When to use Azure API Management

  • 6 minutes

Now let's discuss some scenarios that illustrate when it's appropriate to use Azure API Management. Let's investigate API lifecycle management with respect to standardizing APIs, centralizing API management and exposure, and enhancing API security. These don't apply equally to all use cases, but we'll look deeper at each one.

Standardize APIs

By enabling management of multiple APIs from a single administrative interface, Azure API Management makes it easier to create consistency across multiple APIs. You can standardize many API features, including:

  • Specifications: Reduces development time, decreases errors, and enables your organization to respond faster to customer suggestions and market forces.
  • Documentation: Enables developers to get up to speed with an API quickly, reduces technical support queries, and encourages developers to use more of your APIs.
  • URLs: Reduces consumer errors and gives your API deployments a more professional appearance.
  • Analytics: Enables management teams and engineers to compare usage and performance across multiple APIs.
  • Regulations: Helps ensure compliance toward government or industry rules and regulations across all APIs.

Several APIs with varying configurations are imported into Azure API Management. When they emerge from API Management, they have standardized configurations.

This is true of the food delivery scenario, which requires consistency across the APIs for consumers.

Centralize API operations

Azure API Management enhances the centralization of all API operations by bringing multiple APIs under a single administrative umbrella. Centralizing API operations can result in better admin operations, deployment centralization, and enhanced developer access.

All these factors apply to our food delivery scenario. Centralized consumer access through the developer portal makes it easier to sign up new developers, enhancing the monetization of the platform's APIs.

Secure access to your APIs

Azure API Management was designed with API security in mind. So many organizations rely on APIs for the internal and external exchange of data between apps and devices. A proper API security strategy covers the following bases:

  • Permissions: Control who can work with an API and what they can do with it.
  • Access: Only allow authorized users to submit requests.
  • Protection: Secure the API from malicious usage.
  • Compliance: Make sure your APIs satisfy all corporate or government security policies.

These security concerns are paramount in our food delivery scenario. Our platform generates and stores a great deal of sensitive data, including restaurant payments, customer names and addresses, and delivery vehicle locations.