API Connect, what is that?

API Connect is the IBM solution for APIs, generally speaking, not z System-specific. It has features coming from StrongLoop and from IBM API Management. Thus it has two main use cases: Creating and Running APIs, Managing and Securing APIs. Managing APIs means controlling who has access and how, defining the usage rate limit, versioning, getting reports on API usage, etc.

What do I need to use it?

Let’s see its numerous components:

• Cloud Management Console – Administrator interface mainly to manage/monitor (add, start, stop, delete, get usage report, etc.) servers, to register the components that will be used at runtime: DataPower instances and Liberty collectives.
• API Designer – API developer toolkit, installed on workstations to create and secure LoopBack applications. By the way, a LoopBack application is a Node.js application that basically allows to create REST APIs based on data model definitions. These can be linked to a datasource to retrieve actual data records. And since there is no standard to access the different datasources, LoopBack applications need to use specific connectors (the essential connectors already exist) to reach them. This is only a big picture, LoopBack has other capabilities like REST and SOAP connectors, for more information go to the StrongLoop website.
• Management server – API developers interface to manage and secure their existing APIs. This interface also shows the subscriptions and analytics report on API usage.
• Developer Portal – portal for Application developers where published APIs will be referenced, described and can be tested. On this Portal, Application developers can register their applications, which will subscribe to use APIs, they will have to choose a usage Plan that enforce a rate limit. This portal aims also at socializing APIs, allowing Application developers to rate APIs and post comments.
• API Gateway – gateway that will enforce APIs security or functional policies (e.g. JSON schema validation, JWT generator, etc.). All registered applications will send their requests to the API Gateway to access the APIs.
  The API Gateway comes in two flavours: DataPower or Microgateway.
  • DataPower: virtual or physical appliance
  • Microgateway: Node.js code that runs in a Liberty collective, can be run on Linux on z
• Liberty Collective – Liberty servers cluster containing one Liberty controller and multiple Liberty members. Liberty collectives are only used if there is a LoopBack application or Microgateway to run, it constitutes the Node.js runtime environment. Liberty servers can be run on Linux on z.

In order to use API Connect,

• mandatory: the Cloud Management Console, Management server and at least one API Gateway;
• recommended: the Developer Portal;
• specific: the API Designer and Liberty Collective are only needed to create and run new APIs using LoopBack applications;

What can I do with that?

Now that each component’s role is clear, you can head to the next part to see what API Connect can be used for.