webMethods

Hi Guys,

These days most of the cloud providers make their service offerings available through REST APIs (or some form of HTTP communication). So, when I can invoke their APIs through simple REST clients on webMethods IS server, why would I need to bring CloudStreams and pay additional licence cost?

One benefit I see is, cloud streams give the input output structure as per the REST API that the cloud provider offered. But that’s too small a benefit to consider.

Appreciate your inputs.

Kind regards,
Raj

Hi Raj,

In today’s world of 1000’s of XaaS applications provided by various XaaS vendors and the increase in the adoption rate of the number of XaaS by enterprises the key cloud integration challenges are as below, whether it is cloud to cloud or from on-premise to Cloud:

• Application-specific integration knowledge & Skills

• Syncing up with the rapid changes of the XaaS products - changes every month and few XaaS Apps changing every few weeks

• Understanding Low-Level Rudimentary APIs

• Providing a Single Point of Governance & Monitoring

To address all the above challenges, Software AG has introduced webMethods CloudStreams - which is a quick and scalable approach to Cloud application integration.

CloudStreams Overview:

webMethods CloudStreams offers the following:

• webMethods CloudStreams Framework - is a patented cloud connectivity framework that allows developers to build connectors by configuration (instead of coding). Offers following capabilties:
  • Connection Mgmt./Pooling
  • Multi Auth & Session Management
  • Runtime Governance
  • Streaming Listeners & Replay Event
  • Security
  • Multiple Content Types Support
  • MIME/Multi-part
  • MTOM
  • Send/Receive Messages as form data

• Connector Development Kit - Eclipse-based plug-ins to create custom connectors by
  configurations without coding
  • Web Services (REST/SOAP) Connector Development Kit
  • SWAGGER Support – Create a connector by importing a swagger.

• Connector library - Save time with out-of-the-box connectors—for example, Salesforce® (CRM, Bulk, Streaming), Marketo®, SAP® Cloud for Customer (C4C), Oracle® NetSuite®, Microsoft Dynamics 365® and more. For a complete list please refer to http://techcommunity.softwareag.com/ecosystem/communities/public/webmethods/products/cloudstreams/downloads/connectors-cloudstreams/

Key Capabilities Details:

• Provides Easy Meta Data-Driven & Dynamic Wizard configuration driven consumption of XaaS APIs & creation of API consumer services

• Provides the ability to create connectors for SOAP, REST, ODATA and Streaming XaaS APIs

• Ability to identify mandatory and optional fields, add custom fields and CCS Signature
  based on business object/field selection

• Ability to easily update existing connectors to the newer version of the XaaS application
  API

• Consumption Governance & Traffic Analytics for XaaS providers and consumers.

• Out of the Box Support for
  • Salesforce and other XaaS applications supporting Multi Object and Multi-Operations in a Single API call

  • Technology Connectors like OData V4.0 and 2.0 to connect to any OData based XaaS Applications

  • Advanced OData features like – Batch Support, ChangeSet, Derived Entity/Navigational Relationship Query of data
  etc…

• Supports AWS Signature versions (2, 4), NTLM, OAuth1.0a, OAuth2, HTTP basic auth schemes, and WS-Security policies

Hence a separate webMethods product offering for Quick & Scalable Cloud Integration with an additional license.

regards,
Suresh Ganta,
SwAG webMethods.io Integration - Product Management - Integration & API

A Cloudstream is a packaged integration template that provides a description of everything necessary to govern, secure, and manage the interaction between two services at the API level. It requires an appliance (Humor me. Call it a cloud broker appliance) to act as a gateway between services that is delivered in hardware, software, or managed (cloud) service form. Cloudstreams can be opened and maintained by XML appliances, SOA appliances or gateways, or any intermediary technology that can broker cloud and SOA services.
I hope this helps!
Ben Martin