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Overview

In the 4.26 release (August 2021), we are introducing the Portal Manager and API Catalog feature, that completes the feature set for managing APIs in SnapLogic. You can now publish APIs to an external developer portal, which you can customize with your own branding. Users external to SnapLogic can explore the APIs you build in the SnapLogic platform.

When combined with the existing API Policy Manager, the API Manager and Portal Manager provide capabilities from API development, lifecycle management, and dashboard monitoring. You can create APIs in SnapLogic using your own API specifications, or build them from your Pipelines and SnapLogic assets.

Key Features

  • APIM Console: A new UI that allows you to navigate easily through the API development workflow. The API Manager console provides built-in management capabilities for your APIs and a space where developers can create and test their APIs.
    • Design First: The /apim space

    Overview

    You can create APIs from your own specifications or from your SnapLogic Pipelines and Assets. To make your APIs available to users outside SnapLogic, you can publish those APIs in a Developer Portal that is customized with your own branding. You can also create proxies to allow you to integrate with third-party APIs.

    Your API serves as a container for SnapLogic Assets:

    • Pipelines. A representation of the API specification and its child Pipelines, if any. Provides the scaffolding of the API’s implementation in the SnapLogic platform.

    • Tasks. The URI endpoints that are used to trigger Pipeline execution.

    • Files. The specification file and other files that are associated with the API.

    • Accounts. Accounts that are used by Pipelines in the API.

    Key Features and Components

    SnapLogic provides API Management features and components to help you develop APIs, manage their lifecycles, and monitor their performance.

    Features include:

    • Support for Design First. API Management supports the creation of APIs from the Open API Specification (OAS) 3.0 or 2.0. You can design an API based on your specification

    and

    • , then upload a file

    of it

    • or reference a URL

    with the

    • containing your specification.

    Versioning: The ability to create multiple versions of an API based using an OAS 2.0 specification

    • Both JSON and YAML file formats are supported.

    • API Lifecycle Management. You can manage the entire lifecycle of an API or API version from creation to publication to deprecation to retirement.

    • Multiple API Versions. You can modify the initial specification

    for

    • of your

    initial

    • API, then create and publish a new

    versions

    • version from

    those

    • the modified specification

    versions

    • .

  • Hierarchy Permissions: A comprehensive set of permission types that provides Org admins the ability to define permissions at every level of the hierarchy. As an API developer, you can set permissions on your versions.
  • Suite of API Policies: The Manage API Policy wizard that enables you to enable various authorization, authentication, and traffic control policies at the /apim space, API, and Version levels.
  • API LifeCycle Management: The capability of publishing APIs to the developer portal. All the actions important to the lifelcy of an API are available, such as unpublishing, re-publishing, deprecating, and retiring your APIs.
  • Manage your API Catalog: The Portal Manager is a new console for managing the developer portal for your Org. You can now customize the new Developer Portal with your own branding and URL suffix. The Portal Manager also enables you to view API status on the API Catalog.
  • Developer Portal: A page for non-SnapLogic users to explore your APIs. API consumers can search and browse through APIs. Each API provides basic documentation and its specification.
    • API Dashboard: The dashboard displays

    Components include:

    • API Manager. The console where you manage your APIs.

    • Portal Manager. The console where you set up and manage your custom Developer Portal.

    • Developer Portal. The custom site where you publish your APIs for consumption. In this site, API consumers can search and browse through your API Catalog and try out your APIs. Each API provides basic documentation and its specification. Users with a SnapLogic platform login can open the Developer Portal with one click from the Resources section of the Apps menu:

      Image Added

    • Subscription Manager. The console where you can approve and manage subscriptions to published APIs.

    • API Policies. A suite of security policies that handle authorization, authentication, and traffic control to manage access to your APIs. You can apply these policies at various levels, such as the Org, the API, the API version, the shared folder of the Project Space, and Projects. Org Administrators can define permissions at very level of the hierarchy; API developers can set permissions on their own API versions.

    • API Dashboard. The API tab in Dashboard where you can view the usage and traffic metrics of your APIs.

    As an Org admin or Pipeline Designer, you

    • You can track the popularity of an API or analyze target and response errors to understand how to enhance the API consumer experience.

     

    API Management Architecture

    Image Removed

    API Manager - Design First Workflow

    Image Removed

    When you import or reference an API specification to the new /apim space, a new API asset is created. The new API comprises a Pipeline that is the scaffolding for the API and the Task used to call it. You can then create versions, add API policies, set permissions, and modify the underlying SnapLogic assets to build the business logic for your API.

    Create New API from existing Pipelines and Tasks

    Image Removed

    You can also create an API in the API Manager Console by referencing existing Projects in Manager. This functionality enables you, as a Pipeline designer, to complete your Pipeline building activity first. The advantage of this approach is taking advantage of your existing SnapLogic infrastructure. You can segment the design and testing activities as you build Pipelines and creates Triggered Tasks from them individually testing and vetting them for production. Once your Pipeline assets are production ready, you can create APIs in the API creation dialog windows in the 4.26 release (August 2021).

    Prerequisites

    • The API Management - Design First and the API Policy Manager features must be enabled. Contact SnapLogic Support to subscribe to the  feature.
    • This API Management - Design First feature supports the Open API Specification (OAS) 2.0. 
    • You should have a good understanding of the SnapLogic Manager and the SnapLogic expression language.

    Support and Limitations

  • For Cloudplex users, you must set up a load balancer for the API Policy Manager to work. You must use the load balancer URL in your Triggered and Ultra Task endpoints.
  • Only one API policy of a type is applicable at a level in the hierarchy. 

    • APIM tab in the Activity Log: The APIM tab allows you to track changes to APIs published to the Developer Portal in addition to changes to the Developer Portal membership and subscription request status.

    • Support for Git integration. You can now effectively manage your API versions by associating them to source control repositories like Git and other Git hosting options supported by SnapLogic. You can create APIs from Git repositories, reusing existing SnapLogic Assets tracked in Git. Your Org must have Git integration set up. With Git integration, you can track, update, and manage versions of SnapLogic project files, pipelines, tasks, and accounts, using either the SnapLogic graphical interface or the SnapLogic Public APIs. When you create API Versions using SnapLogic Assets, the APIM console displays the Git operations available to you.

    Info

    APIM support for Git does not extend to API Proxies.

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    Limitations

    • Orgs with APIM should not use Enhanced Encryption for the following reasons:

      • Orgs with Enhanced Encryption do not support subscriptions on the Developer Portal.

      • Org admins who rotate keys for their Groundplexes must also reconfigure all API policies as well for them to work.

    • Only one instance of an API policy type is applicable at each level in the hierarchy. 

    • API Manager does not support Scheduled Tasks. When you open a Task in an API version, you

    cannot change it to Scheduled (not visible). Also, the Task dialog window displays the Snaplex, but it cannot be modified

    • do not have the option to change the Run Policy to Scheduled.

    • In Designer, when you open a Pipeline in an API version, the Snaplex

    selector

    • picker in the Edit Pipeline dialog window only

    shows

    • show the Snaplex instances from the global shared folder. If a Snaplex is in a project or Project Space shared folder, then it does not display in the APIM Snaplex picker.

    • In Designer,

    the asset or account selectors in

    • if you open the Snap dialog window

    opened

    • from a Pipeline in the API Management - /apim space,

    only shows

    • the asset or account selectors display only the assets from the global shared folder, in addition to those in the current version.

    In 4.26, you

    • You can change

    a

    • the Snaplex for an unpublished API

    Version if it is unpublished. However, clicking Edit Details from the API > Versions page displays the Server field for selecting another Snaplex, but the See Also

    • version. To do so, go to API Manager, choose the API, go to the Versions tab, choose the version, click Edit Details, and choose from the Server dropdown. Note: This field is disabled if the API version is published or if the Snaplex is down.

    API Management FAQ

    What is the difference between API Management and the Native API Manager?

    API Management covers all aspects of managing APIs, from creation to testing, deployment, versioning, and sharing it with API consumers. The API Manager console enables you to define and create an API through importing a Swagger specification. You can also create versions and add permissions and policies at the Org/APIM, API, and version levels.

    Can I still use the Native API Manager to publish Ultra and Triggered Tasks to the existing Developer Portal?

    Yes. However, the Native API Manager will be deprecated in the August 2021 release and replaced by the API Portal Manager, which will be added to the API Management section of the SnapLogic Manager.

    How do I enable the API Management Design First feature for the 4.25 release?

    In the 4.25 release (May 2021), your Org must have the following subscription features: 

    • API Management feature to access the Design First features, the API Policy Manager, and the API Dashboard.
    • Native API Manager to access the API Policy Manager.

    Is the Native API Manager Developer Portal feature supported in the new API Management Design First feature?

    No. APIs and versions created through the API Management-Design First approach are not supported in the Native API Developer Portal in the 4.25 release.

    Are there plans to add a Developer Portal support to API Management?

    Yes. In the August release, we plan to deliver a Developer Portal with equivalent functionality as the existing one in Native API Manager.

    Can I still add API policies to projects and Tasks in the next release with API Management Design First?

    Yes, you can still add policies at the Org and Project Space levels for your Ultra and Triggered Tasks.

    If I have APIs  on the Developer Portal published through the Native API Manager, will those APIs be compatible with the Developer Portal in the future?

    SnapLogic will work with customers who currently have a Developer Portal to migrate their published APIs to the new Developer Portal that will be available in the 4.26 release. Contact customer support at support@snaplogic.com for further assistance.

    • You cannot use the Cloud URL to run the Triggered Tasks in your API Versions.

    • When you generate a specification using version OAS 3.0 in an API proxy that has a valid endpoint, the generated specification does not list a server.

    Prerequisites

    • The API Manager feature requires a load balancer.

    • Cloudplexes need a Cloudplex FeedMaster node and a load balancer for the API Policy Manager to work.

      • Contact support@snaplogic.com to provision the Cloudplex FeedMaster node and the load balancer as needed.

      • When the load balancer becomes available, your Org admin must update the Load Balancer URL in the Snaplex Settings. Learn how: Updating a Snaplex

      • You must use the load balancer URL in your Triggered and Ultra Task endpoints.

    • The API Management feature must be enabled for your Org. Contact SnapLogic Support to subscribe to this feature.

    API Management Architecture

    The following diagram illustrates the components of API Management Architecture.

    Image Added

    The Design-First Workflow

    Image Added

    You can create a new API in the /apim space of the API Manager and import or reference an API specification that defines the API. The new API comprises a Pipeline that is the scaffolding for the API and the Task used to call it. You can then create versions, add API policies, and modify the underlying SnapLogic assets to build the business logic for your API.

    The following video demonstrates the workflow:

    Create API using Design First method.mp4

    Learn more: Creating the API using Design First

    The Pipeline-First Workflow

    Image Added

    You can also create an API in the API Manager by referencing existing Projects in Manager. This allows you to design, build, and test your Pipeline first, thereby taking advantage of your existing SnapLogic infrastructure. As you build Pipelines and create Triggered Tasks from them, you vet them for production individually and concurrently. When your Pipeline and Tasks are production-ready, you can create APIs in the API Manager. 

    The following video demonstrates the workflow:

    Create an API from an Existing Project.mp4

    Learn more: Creating the API from Existing Project Assets

    Known Issues

    • When you generate a specification using version OAS 3.0 in an API proxy that has a valid endpoint, the generated specification does not list a server.
      Workaround: Edit the specification to include the server field and list the Snaplex manually.

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