Modern enterprise applications are built by developers using the orchestration of a complicated web of microservices. As the range of applications and microservices grows, so do the intricacies of the orchestration. As a result, we must consider minimizing Microservices complexity with reusable APIs.
Reusable APIs resolve the complexity issue by enabling various applications to be reliant on a few individual microservices that disclose their domain’s data and functionality.
Why the Union of Microservices and APIs is Necessary
Microservices architectures are getting popular amongst businesses of all sizes, and they are one of the most common options for designing software applications.
Microservices are credited with increasing enterprise agility by allowing for faster changes and the creation of new apps than traditional monolithic development approaches. This architecture has been effectively implemented by organizations such as Amazon, Google, and Netflix, prompting others to follow suit.
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For most businesses, adopting and transitioning to microservices architectures will be a gradual process in which microservices-based applications coexist and engage with conventional ones. Microservices must coexist with legacy applications, established systems, and business operations, as well as ongoing operational and compliance requirements.
Furthermore, the benefits of microservices are accompanied by a number of tradeoffs such as service sprawl, greater complexity, and the threat of repetitive work. Microservices and APIs must be used in tandem by organizations in order to successfully implement the architecture.
For many businesses, the challenge is figuring out how to combine a microservices architecture with the countless other design patterns already in place in the organization. Using APIs is one way of managing the scalability and efficiency that microservices offer while overcoming complexity.
An API strategy makes microservices simple to control and enables them to coexist with existing applications rather than living in a walled garden separate from vital infrastructure. Merging a microservices architecture with a comprehensive API strategy is a tried and true method of reaping the benefits of microservices while minimizing the drawbacks.
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Why Is There a Need to Build Reusable APIs for Microservices?
In big enterprises, API sprawl is a constant challenge. It is not unusual for architects to report that their entities have hundreds of APIs, several of which are unclear to company teams. Because of the lack of detail, teams create even more repetitive APIs, exacerbating the problem.
Because the scale of the API sprawl problem varies, making duplicate APIs may not be an issue for small companies with a limited number of applications, offerings, and databases. Custom API development, on the other hand, may require a significant amount of development time and energy for a large organization.
API sprawl poses the following challenges:
- As the number of APIs grows, so does the complexity of managing them.
- Introducing disparate databases that do not cooperate.
- Security, logging, and monitoring are examples of cross-cutting worries and organizational policies that are difficult to implement consistently.
Because reusable APIs are not unique to a single app, a firm’s API portfolio can contain far fewer APIs. However, there are numerous advantages to incorporating reusable APIs into an organization:
- APIs are simple to categorize and maintain.
- Building a new application will not necessitate the creation of new APIs. The decreased development costs will also result in a shorter time to market.
- Spending on security has been reduced. You can easily maintain and manage access to your digital assets because there are fewer links between apps and web services.
- APIs and apps can be adjusted and moved independently.
Adopting reusable APIs can be difficult unless you have an extensive API system that allows a low-friction implementation of best practices for protection, scalability, and tracking. Resolving common API issues such as the following can be difficult without an API platform:
- Applying consistent policies throughout all APIs in key areas such as caching, logging, and security.
- Tracking APIs on a regular basis.
- API records must be kept up to date.
- App developers use a self-service platform to create apps and links to APIs on demand.
It is worth noting that reusable APIs serve multiple applications at the same time, so each reusable API is crucial to the organization’s functions. To avoid interruptions, the API platform must be extremely flexible and responsive.
Managing Reusable APIs with Kong
Kong is an OpenSupply API system that serves as a bridge between compute clients and APIs. The Kong platform includes a plethora of plugins to help you easily improve your API skills.
Furthermore, operational teams and product managers can use Kong to create self-service entry points for developers who want to use APIs, maintain software, or sign up non-API developers. You can select the best gateway runtime in your APIs premised on your host and utilize Kong’s strength and the extent to manage your services.
Each Kong runtime is made up of two major parts: The control plane enables managers to identify routes, telematics, and rules like validation, routing, and rate restricting. The data plane regulates the accessibility of the parent APIs based on the rules identified in the control layer. The data plane is in charge of telemetry data transfer, policy enforcement, and network traffic routing.
Conclusion to Minimizing Microservices Complexity with Reusable APIs
APIs not only serve as a bridge between microservices and traditional systems, but they also make microservices simpler to build and maintain. Companies can use an API strategy to disclose the features of microservices as products, resulting in business value, both internally and externally.
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APIs that are streamlined and productized also help to reduce the substantial costs related to building point-to-point connectivity between legacy systems and SaaS apps. It enables companies to efficiently plug and unplug microservices as business requirements dictate, without having to write heaps of custom code.
APIs provide the advantages of standardized processes for security, traffic management and monitoring, auditing, and logging across the enterprise while maintaining the agility needed by the company.
These well-managed APIs also enable the re-use and discovery of microservices. As teams create microservices that may be useful to a larger group of people, API interfaces render them searchable. These microservices could then be made available to a larger audience – either internally or externally – and operated as a reusable functionality.
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