Table of contents
1.
Introduction 
1.1.
What is Azure API Management? 
2.
Why use Azure API Management Service
3.
How is Azure API management used? 
4.
Azure API Management Components  
4.1.
Azure Portal 
4.2.
Developer Portal 
4.3.
API Gateway 
5.
Benefits of using Azure API Management Service 
6.
Frequently Asked Questions
6.1.
Can I change my API Management instance programmatically?  
6.2.
Can I use SOAP With API Management? 
6.3.
What is OKTA?
6.4.
What are the benefits of Dapr integration with Azure API Management Service?
6.5.
How does Azure API accelerate your business? 
7.
Conclusion 
Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024
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Azure API Management Service

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Introduction 

In this article, we will discuss the Azure API management service introduction, why we use API azure management service, how azure API management is used, and the benefits of azure API Management Service.

What is Azure API Management? 

Azure API Management is a dependable, secure, and scalable method for managing APIs operating on the Microsoft Azure platform. Azure API Management provides all necessary tools for end-to-end management of APIs. It guarantees the APIs' optimum performance, monitors usage, enforces authentication, and more. 

Azure api management service

It acts as a proxy for your backend APIs and sits on top of them. In this illustration, our two backend APIs are on top of the Azure API Management Service (Weather API and Employee API). The Azure API management service always makes these two backend API calls.

Why use Azure API Management Service

Let's first examine the benefits of using the Azure API management service. The advantages it offers. Let's use an easy example to understand this.

Take into account this offering from OpenweatherMap (https://openweathermap.org/price). It is a reasonably well-known API that offers weather information, including temperature, wind speed, humidity, and others. We must pay a monthly charge to utilize this API. There is also a free plan; however, it has restrictions.

  • Number of permitted calls
  • What information is accessible, for how long, etc.
  • You can make up to 600 calls per minute and 10 million calls per month with the $40 plan. This has fewer limitations than the free plan.

 

We must subscribe and obtain an API key to access this API in our developing apps. We also need to know the supported operations, what can be passed, and what may be returned.

 

The API's primary job is to deliver weather information. The API should incorporate code to restrict the number of calls and its primary functionality. As an illustration, the free plan only permits 60 calls per minute. To avoid misuse and abuse, the API should additionally feature code that restricts the number of calls to 60 per minute. The majority of APIs must have several non-functional features, like as

  • Using caching to boost performance
  • Accessing and securing the API
  • Documentation including supported operations, possible endpoints, what to pass, and what we receive back
  • Developers and partners must have access to a developer portal or self-service tool to sign up and get documentation, code samples, and even an interface to test API calls.
  • Another crucial element is API analytics, which enables you to monitor API usage. The most and least used endpoints, the overall condition of the API, etc.

 

The Azure API Management Service offers all of these non-functional features of the API.

How is Azure API management used? 

It primarily serves as a central interface to design, provision, and maintain API for web and cloud applications and services. Utilizing Azure API Management, a user can;

  • Check the health of APIs, spot issues, set throttle, rate limitations, and other options for each API.
  • It gives information about how APIs are used.
  • Establishing end-to-end API usage policies and creating and managing user roles enables the management of tens of thousands of APIs across numerous platforms using a unified interface.
  • To govern and guarantee the security of API access and use, provide an authentication and access control method.

Azure API Management Components  

Azure API Management Services has three main Component 

  • Azure Portal 
  • Developer Portal 
  • API Gateway 

Azure Portal 

We are already familiar with the Azure portal. Throughout this course, we have used it to construct a variety of Azure resources, such as virtual machines, app service instances, SQL databases, etc. We also utilize it to set up and carry out various API management-related tasks. Using the Azure portal, for instance, we

  • API Schema definition or import.
  • APIs are packaged into goods.
  • Create rules for the APIs, such as quotas or transformations.
  • Obtain knowledge through analytics.
  • User management.

Developer Portal 

The Developer portal, as its name suggests, is for developers who wish to use your APIs in the apps they are creating. They can use it to

  • To obtain API keys, register for an account and subscribe.
  • Examine the API calls.
  • Consult the API documentation.
  • Access usage analytics for themselves.

API Gateway 

The API gateway sits on top of your backend APIs. The API Gateway in the example below sits on top of our backend APIs (the Employee and Weather APIs), which can do the following.

  • Sends incoming API calls to your backend APIs after accepting them.
  • Verifies API keys, JWT tokens, certificates, and other credentials.
  • Enforces rate and usage limitations.
  • Backend answers are cached when configured.
  • For analytics, logs call metadata.
  • Without modifying the source code, it transforms your API.

Benefits of using Azure API Management Service 

The Azure API management service offers numerous security and performance advantages. For instance, it restricts the number of calls permitted per the plan depending on the API access plan you chose (Free or premium).

  • It uses throttling to protect against Denial of Service (DOS) attacks.
  • It provides access control using API keys to secure backend services.
  • It uses sophisticated security measures, such as JWT tokens, certificates, and other credentials.
  • If we say the Azure API Management technology enables real-time API transformation without requiring any code modifications. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my API Management instance programmatically?  

Yes, you can manage API Management programmatically using the Windows Deployment Services, Azure Service Management PowerShell cmdlets, Azure API Management Service management library SDK, and API Management REST API.

Can I use SOAP With API Management? 

Yes, SOAP pass-through is now supported by API Management. Azure API Management will generate a SOAP front end when administrators import their SOAP service's web services description language (WSDL).

What is OKTA?

With Single Sign-On, Multi-factor Authentication, Lifecycle Management (Provisioning), and other features, the Okta Identity Cloud offers secure identity management.

What are the benefits of Dapr integration with Azure API Management Service?

The Azure API Management (APIM) service now supports Dapr integration. In numerous Dapr deployments—whether in the cloud, on-premises, or at the edge—this new capability enables operations teams to expose Dapr microservices as APIs and make those APIs discoverable and straightforward for developers to consume.

How does Azure API accelerate your business? 

By using API-first strategies, you can create apps more quickly and offer your clients immediate value. API mimicking, API revisions and versioning, and automated API documentation can be used to separate the front-end and back-end teams. 

Conclusion 

In this article, we discussed the Azure API management service introduction, why we use API azure management service, how azure API management is used, and the benefits of azure API Management Service.

To study more about Microsoft Azure, you can refer to these articles on coding ninjas. 

Microsoft Azure 

Azure Backup

Azure Management Groups 

Azure Virtual Machine scale sets 

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