20 Open-Source API Management Platforms to Add in Your Tech Stack

APIs have grown ubiquitous in the software and mobile app development worlds. It's ubiquitous, from private solutions to public-facing services apps and partner integrations.

They assist developers in developing apps that meet a wide range of client requirements. With a more sophisticated approach to mobile application development, they are altering architectural patterns.

Because of this prominent presence, everyone is trying to tune in to the top API development guidelines and use the insights to present their target audience with an ultra-advanced and smooth experience.

Is it, however, that simple?

If you think building an API is challenging, imagine managing one. However, leveraging open-source API management tools makes it easier.

Let's have a peek at the list.

In 2021, there are 20 open-source API management platforms to consider (& Beyond)

1. API Umbrella-API Management Platform API Umbrella-API Management Platform

API Umbrella is a popular open source framework for managing APIs and microservices. It allows numerous organisations to work together under one roof by granting varied admin permissions to various domains.

Rate limitation, API keys, caching, real-time analytics, and the availability of an admin web interface are all features of the platform.

2. Gravitee.io-API Management Platform Gravitee

Gravitee.io is an open-source API management platform that is both flexible and lightweight. Rate restriction, IP filtering, cross-origin resource sharing, plug-and-play choices, open source API developer interface with OAuth2 and JSON web tokens policy, load balancing, and more are all included out of the box.

The ability to create fine-grained reports to understand the usage data of your APIs is, nevertheless, the tool's standout feature.

3. APIman.io-APIman is a platform for managing APIs

APIman.io, which was launched by Red Hat, is one of the best API management tools to consider when deciding on the ideal technological stack for your project.

The platform, which is easily accessible via GitHub, provides developers with numerous options during the backend development phase. This comprises:-

• Short Runtimes,
• Detachable policy engine for policy-based governance
• Asynchronous functionality
• Billing and analytics options have been improved.
• A REST API for management is available.
• Rate limiting, among other things.
• WSO2 API Manager is number four.

4. API Management Platform WSO2manager

WSO2 API Manager is a complete API lifecycle management tool that can be used anywhere and at any time. It gives developers the option of distributing and deploying APIs on both on-premises and private clouds.

Apart from that, it opens up a slew of other possibilities. Here are a few examples:

•  Higher customisation,
•  Easier policy administration,
•  Ability to design and prototype SOAP or RESTful APIs,
•  Better access control and monetization features, and so on.

5. Kong Corporation

Kong is an open-source microservice API solution that helps developers handle everything quickly, efficiently, and securely. Its Enterprise Edition has a slew of features and functions, including:-

• Open-source plugin availability,
• Ease of one-click operations,
•  Common language infrastructure capability,
•  Great monitoring visualisation,
•  Regular software health checks,
•  OAuth2.0 introspection, and
•  Broader community support

6. Tyk.io

Tyk.io, which is written in the Go programming language, is a well-known open source API gateway to keep an eye on.

It includes an open source API developer portal, thorough documentation, an API analytics dashboard, rate restriction for APIs, authentication, and other specifications that let enterprises focus on microservices environments and containerization.

However, only paid versions of its commercial-based services are available.

7. Fusio-API Fusio

Fusio is an open source API management tool that allows developers to construct and maintain REST APIs from a variety of data sources. Backend dashboard for admin control, thorough documentation, JSON validation for incoming requests, and scope handling to fulfil user rights are just a few of the lifecycle management capabilities included.

Furthermore, this APIM platform generates OAI and RAML requirements automatically, as well as a customised client SDK based on the provided schema.

8. Adaptability-API Management Platform Apigility

Apigility is the next open-source framework to consider for API administration, designed and maintained by Zend Framework. Established mobile app development companies are encouraged to generate and display JSON representations of their code on the platform. It also gives them different versioning choices and makes authentication simple.

9. SwaggerHub

SwaggerHub is one of the top open-source API management tools, with 40+ enterprises using it to manage APIs.

In the backend development arena, the platform provides designers and developers with a wide range of alternatives. It gives them a powerful and intuitive editor that boosts productivity and speed while maintaining design integrity.

It also has smart error feedback, syntax autocompletion, and the option to use different style validators.

10. Axle with API-API Management Platform (API Axle)

API Axle, backed by Exicon, is another open-source, simple, and lightweight proxy that offers development companies numerous advantages, including:-

•  Analytics in real-time
•  Strong authentication, API traffic logging for statistics and reporting
•  Easy creation and management of API keys, as well as
•  REST API design and use of Go, PHP, and Node.js libraries are supported.

11. IBM Bluemix API

This API management solution allows developers to create portable and interoperable hybrid cloud apps using over 200 software and middleware models. It also includes a powerful method for controlling API access, administering numerous API versions, setting rate limitations, and keeping track of performance metrics and analytics for each API involved.

12. Relax-API Management Platform Repose

Repose is an open-source RESTful middleware platform that has become increasingly important in the evolving API market. Authentication, API validation, rate limitation, and HTTP Request logging are all included in the platform's API processing capabilities.

This API management platform aims to provide downstream services for trusting well-formed and validated incoming requests. Furthermore, it is highly expandable and scalable, allowing developers to simply adapt it to changing demands and requirements.

13. SnapLogic Enterprise Integration Cloud

SnapLogic is a powerful Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) platform that helps businesses acquire, retain, and grow their client base. The following criteria make this possible:

•  It's quick, multi-point, and has the flexibility to handle batch and real-time app data integration requirements.
•  It has a scalable design that works similarly to web servers while also allowing for flexibility.
•  It also includes cutting-edge data flow solutions that allow businesses to integrate well-known SaaS programmes like SugarCRM and Salesforce into their existing workflows.

14. DreamFactory-API Management Platform Dreamfactory

One of the best free and open-source tools to consider for your next project is the DreamFactory API Management platform. The following are some of the reasons for its popularity:-

The following criteria make this possible:

•  It's quick, multi-point, and has the flexibility to handle batch and real-time app data integration requirements.
•  It has a scalable design that works similarly to web servers while also allowing for flexibility.
•  It also includes cutting-edge data flow solutions that allow businesses to integrate well-known SaaS programmes like SugarCRM and Salesforce into their existing workflows.

14. DreamFactory -API Management Platform Dreamfactory

One of the best free and open-source tools to consider for your next project is the DreamFactory API Management platform. The following are some of the reasons for its popularity:-

•  It allows developers to avoid writing APIs by hand for mobile app development. It allows them to connect to any SQL/NoSQL database as well as external HTTP/SOAP services.
•  In addition to API parameters for pagination, complicated filters, virtual foreign keys, related table joins, and more, the platform includes a detailed REST API for SQL databases.
•  Another unique characteristic of the DreamFactory API Management platform is that it translates JSON requests to SOAP and vice versa in real time.
•  Also included are User Management, SSO Authentication, CORS, JSON Web Tokens, SAML integration, Role-Based Access Control on API endpoints, OAuth, and LDAP, all of which give a highly secure experience.

15. 3Scale Management Platform 3SCALE-API

Finally, 3Scale is a noteworthy addition to this list of API administration tools.

The API administration tool, which is owned by Red Hat, allows both small and large businesses to securely manage their APIs with capabilities such as:-

• It uses a distributed cloud layer to centralise control of the API programme. This makes analytics, accessibility, developer processes, monetization, and other tasks easier to manage.
•  It is incredibly flexible and scalable to utilise because it is housed on a distributed cloud-based layer.
•  The 3Scale API's OpenShift Integration functionality allows you to launch high-performance apps in a controlled and automated manner.
•  Developers can plan, design, apply, publish, manage, analyse, optimise, and retire APIs with this full lifecycle API management platform.

16. Gloo Edge-Edge of Gloo

Gloo Edge is a cloud-native API gateway that supports traditional apps, microservices, and serverless architectures. It connects with your environment and lets you use your preferred scheduling, persistence, and security tools. As the entry point for inbound connections and answers, the API gateway manages ingress and egress. To deliver high-quality functionality, Gloo Edge uses top open-source technologies like as GraphQL, gRPC, OpenTracing, NATS, and others.

17. Akana Akana

Another excellent open source API gateway is Akana. It offers a complete API management platform. This platform allows you to create, secure, implement, monitor, and publish APIs. It can be installed locally or in the cloud.

The following are some of the significant characteristics of this API platform:

•  Threat mitigation,
• Microservices management, DevOps, and leading open source API management platform
•  Assists with traffic management
•  It offers open-source support and enables programme security by detecting flaws in the code or during run-time.

18. Mashery Mashery

Mashery provides organisations implementing cloud-native development and deployment strategies such as DevOps, Microservices, and Containers with market-leading complete lifecycle API management capabilities. Its comprehensive collection of features includes API design, productization, security, and analytics for your API programme and developer community.

Mashery has a number of notable traits, including:

• Supports Swagger 2.0 specification import, 
• API Fortress integration for additional API testing capabilities, and 
• on-premise control of SSL termination and secrets management.

19. Azure Azure

In the cloud, on-premises, or in a hybrid environment, Microsoft Azure provides end-to-end API management. The REST API and SDK can be used to manage APIs programmatically. You can also import their SOAP service's web services description language (WSDL), and Azure will generate a SOAP response.

20. KrakenD

The greatest open source API Gateway is KrakenD. Its primary goal is to provide an API that functions as an aggregator of multiple microservices into a single endpoint, handling all of the heavy lifting for you – aggregate, transform, filter, decode, throttle, auth, and more. It provides a declarative method for creating endpoints. It's well-structured and layered, and it's easy to extend its capabilities with community-developed or in-house plug-and-play middleware.

All of the API management solutions and tools mentioned above are open-source and ready to bring value to the tech stack. However, we will cover a few recommendations on selecting an API management solution next to guarantee that you get the greatest fit for your business app needs.

How Can I Choose the Best Open-Source API Management Platform?

1. Features

When it comes to determining how to choose the best API management (APIM) solution, the features of API management platforms are the most important consideration.

Each open-source API management solution has its own set of requirements and restrictions. As a result, comparing API management platforms based on your technical and non-technical requirements can be extremely beneficial.

2. Complexity of deployment

Some gateways just require a single node for deployment, while others require numerous types of nodes to build up a database. Furthermore, some gateways work with many databases, which might be difficult to administer.

Thus, concentrating on the deployment complexity can assist you in locating the best solution.

3. On-premises vs. cloud-based

As the name implies, on-premise tools are located within a company's physical facilities. The deployment and maintenance processes can be lengthened.

Cloud-hosted API management open source solutions, on the other hand, are hosted in a virtual location and their services are made available via Cloud computing. They can increase latency owing to the extra hop and possibly reduce your service's availability if the vendor goes down.

So weighing the benefits and drawbacks of both alternatives to select which open-source API management tool to use can be a wise decision.

4. Community Assistance

Last but not least, knowing what kind of community support each API management open source solution requires might aid in selecting the best one. The larger and more engaged a community is, the more likely you are to receive updates and answers to your questions, resulting in a better experience.

With this, we've gone over the top 20 open-source API management solutions as well as how to choose the best. The next stage is to put this knowledge into action, which means incorporating an open-source API management tool into your mobile app. As a result, the top mobile app developers must be brought on board.