learn more in our blog: "What is API Integration" and discover the challenges associated with API integration and how they can be met.

API management is the process of managing, regulating, securing and monitoring APIs in a secure and protected environment. It enables you to control the increasing number of internal and external APIs used or provided by an organization. Professional API management addresses the needs of all API stakeholders - API publishers, API developers, App developers and API consumers.

Why API Management: Unmanaged APIs are not secure and cannot be reused efficiently. Their acceptance rate is low. If not properly managed, they put a service-based infrastructure of systems and applications at risk because they are not protected. In summary, APIs, if unmanaged, are the primary cause of business vulnerability and ultimately result in high costs. Our API management infographic illustrates the benefits of managed APIs compared to unmanaged APIs.

API management is the solution to avert this threat to the company!

Learn more about the tasks of API management, how it can be part of the API infrastructure and all the challenges in our detailed blog: What is API management?

API Full Life Cycle Management – the challenges

The more APIs an organization provides and the larger the addressed and actual user base, the better it helps to manage APIs with Full Life Cycle Management. It provides a holistic view for managing all APIs.

The entire process from the design and release of an API to the end is called the API Life Cycle. This API Life Cycle has to be managed, documented, and this documentation needs to be made available to all API stakeholders who use the APIs.

After explaining in detail what API integration and API management is all about, API Full Life Cycle Management is the management and control of APIs throughout their entire life cycle. It is therefore to be understood as a maxim of the API management approach. In order to address this challenge in a professional and future-oriented manner, there are various providers on the market.

In summary, API Full Lifecycle Management handles the administration and organisation of the various phases in the life of an API. According to Gartner, the 5 phases of the API lifecycle are

The API Full Life Cycle Management therefore accompanies an API from design and delivery to enhancement or deactivation.

The previous sections described the individual components in the universe of APIs and their functions. Finally, we address the questions of how these individual elements are connected as a whole and how you as an organization can best use them for your purposes.

The SEEBURGER BIS Platform API Capabilities are a comprehensive solution to support API-based integration. It covers the entire API lifecycle, from creation, implementation, publishing to use, and supports API protection, API usage monitoring, and identity and access rights management.

Companies that want to integrate APIs into their corporate strategy should therefore establish a clear structure from the beginning. Typically, companies start with a few APIs that are easy to manage. The amount of APIs often grows rapidly, making it more and more difficult to maintain control. The number of systems and people involved can also increase quickly, pushing unstructured solutions to their limits.

What does this mean for you?

Consuming or deploying APIs is only one step in a much larger process. Whether you want to use APIs as the foundation for a new business model, centralize internal data, or make everyday work easier for employees with a clear App, you can do it.

APIs are your key to digitalization!

To target an API solution for your business, you need an experienced partner. SEEBURGER offers an API management solution that enables you to master APIs for maximum results.