The color of money is Azure (API Management)
Updated August 09, 2019
The color of money is Azure (API Management)
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Azure API Management
We are lightly managing and pushing out a few APIs to internal customers using Azure API Management. We are exploring pushing them out to a few of our external partners, but have not done so yet. It is a small catalog of APIs we are managing, but they work well and are easier to keep track of with this tool. It helps keep our policies in order and therefore users know what to expect.
- The policy management process is very good. Without solid policies, you run the risk of poor performance or miscommunications. We’ve been very successful with our API catalog as long as we maintain solid policies.
- Along with the policies, the security is very easy to manage, and you can control things from a simple Azure dashboard, including groups and levels.
- The seamless connection to Azure App Service and Service Fabric is a great bonus, as everything is kept within an easy to manage portal with a common look and feel.
- Lack of robustness is a bit of an issue. Several other providers offer more options and capabilities, but then, they are lacking in interface ease.
- As with anything Azure, pricing is really hard to stay on top of. I always find that you really don’t know what you’re paying for until you get the bill. Having an excellent Azure Administrator can help resolve that.
- Integrating with app services outside of Azure can be a challenge, or at least much more challenging than just using Azure App Services.
- It’s really pay as you go, so it's not that costly to get in and try it out. There’s no expensive client to buy and manage, but you do need to stay on top of the rapidly changing Azure environment to be sure you upgrade or adjust when needed.
- It’s not great having more than one API tool, but it’s ok to spread out your work, as you always want the right tool for the right job. For example, if you are a Salesforce-heavy organization, I’d go with Mule over Azure.
- It was easy getting an external consultant access to the tool to build their own API for a project they were working on for us.
It’s a great tool, and so easy to seamlessly connect into your current Azure world that it’s hard not to look at it or even test the waters with it. It’s priced well, and is feature-rich enough to accomplish most tasks. I think the ease of having everything together and the ability to link so many different services under a subscription is the magic of Azure, and it’s hard not to make good use of that.