Azure API Management is a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) framework for publishing an organization's internal and external APIs. With Azure API Management, you can secure your internal or external APIs, or compose your own API that talks to your backend system to cater to the needs of client applications.
Like other serverless platforms, API Management also comes with a variety of pricing models. For example, you can run an instance of API Management with a consumption plan, or you can pay a fixed price to utilize services in both the standard and premium plans. You can integrate API Management as part of your ISE:
People are often confused by the role of API Management. API Management is not only the façade layer preceding your APIs, but also a security door to your enterprise data. A better solution design should also cater to the security aspect of talking to internal or external services.
We have seen stories where organizations continue creating a plethora of APIs to connect their internal or external business partners, without paying much attention to security, content-type handling, caching, and so on. Often, these service behaviors are managed on an individual basis, which is not suited to a highly scalable infrastructure.
In Chapter 4, Azure API Management, we will discuss these aspects in more detail, along with industry best practices, so that you can get the most out of your investment and make your organization more agile and secure.