IBM API Connect Reviews

Our use cases for IBM API Connect include the banking sector, where they use the solution to integrate with third parties, so all of the third-party connectivity for the banks happen through IBM API Connect.

We also built the government service website, for example, e-Government services, and the government published all services between the government entities and the businesses, so there are two connections: government to government and government to business. All the services and entities were published and consumed through the IBM API Connect gateway.

What's best about IBM API Connect is the excellent administration. The development tool that builds the API is also very simple, and user-friendly, and it doesn't consume too much time.

Another valuable feature in IBM API Connect is its good reporting feature, particularly for operations, but the most valuable feature of the solution for the customer is security. IBM API Connect provides a DMZ and a security gateway between the external and internal environment, so you can publish your API safely.

IBM API Connect can also integrate with any tool or middleware that works on open standards without the need for development or coding, so integration with the solution is easier.

Technically, I haven't faced any issues or areas for improvement in IBM API Connect. There wasn't any concern that the customer asked that we couldn't resolve or achieve. I'll need to check with the technical team if there was any issue with the solution, but from the top of my head, I haven't faced anything that the customer requested or anything that needs enhancement in IBM API Connect.

The implementation of IBM API Connect is complex, as it's an enterprise solution with many components that require more than one person. It's not a single product that you work on, and this is an area for improvement, but normally, it's good.

Having a more structured model for IBM API Connect support is also room for improvement that would help customers better.

I've been working with IBM API Connect for the last five years.

IBM API Connect is a stable solution. It's used in government services, and my team barely receives calls about the solution. IBM API Connect is also used in major banks here in Jordan, and it's stable. There are no complaints about it.

IBM API Connect is a scalable solution. It's deployed based on the Hybrid Entitlement model in IBM which gives the customers five million API calls per month, and if the customers need more, it's just a matter of buying an additional license to make it ten million API calls per month, so customers can build any environment that meets requirements and do production HADR tests without paying a lot more for the license.

As IBM API Connect is subscription-based, it's good, and it allows customers to scale as much as needed without exceeding the number of API calls. Most of the customers do not reach that limit anyway. If a customer needs to go beyond the limit, he can get a CPU-based license, but at the moment, I haven't had any customer who needs a CPU-based implementation of IBM API Connect.

The technical support for IBM, in general, isn't the best. You'll need to understand the internal setup of IBM or you need to have a partner who understands the IBM setup to get the best support from IBM. There's a program that IBM offers, the AVP, where a consultant is set aside for you or the customer, and that consultant will provide support to you.

For the technical support focused specifically on IBM API Connect, the team is good. The team of engineers is responsive and knowledgeable.

We haven't worked with other solutions similar to IBM API Connect, but we're considering another alternative from Open Source, though we haven't decided which product we want to work with.

The initial setup for IBM API Connect wasn't complex, but for the new model or the containerized model, the setup for the three nodes or containerization wasn't as easy as the normal on-premise setup or the traditional way of implementation, so the first time my company implemented the new model, it was complex. The complexity wasn't because of IBM API Connect, but it was because of the RedHat OpenShift platform beneath it, though after my team did it once, the next implementation became easier and simpler.

The price for IBM API Connect is reasonable. It's $20,000 to $30,000 yearly for a subscription, and the pricing could vary around $40,000 per year, per subscription. Its price is reasonable for customers who have around sixty million API calls yearly for unlimited environments.

I haven't evaluated other options, but I've heard about Apigee and that it's a good solution. I've heard that Apigee is technically better than IBM API Connect, but I don't have the facts on why it's better. What I heard from the customer is that Apigee is more costly than IBM, and that customer paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in Jordan. The customer contacted my company for a POC for IBM API Connect, so it seems that the customer didn't get value from Apigee based on the money he paid.

There's also MuleSoft, but I didn't see a real implementation in Jordan where there's anything extra or different from what IBM API Connect provides, and I have no idea about MuleSoft pricing.

The Jordan government accepted IBM API Connect because of the security and stability of the solution, and in terms of project implementation, it was the best project implemented that's based on DataPower and API Connect.

I'm still working with IBM API Connect.

I'm an implementer, system integrator, and reseller of the solution.

Mostly I have mid-size and enterprise customers for IBM API Connect, though I also have small-sized customers. My customers use the solution.

Most of the customers here in Jordan prefer an on-premise deployment for IBM API Connect, but my company also has cloud implementation, one public and one private, then the rest is on-premises.

My advice to people who want to start implementing IBM API Connect is to always start small. You need to understand the value you want to gain from implementing the solution, focus on business values and achieve those, then start to grow bigger later. Don't start with a big environment when implementing IBM API Connect that wouldn't result in any business value. Starting small with real business values that will touch on business needs is good advice for anyone who wants to implement IBM API Connect.

My rating for IBM API Connect is nine out of ten because it's a good IBM product. It's one of the products you can easily sell.

The API manager of the enterprise exposes common functionalities to the front-end applications, beginning with the frontend of the executives who access clients' information.  The exposition of the functionalities of transferring funds and AFP which need to transfer the money from your account to a client's AFP.  The exposition of the core functionalities to the module of the sale of a product installed on the cloud of AWS, to create an onboarding platform for the client's prospect of the enterprise.

The product has a little use at the enterprise because the APIs have functionality with low use. The next steps are to enforce and grow the use of APIs through the creation of a governance department that aligns the construction's standards and defines the classifications of APIs. 

This is the main goal, to finally integrate the applications that will deploy on the cloud consuming the backends on-premise through IBM API Connect. Having the centralized management of APIs.

The most valuable features are:

1. The centralized management: this provides a management module that can deploy and apply security policies to all APIs, including all the gateways that are deployed on-premises and on any cloud because the gateway component can run at a VMware or in a Kubernetes cluster.

2. The analytics module: this provides a variety of visualizations of the APIs, products, subscriptions, and applications that can be defined for a second, a day, a week, a month. This module is deployed beside the gateway and collect all the traffic.

The product can be improved in the following  areas:

1.  The monetization because it doesn't include an online method to pay through a web system or with a credit card, where the analytics can be calculated.

2.  The integration of an API gateway that implements the sidecar pattern, which can be deployed in cloud applications, and expose the microservices directly in each pod, this  can be more decentralized components.

All of these areas can be improved. 

We have been using IBM API Connect for six months.

It's very stable.

The solution offers horizontal scalability. The power of the product is the high performance in security tasks done with dedicated hardware.

We implemented it with the official vendor of the product.

Another team selected the product.

We use it for API integration, particularly in conjunction with the One Link solution. One Link is a platform that comes into play during cross-channel communication within the banking sector. For instance, if a customer has an account with Bank A and wishes to withdraw funds from Bank B, it facilitates cross-selling communication between two distinct banks—Bank A and Bank B. Our primary focus is on enabling seamless transactions between different banks, and we also incorporate case and bundle links within our solution.

DataPower Gateway holds significant value for us as it serves as the cornerstone of our enterprise security controls. Even in the absence of published APIs, DataPower Gateway continues to maintain robust security measures. In the event of IBM API Connect experiencing downtime, users can still access APIs through DataPower Gateway, thereby minimizing downtime and ensuring continued service availability for users.

Understanding the architecture, deployment criteria, and communication methods of the installation can be time-consuming. The learning curve is noticeable, especially for new engineers.

We have been working with it for ten years.

I would rate its stability capabilities ten out of ten.

It is highly scalable. On a scale from one to ten, I would rate it between nine and ten.

When there's an open ticket with severity one, the IBM team consistently provides timely support. We are highly content with the support we receive from IBM. I would rate it nine out of ten.

Positive

The initial setup is relatively straightforward.

The initial installation phase may pose challenges as it requires some time to grasp the intricacies. The learning curve is significant, especially for people who don't have experience with it. While the installation may not be easy initially, users can acquire proficiency once they have a thorough understanding of the system. When deploying a new environment, the entire setup typically takes approximately one to two days. Assigning two individuals to manage the deployment process is more than sufficient. For ongoing maintenance of the solution, a single person is capable of handling all the necessary tasks efficiently.

Overall, I would rate it ten out of ten.

We use IBM API Connect for the external gateway for integration, and it is for multiple customers with the external button.

IBM API Connect is a tool that helps enterprises to build an API for an enterprise. But we use it for user experience and channel integration. We use the features of building the APIs for the experience. API is exposed to different channels like mobile channels, automatic channels, portal channels, and different channels. We use the solution's management capability to define monetization and have different plans used to control IBM API Connect. So we use the full-fledged API management tool, especially for the development, monetization, publishing, and installation parts. Also, it's all deployed on an OpenShift platform.

There are two disadvantages to the solution. Firstly, the pricing model, when compared to other open sources, is high. Secondly, the availability of resources in the market, specifically the developers available in the market, is not so much. So, the aforementioned areas need to be considered for improvement.

I have been using IBM API Connect for five years. My company has a partnership with IBM. Also, I am using the solution's latest version.

We are working with the big and the medium businesses.

The support is good and active. I rate the technical support a nine out of ten.

Positive

The installation is not easy. However, on a traditional VM, it is acceptable. It can get complex since it's required to have multiple components deployed, and I think it is necessary to have the technical experience to do a global configuration for production. You need some access to get the benefits of the enterprise and the platform. Also, such things are expected because the solution is an enterprise-grade player. For such a tool to have the benefits of stabilization to support the high demand of workloads, it should have a robust configuration. That is why it's not a simple configuration. I'm talking about the big enterprise, not the medium or small enterprises. It's not suitable for medium, small, and micro-enterprises because the cost of setup and the solution, along with the license, may not be suitable for small businesses.

The solution is deployed on the cloud and on-premises. Sometimes it's private, and at times it's both also. So, you have one public and a private cloud.

The deployment can take up to two to three weeks, and I am saying this considering previous projects, connectivity, and deployment, so I am talking about the time taken to build the environment.

The solution is a very, very powerful tool. It has many, many capabilities, apart from it having many, many adapters and integration with the backend to provide you with a comprehensive portal development portal application. This comprehensive portal application can be used by the developers of API since API is a fast and powerful tool. In addition, the analytic part of the tool provides you with full analytics and defines SLA for the APIs, and you can generate the analytics to get statistics about the utilization of API, which most people use. This tool is very, very comprehensive and very, very beautiful. It's very easy to use. And in addition to that, it is an API management tool deployed on an OpenShift platform to give you the capability of containerization for sustainability and agility. So, it's part of the tool.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

The primary use case of IBM API Connect is for API monetization in the banking and financial sector. This involves API management and creating APIs for financial institutions, which is the main use case. Another use case is having all API integrations in one place. A third use case is opening an API and sending the documentation to external third parties.

The solution provides a common place for all APIs, allowing for easy sharing and exchange of information between internal and external stakeholders. So, the solution functions as an API management platform.

I am currently investigating the weaknesses of the solution, specifically in its on-premise infrastructure. One of the main concerns is its performance, as we have noticed some cases of resource consumption that may be related to our setup. We have concerns regarding the handling of asynchronous APIs and events in the architecture, particularly in the financial sector, where this is becoming more common. While this is well-addressed in MuleSoft, we are uncertain about how IBM API Connect handles this use case, as it does not appear to be addressed in the available documentation.

I have been using IBM API Connect for two years. My customers use the solution. I work for two companies, and none of them are partners. It is just a solution used in the banking sector.

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a seven to eight out of ten.

The solution's technical support has been very responsive. I had no problems with them. I would say it's a very good and strong point of the platform.

It is an expensive solution. The licensing model is based on a per-subscription and per-subscriber end-user basis, meaning the price is determined by the end-users of the platform. Also, the price may be higher compared to some other competitors.

There are some performance issues and issues related to asynchronous APIs. So, now we are investigating these issues since they are critical ones. Owing to the aforementioned reasons, I rate the overall product an eight out of ten.

We use IBM API Connect primarily to expose APIs for various information systems in Terra and to integrate with our audit partners.

The main benefits of IBM API Connect for our API life cycle management are the core API functionalities, the developer's portal, and robust security capabilities.

IBM API Connect's security protocols enhance our data protection strategies by offering end-to-end security, mechanisms to counter common attacks like DDoS, and the ability to define policies for API groups to control traffic and prevent unwanted access to our systems.

We have encountered challenges with IBM API Connect, particularly during significant upgrades.

These upgrades demand substantial labour and financial resources, including consulting services from IBM.

I'd like to see increased flexibility, more frequent updates with new features, an efficient upgrade process, and additional AI capabilities for future releases.

I have been using IBM API Connect for the past five years.

Currently, around ten to fifteen people in our company are using IBM API Connect, and we plan to increase automation in the future to reduce manual effort.

My experience with IBM's technical support has been challenging. Accessing support and navigating their processes has limited flexibility. However, after successfully complying with their procedures and exercising patience, they know how to handle issues efficiently.

Neutral

Before using IBM API Connect, we worked with similar integration products, particularly an ESB from IBM, which was crucial in creating system integrations.

Setting up IBM API Connect initially was challenging, as expected, due to its complexity.

Compared to some other products on the market, implementation took about six months.

IBM API Connect has provided significant financial and operational benefits for our organisation.

It has facilitated integration across systems and enabled cross-organisational processes. As for the time it took to record a return on investment, we started seeing tangible benefits within approximately two years.

IBM API Connect has dramatically aided our AI-driven projects by increasing developer productivity and facilitating the development process using AI tools. It helped us automate sub-processes and perform thorough analysis for operations and security.

I would suggest considering IBM API Connect for enterprises focused on security and enhanced functionality, especially if they need rapid implementation. If they're looking for more advanced capabilities or a broader solution, I recommend exploring options like Google Apigee or MuleSoft Anypoint Platform. Each product has its strengths and focuses, so aligning with the organization's specific needs and priorities is essential.

Overall, I'd rate IBM API Connect an eight out of ten.

We deploy APIs to expose the BFFs of mobile apps, and this is mainly in the cloud. All mobile apps consume the APIs of your BFF. On-premise, we have APIs that expose services and mainly functionalities, such as the balance of the client or the customers or the products.

One of the most valuable features is the easy-to-use web interface.

Documentation for the CLI is not very complete. Also, the support could be improved, and we have had several problems with backing up and restoring the product.

We have been using the solution for two or three years.

The stability of the solution is good.

The scalability of the solution is good.

IBM support is not available in Chile, so we must go through other countries to get a response from customer support.

I would rate the setup as a medium in difficulty. 

The solution was first set up with the help of IBM, but when we moved to another environment, we followed the initial instructions given by IBM and implemented it ourselves. 

We used Bamboo as a pipeline for automatic deployment of the API. The deployment took four hours.

The product is easy to use, but the installation is not easy. We have a team of three architects who maintain the product. I would rate this solution as an eight out of ten. 

We utilize IBM API Connect for our B2B operations, and occasionally we extend its use to B2C as well. However, our B2B scales outweigh our B2C usage.

The IBM API Connect toolset is included in the IBM Stack ecosystem, providing cost-effective benefits for users. Additionally, users are increasingly transitioning from legacy server-based infrastructure to API-centric approaches. This shift has resulted in cost savings, as infrastructure previously built for future needs is now built as needed within an application model, reflecting a change in mindset.

IBM API Connect is a reliable and scalable solution.

The implementation process could benefit from improvements, as it may take some time to become accustomed to the deployment.

I have been using IBM API Connect for approximately five years.

IBM API Connect is a stable solution.

The solution can be stable, but it depends on the infrastructure used, such as the cloud and its structure.

The support from IBM has been good enough for our needs.

When comparing IBM API Connect to other solutions, there are two key observations to consider. Firstly, the toolset and framework around IBM API Connect are methodical, which sets it apart from close competitors like Mule and others. This approach can lead to noticeable improvements in efficiency. Secondly, if there is a need for customization to address a specific industry problem, IBM API Connect is a good option. It has built-in checks and balances to ensure that performance is not impacted, which may not be the case with other vendors.

The initial setup of IBM API Connect is complex, but once the implementor is used to it it's easier.

The solution is deployed by our in-house team.

The price of the solution is expensive. However, there are a lot of customization capabilities.

The solution does not need a lot of maintenance, it is similar to any other verification tool.

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate IBM API Connect an eight out of ten.