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An Application Programming Interface is an interface that provides smooth connectivity and communication between two or more software applications. API Integration refers to this seamless connectivity that allows systems to exchange data sources.

APIs enable apps, web systems to operate without interruption and are a part of practically everything in the digital world. Regardless of the industry or the size of the organization, API integration keeps data in sync and enhances productivity.

Why Are businesses using API Integration in their operations

Organizations must recognize the importance of API integration in today’s digitized world. API integration permits organizations to share data and information across different applications in a given ecosystem. Businesses must develop a connected system that automatically sends data between various software tools, particularly for cloud-based products and apps.

API Integration unlocks an advanced level of flexibility in information sharing and delivery. It facilitates the integration of content between websites and applications and automates the system.

API Integration in Third-party payment processing

A typical example of API integration is the integration of payment gateways with internet retailers. Even though you can’t see the actual transaction while making an online purchase, data is transferred back and forth to verify your credit or debit card information. Integration of pathway APIs into the eCommerce website you are making the purchase from, makes this process possible.

What Is API development?

API development is a process that serves as the foundation for an app dealing with data or requiring communication between two services or systems. You can use APIs to communicate between two applications and share information from one to the other.

For example, CandyCrush accesses your Facebook account details with API integration when you tap, ‘Connect with Facebook’. This permission allows CandyCrush to access the Facebook server, saving you the hassle of entering your details manually.

Many available tools and services in the market help develop and manage APIs, and also assist with APIs integration. IBM-API-Connect is one of the leading solution providers in this domain.

API Integration - Solution Provider

IBM API Connect

IBM API Connect is an API integration management solution that assists throughout the API life cycle and provides a simple experience for developing and modernizing APIs.

With API Connect, you can perform all of the lifecycle steps in a single integrated offering, removing the requirement to use multiple API management offerings to obtain the same functionality. The figure below gives an overview of how IBM API Connect achieves this.


IBM API Connect
IBM API Connect

IBM API Connect - Features

The following essential features of API Connect are included to span an API’s lifecycle:

  • API providers can utilize automated, visual, and coding options to make scalable APIs.
  • Support for Node.js and Java in developing integrated tooling for microservices applications and APIs.
  • Node.js and Java integrated enterprise-grade clustering, management, and security.
  • Lifecycle governance and management.
  • Set price information in plans to specify subscription options for your APIs that will generate income.
  • Self-service, customizable portals for publishing APIs.
  • Mechanisms for securing, managing, and optimizing API traffic and runtime enforcement of built-in and user-defined rules.
  • Role-based permissions, API packaging components, subscriptions, and community management are used to control access to APIs for both API providers and users.

IBM API Connect - Benefits

IBM API Connect has everything you need to build APIs:

  • Definition templates: Pre-existing templates for API definitions and API product specifications to enforce business standards.
  • Drag-and-drop policies: Drag-and-drop assembly for many complex API policies, without needing XML, saves developers time and lowers the rate of errors.
  • Integrated security: The best-in-class API Gateway, gateway policies, and more, to manage access to the APIs and back-end systems.
  • Seamless experience: Transition from creating APIs in the developer toolkit to publishing and managing them in IBM API Connect.
  • Simple governance: Provides a refined set of rules for organizations to publish internal and external APIs.
  • Simplified categorization: Customer-defined metadata to make API tagging and searchability easier.

API Integration Testing and Monitoring

Companies use various automated testing and monitoring techniques to ensure that APIs function properly and are free of technical problems.

API testing & monitoring is part of the broader automated testing practice. Automated testing is automatically evaluating computer software’s functionality (including mobile, desktop, online, and APIs) using a library of pre-written test cases.

Quality assurance engineers develop test cases based on functional requirements. Automation tools like Postman and Selenium and programming languages like Python are used for API testing. The ultimate purpose of API testing is to verify that the API performs as expected for existing and future functionality.

Monitoring is a ubiquitous sight in automation. APIs sometimes malfunction in production unexpectedly due to attacks, network glitches, heavy load, or software/hardware infrastructure failure. Monitoring is the automatic process of keeping an eye on the running API in production and reporting back to the engineering team as soon as any issue arises. Software teams monitor operating APIs in the background for any anomalies.

To deliver high-quality, scalable APIs to consumers, software teams use best practices for both API testing and monitoring.

 

API Integration Benefits

API Integration Benefits
API Integration Benefits

How API Integration Transforms customer experience

APIs are the beginning of a good user experience. API Integration enhances user experience by reducing response time in uploading data, resulting in uninterrupted communication between apps.

Example: Imagine a shipping company creating an internal Customer API that includes details about registered customers, their address, email, purchase history, etc., using various system APIs that link customer databases. In other words, the scattered data stored in several places can now be accessed in a fraction of a second and viewed at one place.

API integration is the glue that holds together technological development. Over the past ten years, technology has advanced quickly, and there are no signs that this expansion will slow down. With API integration platforms in place, businesses can be sure of being able to integrate these cutting-edge technologies and make them communicate with one another.

Arcana’s enterprise level expert team, offers the best API solutions with a history of working on IBM API Connect projects. If you have questions regarding API integration platforms and services, Arcana can help you learn more. Let’s connect and solve your problems together!

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