Introduction to DSAPILast updated 17-Dec-2024
Welcome to the documentation hub for DSAPI API Management (APIM). DSAPI APIM is a robust and versatile platform designed to manage, secure, and monetize APIs and event brokers. It supports deployment across various environments, handles high request volumes, and seamlessly bridges HTTP with event protocols such as Kafka and MQTT. Trusted by organizations of all sizes, from global enterprises to individual developers, DSAPI APIM stands as a reliable solution.
For foundational insights into APIM, refer to the following sections on this page:
Overview
API Management (APIM) is a lightweight and performant management tool that accelerates and streamlines the governance and security of both synchronous and asynchronous APIs. It provides a centralized platform from which to measure and control API consumption, share and discover APIs, and manage the API lifecycle, versioning, and documentation. As a highly flexible and scalable solution, DSAPI APIM integrates with a customer's infrastructure and conforms to specific business needs. APIM is fully extensible using its own internal plugin system where customers can define their own policies and develop their own reporting systems.
Architecture
Summary
DSAPI API Management has three main components:
- The management API is the control plane that manages the API lifecycle and all other resources within the platform.
- The console UI is an in-browser application used to create and edit resources within the management API.
- The API gateway proxies requests from clients, applying security and policies to each request and routing it to a target backend.
See below for a more detailed description of these components and their various subcomponents.
DSAPI offers three different API Management architecture schemes: self-hosted, hybrid, and DSAPI-managed. At a high-level:
- In a self-hosted architecture, all three main components run on user premises.
- In a hybrid architecture, the management API and console UI run in DSAPI Cloud, but the gateways run on user premises.
- In a managed architecture, all three components run in DSAPI Cloud.
Keep reading for more details on components of the architecture and their subcomponents.
Component Descriptions
Component descriptions for the full catalog of DSAPI architecture components are summarized in the following table:
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| APIM Console (for API producers) |
This web UI gives easy access to some key APIM Management API services.API publishers can use it to publish APIs. Administrators can also configure global platform settings and specific portal settings. |
| APIM Management API | This RESTful API exposes services to manage and configure the APIM Console and APIM Developer Portal web UIs. All exposed services are restricted by authentication and authorization rules. |
| APIM Developer Portal (for API consumers) |
This web UI gives easy access to some key APIM API services. Allows API Consumers to manage their applications and search for, view, try out, and subscribe to a published API. |
| APIM Gateway | APIM Gateway is the core component of the APIM platform. You can think of it like a smart reverse proxy. Unlike a traditional HTTP proxy, APIM Gateway has the capability to apply policies (i.e., rules or logic) to both the request and response phases of an API transaction. With these policies, you can transform, secure, monitor, etc., your APIs. |
| Bridge Gateway | In a hybrid architecture, a bridge API Gateway exposes extra HTTP services for bridging HTTP calls to the underlying repository (which can be any of our supported repositories: MongoDB, JDBC, etc.) |
| Config Database | Database that stores API Management data such as API definitions, users, applications, and plans. |
| Analytics Database | Database that stores Gateway events and logs. In a hybrid architecture, the Analytics Database is supplemented by an "S3 Bucket." |
| Logstash | Collects and sends local Gateway logs/metrics to the DSAPI APIM SaaS Control Plane. Exclusive to hybrid architecture and hosted by user on-prem or in a private cloud. |
| Redis | Local database for rate limit synchronized counters (Rate Limit, Quota, Spike Arrest). (Optional) Acts as an external cache in accordance with the Cache policy. Exclusive to hybrid architecture and hosted by user on-prem or in a private cloud. |
Each architecture relies on a specific set of these components. Some components are common to all architectures while others are architecture-specific. The following table compares the component types and management of self-hosted and hybrid architectures.
| Component | Self-hosted | Hybrid |
|---|---|---|
| API Management Console UI | ✔ | ✔ |
| Management API | ✔ | ✔ |
| Developer Portal | ✔ | ✔ |
| APIM Gateway | ✔ | ✔ |
| Bridge Gateway | ✘ | ✔ |
| Config Database | ✔ | ✔ |
| Analytics Database | ✔ | ✔ |
| Logstash | ✘ | ✔ |
| Redis | ✘ | ✔ |
| Rate Limits Database | ✔ | ✘ |
Self-hosted architecture
Self-hosted architecture refers a scheme where all DSAPI API Management components are hosted by the user on-prem and/or in a private cloud. DSAPI Cockpit and API Designer are optional DSAPI-managed components that can be connected to a self-hosted API Management installation.
The following diagrams illustrate the component management, design, and virtual machine internal/external access deployment of a self-hosted architecture.
Self-hosted component management
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Self-hosted architecture diagram
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Self-hosted VM installation: LAN + DMZ deployment
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Hybrid architecture
Hybrid architecture refers to a scheme where certain DSAPI API Management components are DSAPI-managed SaaS components while others remain self-hosted by the user on-prem and/or in a private cloud. DSAPI Cockpit and API Designer are optional DSAPI-managed components that can be connected to a hybrid API Management installation.
The following diagrams illustrate the component management, design, and self-hosted-to-SaaS connections of a hybrid architecture.
Hybrid component management
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Hybrid architecture diagram
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DSAPI-managed architecture
DSAPI-managed architecture refers to a scheme where all DSAPI API Management components are DSAPI-managed SaaS components. DSAPI Cockpit and API Designer are optional and can be connected to a DSAPI-managed API Management installation.