WSO2 API Manager Reviews

We have developed a slew of applications for Bank, that helped transform multiple core banking processes, such as customer onboarding, account servicing, and rapid loan request fulfillment. The solution, which is powered by WSO2’s API management and enterprise integration technologies, seamlessly bridges systems while paving the digital path to a connected financial ecosystem.

• Reduced operating costs by using open-source technology solutions
• Enhanced customer trust built through multi-channel communication
• Shortened delivery time for client services
• Improved compliance and reduced risk exposure

Helped us to quickly publish our Microservice APIs and enforcing different policies against them, it comes up with features like Security, Throttling policy and it provides complete access to customize API's which actually saves development effort and time.

The solution offers a simple and easy configuration. You can get it working up within one or two days' time. It's very fast, simple to use, and you can deploy things quickly. Its very easy to configure and takes less time to create customize policies across the API Gateway.  

The solution is very stable and can scale well.

Providing easy configuration for email and SMS notifications, layout and customization of admin and developer landing pages.

We've been using this solution for last 5 years.

It's stable. There is no issue with it in that sense at all. That said, some of the customers who have faced issues have had problems in the updating part. For example, when they update something, something goes wrong. However, if they are following a proper process, they should be okay. Whenever you have to do an upgrade you should first do it in a staging environment to test it and make sure you won't have issues. If everything works properly there only then should you move into production. If somebody follows a proper IT process, then they will have no issues. We have never faced any issues and it's a perfectly stable platform as far as we are concerned.

WSO2 API Management platform can be deployed in a scalable manner where the system can handle 1000RPS with 10 - 20 KB payloads.
WSO2 API Manager can be deployed in a way where auto scaling is there so whenever there is a traffic spike the deployment can auto scale.
Also, APIs can be deployed across multiple gateways so one APIs traffic spike won't affect the rest of the gateways.

Tech support is very good. The open-source version means you have to get support from the community. However, if you have a subscription, they provide the support portal and everything is solved there. Therefore you get support directly from the project team. The engineers who developed the product directly support you sometimes and you get very good support from them. 

There are no issues with support at all. Even if you need some sort of customized help, the engineers will assist. It's very helpful.

have used 3scale earlier, to lower costs, simplify maintenance, and because WSO2 API Manager is open-source

The initial setup is not complex or overly difficult. In fact, it's pretty straightforward. The solution offers a simple and easy configuration. You can get it up and running within one or two days. The deployment doesn't take very long.

We have implemented both all-in-one deployments and distributed setup. The distributed setup is a little more complex, most of the time takes in network configurations. That said, the basic setup is very simple and fast.

We have a dedicated lab setup for trying new features, and we provide implementation and support solution to our customers.

Complete feature set in the open source version

Flexibility and extensibility

Complete platform with built-in integration and security

Single GA (generally available) edition with all features. Subscription model

Simple pricing model with per core pricing. No licensing fees for development

Each subscription also covers, at no extra fee:

• Bursting of on-premise production systems by up to two times the subscribed cores, lasting for up to 3 cumulative days during the subscription year.

• Up to 3 pre-production environments

• Individual development machines, though please note that issues arising on such systems qualify for query support rather than incident support SLAs

• Analytics Profiles

• Passive instances in an active/passive deployment

• Disaster recovery systems

• Query support hours up to a level proportional to the subscription fee

We evaluated 3scale, Apigee and Tibco

I'd rate the solution at a ten out of ten. We've been extremely happy with it so far. It's affordable and pretty easy to use overall.

It's an API gateway. So, it just sits between the API layer and the orchestration layer. Basically, we use it to orchestrate service calls.

It has a lot of flexibility. The flexibility is definitely a highlight. 

We have flexible mapping capabilities, allowing us to provide common mappings or create custom ones as needed. 

It also has an excellent dashboard for real-time monitoring of tests and a pluggable development studio where we can code custom logic directly into the execution flow. This goes beyond standard mapping, enabling us to write our own custom logic directly.

Based on our recent large scaling project, the latency needs to be improved.

I have been using it for one year. 

It seems good based on the client's claims and what we've seen in our benchmarking.

I would rate the stability a nine out of ten.

I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten. But the latency can be improved with better scalability, so that would be ideal.

From the client's perspective, around 20 to 30 interfaces are involved in their batch processing. From the administrative side, around 40 to 50 users use it.

We've had certain issues where we posted queries and got responses. Thankfully, none were blockers so far. So we haven't needed to formally contact support.

So we don't have to conduct support. We had good interactions.

Positive

We used some lightweight solutions that we replaced with WSO2 API Manager.

We were looking for a solution that could handle a complex gateway with multiple components, balancing, routing, and business process automation. 

Our previous solution offered basic load balancing and monitoring, but for our business needs, we needed more. WSO2 API Manager offered the features we checked and felt it was a step up to an enterprise-level product with better technical support.

The complexity of the setup is kind of medium; it's not super easy, but not super difficult either. You can manage it if you learn the roadmap properly.

We've been using it on-premises. Right now, we're planning to move it to the cloud.

Deployment depends on various factors, but typically, it can be done relatively quickly.

It's costly.

It's a stable product with good features that are well-bundled. The documentation is helpful, and there are many community resources available if you need custom integrations. 

Most importantly, it has many plugins for integrating with various databases, which are standard integrations in the market today. You don't need to code them yourself; you can just use the plugins for integration and easy access. 

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

We use the product mainly as a gateway. We use the Publisher feature, the Publisher module or mode, and the Store. We publish APIs after we configure them, and we expose them on the internet.

It's perfect for our use case. It has the capabilities we require.

Technical support is fine.

So far the solution has been stable.

We use it on a daily basis. It handles millions of transactions of API calls per month in our reality, in the Lombardy region in Italy. It does its job as intended and handles everything pretty well.

I cannot recall coming across any missing features. 

The initial setup and configuration can be difficult if a person is not well-versed in the product.

The configuration could be improved. It should be more flexible and more elastic.

I've used the solution since 2016.

The solution has been stable and reliable enough. the performance is good. We haven't had issues. There aren't bugs or glitches. We haven't faced the solution crashing. It doesn't freeze.

The scalability is fine for our purposes. We haven't had a problem with it. 

It's all a suite of products that work in unison as a whole. We have six people using the solution. 

Technical support has been fine. We are satisfied with their level of service.

This is the only product that I've ever used of this type. I have not used something previously.

The initial setup can be difficult. It's not straightforward per se unless you can familiar with and comfortable with the solution. If you are not, the setup and configuration may be difficult. 

The deployment was done in-house and was handled by our team. We didn't have any outside assistance. 

The solution costs less than 20,000 euros a year. I'm not sure of the exact number. 

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. We've been pretty happy with the solution. Having nothing else to compare it to, I'm not sure if I would recommend it over other offerings, however, we have been pleased with its capabilities. 

My company uses WSO2 API Manager as a gateway to support our services and monitor their use.

Based on the information I have, the solution's most valuable feature is its capability of implementing custom solutions.

The price and the complexities attached to the solution are two areas of concern where improvements are required.

One of the problems with the solution that we face in our company stems from the fact that we have not been able to do any direct upgrades because of the custom feature that is included in the solution, and we specifically face such problems during migration projects. I would say not that we are not updated in our company when it comes to the solution. In general, my company is not able to do an automatic update because of some custom features in the product. The aforementioned area can be considered for improvement.

I have been using WSO2 API Manager for three or four years. My company is a customer of the solution. I don't know exactly the version that we have of the solution in our company.

Stability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

I would say that with the solution, my company deals with around 100 use cases.

The solution is used daily in my company. I work in a retail bank and know that the bank's customers constantly access the solution. My organization's IT or administration people use the solution weekly or monthly. I don't think I have seen any updates often.

It is not easy to reach the solution's technical support team. My company has an external partner who helps us with the support part of the tool. Though my company's external partner is entitled to get support from the solution's support team, it is not easy for them to reach out to WSO2 API Manager's technical team. I rate the technical support a four out of ten.

Neutral

The initial setup of the product is a little bit difficult.

I rate the initial setup a three on a scale of one to ten, where one is really difficult, and ten is easy.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

The product's deployment phase may extend to weeks or months, but in general, it can be completed in a couple of months from the beginning until the final deployment to production.

One or two people from my company were required to take care of the product's deployment phase.

The deployment phase of the solution was done in-house, that is, in our company, but with the support from some collaborators we have with an external partner.

WSO2 API Manager is quite an expensive tool. I rate the product's pricing a nine on a scale of one to ten, where one is low and ten is high.

No more than one person is required to manage the product's maintenance phase.

Owing to the fact that I don't have enough expertise when it comes to the solution, I don't know if I would be able to recommend it to others. In my company, there is a team involved in the process of evaluating the solution from whom I try to get some information related to the product.

I rate the overall product a six or seven out of ten.

WSO2 is accessible. Even a beginner can have an idea of what's going on.  It has a drag-and-drop graphical interface, so it's a low-code platform that enables you to effortlessly get things done.

The user interface is easy to navigate, and the documentation is extensive. It's open-source, so everything is available, and we can create what we need. That's not necessarily a feature, but it's an advantage. 

They are developing another platform called Choreo that allows you to create API itself using the WSO2 programming language Ballerina. It would be great if they added a direct connection between Choreo and API Manager, that would be great. I think they are working on that, but I'm not sure.

I used API Manager a few months ago. I briefly touched on those areas during my internship, but I haven't gone that deeply into the product. I don't have implementation knowledge, but I have a rough idea about what's going on.

I rate API Manager 10 out of 10 for stability. 

I rate API Manager 10 out of 10 for scalability. It's suitable for small companies or large enterprises. 

I haven't contacted WSO2, but I know that they provide good support. 

The cost is reasonable even for Sri Lankan companies.

I rate WSO2 API Manager 10 out of 10. Don't hesitate to use it. Most people can start with WSO2 API Manager because it's easy to find what you need in the documentation. I recommend newbies start with WSO2 API Manager.

The principal things we use WSO2 API Manager for are to convert SOAP to Rest services, add security, and to provide more function for the administrators and to the developers. These are the main items.

We now work with two versions which are in a test environment. We are using version 3.0 and version 3.2. It's very possible that the version that we will use in production will be 3.2.

We can use WSO2 API Manager at IaaS and PaaS enviroments.

 WSO2 is very easy to install. It has all the main functionalities that we looking for when we want to put up the management solution like a friendly UI tool, soap to rest API publication options, plugin extensions, add oatuh 2.0 to the operations,  install on premise, hablde multiple versions of the same api, import and export swagger. 

In terms of what can be improved, we are doing a proof of concept and we found some problems with the migration process from the last version to the 3.2. We have problems with the migration of the tenants.

I have been using WSO2 API Manager for about one and a half years.

In terms of stability, we are testing it in the test environment now so I don't have information about this. Maybe in the future we will know better.

In terms of scalability, it has several main components and it is easy to make different strategies with each one. For example, we can deploy one component in high availability and you can use a different strategy with others components of the tool.

We now have around 10 people using it because we are working in the test environment. In the future, we expect different organizations use it too.

For now, we want to put a community version in production, test it, and then analize if it is an option to switch to commercial. 

In terms of the technical support, we don't use it. But I would evaluate documentation manuals as very good.

We made POCs with ApiConnect, and 3scale.

For example, 3scale has a very good user interface but it's doesnt has the functionalities that we need. ApiConnect is similar to the WSO2 but it's more expensive. WSO2 API Manager is easier to start with.

The initial setup is very easy.

I did not do the deployment myself but I think that it took around one or two hours. No more than this. This is because we need a different database. We needed to change something in the default, but otherwise it was very easy.

We contracted an external worker that did these things on the monitor.

 We are happy with the tool. Now, we need to do more test. We started one and a half years ago, or more and now, we can solve the evolution of the two different versions.

Improve the possibility to migrate to different versions would be very good. It would also be good for integration withdifferents identity server to have more possibilities with other tools. 

On a scale of one to ten I would rate WSO2 API Manager an 8 because I think that the evolution of the product has a lot of differences between near versions. I would like it to be a more stable solution. 

WSO2 API Manager serves as a central hub for integrating sensors across SmartCity projects. We provide support for developers, enabling them to build applications using our platform. Our use cases include features like spotlighting, forecasting, and environmental monitoring. We also offer security management through WFO protocols for responsible and secure environment for our users.

WSO2 API Manager is open-source, which offers a range of features not found in other open-source API tools. The user interface is another standout feature that we appreciate. In terms of effective features for API life-cycle management, we use the tool for licensing, allowing us to differentiate rates based on customer numbers and end-user data publishing.

Regarding security features, WSO2 API Manager is a robust compliance solution, especially for AWS usage. It offers deployment management, performance-based security, and overall compliance support.

I would like to see improvements in the speed of the solution as it can be a bit slow compared to other platforms along with addressing memory issues would be beneficial.

I have been using WSO2 API Manager for the past five years.

We experienced some stability issues, particularly related to memory, which affected the database performance.

WSO2 API Manager is scalable and suitable for our project needs. We have around twenty to twenty-five actual users who access the platform for deployment and management purposes.

I have interacted with technical support in the past, and they have assisted us with our queries. They were helpful overall, although some complex issues took longer to resolve.

Positive

I have experience using another API management solution from a larger company. Comparing WSO2 API Manager, it has its strengths in flexibility and customization based on our requests. It also has robust features and components. But in terms of cons, it can be complex and may take some time to set up compared to simpler solutions.

The setup was a bit complex because we initially started with enterprise professional services, but later transitioned to the open-source version which required more effort to set up.

We didn't encounter many challenges while integrating WSO2 API Manager with other systems as we primarily focused on setting up our own solution. We mainly relied on the solution itself for updates and upgrades.

Our deployment involved setting up two rings in the cluster and transitioning from testing to production. It took some time to learn the deployment process, especially with the enterprise version.

We completed the set-up in-house. One person is required for handling the deployment for the enterprise aspect.

We haven't implemented any AI-driven solutions or encountered AI-driven issues within our company.

I would recommend WSO2 API Manager to other users, especially if they value a robust support system and are ready to invest in the deployment process. However it is important to consider factors like support costs and licensing models before making a decision. 

In terms of overall rating, I would give it a seven out of ten, taking into account both its advantages and limitations.

I use the solution in my company as an enterprise application that will be placed in more than 175 places across the world, which would be in different countries. As an API management tool, it will be placed across different regions on Azure Cloud and WSO2's cloud.

I work for the front-end applications in my company, for which we consume APIs with the help of WSO2 since it is also used in our multiple different back-end systems, causing the tool to get integrated and work as a middle layer in our organization.

WSO2 team recommends mTLS as security. Recently, my company faced some issues when implementing mTLS between the DB and front-end applications. My company needs Technical help from WSO2's team to deal with the aforementioned area. WSO2 team should provide better guidance in documentations to implement this.

I have been using WSO2 API Manager for a year.

It is possible to scale up and scale down with the solution. As my company is involved in the setup of the product in different regions, I can say that I have not seen any issues related to scalability.

I have contacted the product's support team, and my company gets support on time since we have enterprise-level support from WSO2 since we are involved in a big project. My company raises our concerns about the product with the support team through an available ticketing system. My company can also call the product support team directly.

I rate the technical support an eight out of ten.

Positive

I have previous experience with Azure API Management and Apigee API Management.

It is wrong for me to compare WSO2 API Manager with the tools like Apigee API Management or Azure API Management that I have used in the past since they may have matured a lot during the time frame when I have not used them over a period of a year. I cannot compare the product I used in the present with the product that I used two years ago. On a quarterly or six-month basis, many tools get upgraded.

There is a separate team in our company to take care of the tool's setup phase. I work as an architect and have experience with the setup phase of Apigee. I mostly focus on the front-end applications in our company.

My company has to operate in different regions, which are spread out in 175 places across the globe. My company soon plans to set up the product on the cloud platform for different regions, primarily with the services from Azure Cloud for regions like the USA, India, the Gulf, and China. For every region, my company needs to deploy the product separately. The DevOps team has set up the product in various regions for my company.

The solution is deployed on the cloud.

My company chose WSO2 API Manager based on the decision made by the client who wanted it in their environment.

My company is okay with the analytics and usage of the product. The analytics part is mostly managed by the client who uses the product or the API team in my company, so I am unsure about the analytics part.

My company has used the product's customized integration capabilities for MongoDB and some other commercial tools.

Speaking about the most beneficial features for API lifecycle management, I would say that my company has a DevOps tool in place for deploying all the APIs. My company also received feedback from WSO2's team during the development phase. On the API lifecycle management side, I do not see much, but I know that it consists of areas like API versioning and API deployment. I don't see anything special when it comes to the API lifecycle management area of the product since it is similar to what AWS offers. All the processes related to the product are taken care of by my company.

I have worked with many API management tools in the past, and I don't see any case scenarios that were different from what I have seen while using other products.

My company has faced so many technical challenges in many areas. Our company's team members face issues with the product since we have not yet properly implemented it. I have worked with the API management tool from Google in the past and have seen that Google provides better documentation, which is much better and cleaner than what WSO2 API Manager provides.

I rate the overall product a seven out of ten.