Azure API Management

The official website indicates the following:

Azure API Management is a hybrid, multicloud management platform for APIs across all environments. As a platform-as-a-service, API Management supports the complete API lifecycle.

Azure API Management helps customers meet these challenges:

Abstract backend architecture diversity and complexity from API consumers

Securely expose services hosted on and outside of Azure as APIs

Protect, accelerate, and observe APIs

Enable API discovery and consumption by internal and external users

1. Azure API management Components.

Azure API management consists of three components: API Gateway, Management Plane, and Developer Portal.

graph TD
    A[Azure API Management]

    subgraph API_Gateway
        B1[Routes API requests to backend]
        B2[Verifies API keys & credentials]
        B3[Enforces rate limits & quotas]
        B4[Caches responses]
        B5[Emits logs & metrics]
    end

    subgraph Management_Plane
        C1[Provision & configure API settings]
        C2[Define/import API schemas]
        C3[Set API policies like quotas]
        C4[Monitor & get insights]
        C5[Manage users]
    end

    subgraph Developer_Portal
        D1[Read API documentation]
        D2[Call API via console]
        D3[Manage API keys]
        D4[Access usage analytics]
        D5[Download API definitions]
    end

    A --> API_Gateway
    A --> Management_Plane
    A --> Developer_Portal

1.1 API Gateway

Acts as the entry point for all API requests and routes them to the appropriate backend services.
Key Responsibilities:
- Verifies API keys and other credentials (e.g., JWT tokens, certificates).
- Enforces usage quotas and rate limits.
- Optionally transforms requests and responses based on policy configurations.
- Caches responses to reduce latency and backend load.
- Emits logs, metrics, and traces for monitoring and troubleshooting.
Self-hosted Gateway: Available for hybrid environments where the gateway can be deployed on-premises or across clouds via Docker containers.

1.2 Management Plane

Provides full access to the API Management service capabilities for API providers.
Key Responsibilities:
- Provision and configure API Management service settings.
- Define or import API schemas from various sources (OpenAPI, WSDL, OData, etc.).
- Apply policies like quotas, caching, and transformations.
- Monitor API usage and gather insights through analytics.
- Manage users and their access to APIs.

1.3 Developer Portal

An open-source, customizable website that documents the APIs and provides a user interface for developers.
Key Responsibilities:
- Allows developers to read API documentation.
- Provides an interactive console for testing APIs.
- Enables developers to create accounts, manage API keys, and view analytics on their API usage.
- Supports downloading API definitions for integration.