Top 15 API management platforms

The need for API management platforms has escalated over the past decade. Leveraging the power of sharing information, much of the data swapping on the internet nowadays happens automatically through APIs, making the once obscure way for developers to organize their software a vital corporate tool for organizing any business dependent on data.

A good enterprise API management tool today can interact with code running both inside the enterprise and out in the wilds of the Web. It can provide a reliable way to grant access to the right people and block those who are unauthorized. Some even impose speed limits to keep certain users from abusing their API access and overloading the system.

Some API managers can track revenue by counting API calls and turning these ledgers into bills that can be routed to the accounting department, sometimes automatically. For many companies, APIs are now a big revenue driver. Sometimes they’re a company’s only business.

API management tools can also help developers do their jobs better. They not only streamline API design but can mock up test cases and ensure an API does everything it promises. They can flag errors both before and after deployment.

There are now dozens of good API managers from companies big and small. Here are the top choices today, in alphabetical order. If you use them well, some will make you rich, some will keep your systems from crashing, some will keep invaders from breaking in, and some will do all three.

Amazon API Gateway

Dev teams that already host code on AWS can open the door to outsiders using Amazon’s API Gateway, which handles many of the issues of authentication and throttling before handing off control to whatever code is running in the virtual private cloud. Many use API Gateway as a front door for REST calls to Lambda functions. Once the various calls are defined, the Gateway automatically builds an software development kit (SDK) that you can distribute to potential users. The Gateway also tracks usage, providing another set of metrics to scrutinize.