Microsoft Azure API Management Reviews

Our primary use case for Microsoft Azure API Management is as a gateway for all API management within our tech environment. It serves as a basic part of our DevOps toolchain.

Microsoft Azure API Management is a basic part of our DevOps toolchain.

Microsoft Azure API Management serves as a gateway for all API management within our tech environment and is a basic part of our DevOps toolchain. We utilize it for control and monitoring, particularly for the security aspects of our APIs. 

It provides easy integration within the Azure environment and with third-party SaaS applications, like integrating our point of sale system and our loyalty system under Mastercard.

Microsoft Azure API Management could be improved by enhancing the visual editor of the development portal. Considering that everything is moving towards low code or no code, having a management or development portal with a more intuitive visual editor would be beneficial.

I have used the solution for two to three years.

I rate the stability of Microsoft Azure API Management as nine out of ten. We have not encountered significant stability issues.

I rate the scalability of Microsoft Azure API Management as nine out of ten, indicating that it is quite scalable.

Microsoft support has greatly improved, with resolutions being fast depending on the severity of the ticket raised. I am very satisfied with the support provided by Microsoft.

The initial setup of Microsoft Azure API Management is straightforward, and I would rate the ease of setup as seven out of ten.

Azure API Management is priced reasonably. The license costs about $150 per month.

We did not evaluate any other API management solutions, as our focus was more on integration platforms.

API management is a crucial component when building an enterprise's integration platform. Microsoft Azure API Management is a good tool, especially when there are many workloads and resources within the Azure environment. 

I recommend using this tool, and I would rate it eight out of ten.

We have several layers in our infrastructure. Some of our layers are more connector-based and interfacing with our systems of record and outsource service providers. Right now, we use Microsoft Azure API Management for that. We're now deciding what to use for the process layer, which is more orchestration and data-mapping-based.

If you were truly a .NET shop and truly Microsoft cloud-centric, this is the most cloud-native offering, and there are some benefits to that. It's really easy to use for simple passthrough APIs. It feels more modern and compatible with people with .NET skill sets, and that's a strong selling point.

The solution's data mapping and orchestration are very code-intensive or require callouts to external systems. They seem suboptimal for the more complex use cases.

A simple installation is very easy, and I rate it ten out of ten. However, it goes to the other extreme when you try to do complex use cases, like orchestration, aggregation, and data mapping. For such scenarios, I rate the installation a five out of ten because of the code intensity and maintenance you would incur.

The solution appears cheaper because it's a cloud SaaS model. Its benefit is that you can use a small amount, and it'll appear very cheap. However, once you scale up to your full volume, it'll be more expensive because it'll incorporate a bunch of different services that are holistically more expensive than the alternative.

There are around ten key security characteristics I look for in a solution. On the surface, my analysis so far seems to indicate that Microsoft Azure API Management has the ability to deliver on those parameters. Given the close relationship between Microsoft and OpenAI, we hope the solution will evolve more quickly and incorporate AI more fully, but we don't know for sure.

Our goal is to create a composable financial institution. We are trying to get developers not to be the bottleneck anymore but to be more agile, to grow market share, and to grow national reach. To do all those things, you need very agile, world-class APIs. There are ways to make both work for that. We'll have to evaluate which one is the shorter path.

I would recommend the solution for cloud-native Microsoft .NET shops with simple API requirements. However, I would not recommend it for multi-cloud, larger shops with more diverse or complicated use cases.

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

Microsoft Azure API Management is used in our organization to support the API lifecycle. 

It's a valuable tool for API lifecycle management. Another Azure offering is API gateway, which is used to enable the APIs, publish them for internal or external customers, API scaling and other typical use cases. 

Microsoft Azure API Management also has security or threshold features that monitor and control API access through a subscription-based model. 

Documentations for implementing certain product features are very difficult to find. Information regarding some features of Microsoft Azure API Management cannot be found through searching on the Internet; it can be understood, discovered, and learned hands-on while using the solution. Documentations for the product should include examples of implementation. 

I have been using Microsoft Azure API Management for four years. 

It's a highly stable product. 

Microsoft Azure API Management can be easily scaled. 

Users can contact customer support whenever there are any issues with the product's stability and features.  But in our company, we never faced any issues with the product for which we had to seek help from the support team. The documentation from Microsoft helps our company to solve issues on our own. 

Microsoft Azure API Management can be easily deployed. But if you want the API pipelines to associate with the API codes, sometimes it can be challenging and the need to write custom code might arise before the solution's deployment. The Azure DevOps pipelines are not straightforward, just like some other Azure services.

The deployment time depends upon the service availed and the artifacts, including API, policy file, and other integrations. Each API deployment takes around five minutes with Microsoft Azure API Management. The deployment duration majorly depends upon the ideal pipeline building and its configuration. A team of professionals is required for the solution's deployment and maintenance. When a maintenance need arises with the product, a professional can spend half a day implementing it. 

The ROI depends upon the purpose of adopting Microsoft Azure API Management in the first place. For basic usage like API and gateway management and publishing, in that case the product's ROI will be high.

Proper configuration of the solution, implementation strategy and correct scaling tier selection are other factors that influence the ROI. For instance, if you avail yourself of a higher tier of scalability than required and there are only a few users of your API, the ROI might not be satisfying. 

The product can seem very costly if the use case for Microsoft Azure API Management demands high usage and scalability. I would rate the pricing a six out of ten. It's an expensive solution. 

When Microsoft Azure API Management is compared with IBM's competitor product, I would always choose Microsoft Azure API Management because of its user-friendliness, easy integrations with other Azure tools and other extensive features. 

The availing of API protection features depends upon the customer requirements of our organization. If customers want the API to be secure and restrict accessibility then a subscription model is often integrated into the API where users will gain access to certain services upon payment.

If a customer will be dealing with sensitive data through their API, then only a few individuals will have access which is implemented through Microsoft Azure API Management. I would overall rate the product an eight out of ten.

I would advise others to check the documentation first as it allows you to test the product even before purchasing. Superior technical experts are not needed to operate Microsoft Azure API Management. It's an excellent learning product as one doesn't need to buy a license to start using Microsoft Azure API Management. 

We are using Microsoft Azure API Management to host APIs.

The most valuable features of Microsoft Azure API Management are the easy configuration and deployment with automation.

There is a limitation of 32 kb of data in the APIs. Having the limitation increase would be a benefit.

I have been using Microsoft Azure API Management for approximately four years.

This is the best service we have used within Azure and it has high availability.

I rate the stability of Microsoft Azure API Management a ten out of ten.

The scalability of Microsoft Azure API Management is great. We only have some issues with the high costs.

We have approximately 100 people using the solution.

I rate the scalability of Microsoft Azure API Management a ten out of ten.

We have a dedicated team that supports us from Microsoft. It is excellent.

I rate the support from Microsoft Azure API Management a ten out of ten.

Positive

I have not used other similar solutions.

The initial setup of Microsoft Azure API Management is straightforward. However, we had an issue with the DSTV upgrade. It has its own logic of what to decide. 

The full implementation process of the solution takes time, approximately six hours.

To deploy Microsoft Azure API Management, we utilize TerraForm to incorporate modules that cover all departments. These modules have already been created, so we simply provide the necessary parameters and execute the pipeline. Consequently, we do not rely on the Azure portal for this process and instead rely solely on Azure automation.

I rate the initial setup of Microsoft Azure API Management a nine out of ten.

The solution is highly expensive. Our customers worry about the costs. The price should be a lot less. 

We are using the premium license.

I rate the price of Microsoft Azure API Management a seven out of ten.

The solution has provided us with a great overall solution in many areas, such as security, deployment, and integrations.

I rate Microsoft Azure API Management a nine out of ten.

We use Azure API Management as a migration tool and for security. We have services interfacing with Boomi and APG, and we're migrating them to Azure API Management and Azure Logic App. This involves writing integration logic in Logic API and exposing APIs securely to external networks. We also integrate Snowflake with ServiceNow data using Kafka and Azure API.

Our primary advantage with Azure API Management is the ability to achieve real-time data updates for user queries. This is vital in retail, where customer concerns need immediate attention. By using Azure API Management with Snowflake and Kafka, we maintain accuracy and speed in our data processes and transactions.

Security is the top feature of Azure API Management. It allows the use of existing identity servers or OpenID for secure API sharing. The speed of deployment and the ability to integrate legacy databases using API wrappers for external exposure are also valuable.

Azure API Management lacks integration capabilities seen in other tools. It should at least handle basic transformations, which currently fall to Azure Logic Apps. Including a mapper, like IBM API Connect, would be beneficial. There's a need for better integration features without additional solutions.

I have been working with Azure API Management for approximately two years.

Azure API Management is stable. I haven’t encountered significant issues, and I would give it a nine out of ten for stability.

Azure API Management earns a seven for scalability. I feel there are fewer features to explore, compared to other API management solutions.

Microsoft technical support is excellent, and I would rate it ten out of ten.

Positive

Google APG and IBM API Connect are some of the tools used earlier. They were preferred for their integration capabilities and better mapping features.

The cloud setup for API management is simple. However, for hybrid or on-premise models, it requires considerable resource allocation, needing multiple virtual cores and a Cassandra database.

Azure solutions are priced very low, which is a benefit. However, if additional features are required, like AI integration, more investment might be necessary.

Google APG and Kong API were evaluated as alternatives. Google is considered better because it offers integrated features within API management, like Gen A features.

Azure API Management is better suited for enterprises due to its extensive toolset and roadmap for data integration and scalability. For smaller companies, lightweight alternatives like WSO2 are recommended.

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

We use the platform to configure API connectors with authentication and generate reports. We utilize it within a private cloud environment as part of our system integration services, providing these services to other users.

The solution has significantly improved our organization by providing a user-friendly and easy-to-deploy API management system.

The platform's most valuable features are its rule-based permissions and comprehensive API lifecycle management capabilities.

The solution's deployment process could be slightly improved in terms of time. Additionally, they should enhance AI capabilities and more advanced integration features with other platforms.

I have been using Microsoft Azure API Management for six years.

The product is stable. We haven't encountered any stability-related issues. 

The product is scalable. 

We have used different solutions in the past.

The initial setup was straightforward and user-friendly.

We implemented the product with the help of our in-house team. 

We have seen significant financial benefits after using the product. Moving to the cloud offers many advantages.

The product pricing is reasonable. 

We evaluated other options, including solutions from AWS and Google Cloud. However, Microsoft Azure API Management stood out for its feature set and easy integration with our existing infrastructure.

We use the platform for all acquisitions and system management, automating various processes. Our API server is integrated into our cloud system ensuring everything is documented in a single query.

I rate it a ten out of ten. 

Azure API Management is an API gateway that can be used for different purposes, for example, to monetize APIs. We also use it for logging and security purposes such as performing authorization.

Azure API Management cuts out a lot of concerns that developers have. Developers can leave concerns like authorization, authentication, tokens, or any data shaping layer for their APIs to the API gateway or APM service. They can then focus on creating APIs and functionality that matter for the business.

Support for GraphQL could be better. We work with different standards, but at the moment, it only supports GraphQL as a specification. However, support for GraphQL, which is a different communication specification, needs to improve.

I have been using it for at least six to seven years. It is a cloud service, so it is the latest version from Microsoft.

It is a stable solution. 

It is a scalable solution. You can add more computing power to your APM gateway. It also gives you the ability to have VNet integrations with your on-prem. It is one of the leading products in the API management space.

It is not just software for users but software to handle requests. For example, for a B2C e-commerce store, all requests that users make from within the store pass through this API gateway. So it is defined by the number of requests to the API gateway, not by the number of actual users who use it. If you look at the number of requests, it would be a lot from all the different systems we have within Pampers.

The support for the GraphQL standard could be better. But in general, the support falls under the micro agreement you have with Microsoft. We personally have not encountered any specific issues with regard to contacting Microsoft support because something isn't working. But I believe this would fall under your enterprise agreement with Microsoft.

The initial setup is straightforward. Setting up an instance of Azure API Management in the cloud is as simple as setting up Azure. It would probably take around 30 minutes to spin up the service, and you can use it. However, using the gateway in your projects is an ongoing process. If you just want to set up a gateway, it will probably be quick and easy.

When it comes to the deployment process, it's a cloud solution, so you can use infrastructure as code using Azure Visor or ARM templates or follow different infrastructure support solutions to be able to deploy the solution on your own public cloud subscription.

You would need knowledge of Azure to deploy and maintain it in the IT room. Depending on your model, if you have different integrations with, for example, on-prem integration, or network-level integration with your on-prem network, it will be a bit more complex than it is.

ROI depends on how you see the value it adds to your APIs. If you have a strategy where you monetize your API, you can create ROI attempts. Most of the time, where we work in companies, it is more of an internal policy or security guidance that we need to have an API gateway, especially for purposes like spike testing or different policies. So we haven't done something like an ROI analysis on the API gateway.

The pricing model depends on how you use it. There are different tiers of API management: a standard tier, a developer tier, and a premium tier, and each of these tiers will have different features. I think the premium tier can start somewhere around 2000 euros a month. 

The developer tier is free to use, but the standard tier could also be around 500 euros a month. So there are solutions that are not that cheap, and the cost would increase with the additional features you want. The more enterprise-level features you go to, the more expensive it gets.

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

API management is a solution that anyone with a public-facing endpoint or an API should consider. Multiple APM solutions are in the market, like Google's Apigee, Azure API Management, and others. They can be expensive, so it depends on your API's value and the financial loss you could encounter in case of security attacks. These different aspects should be considered when using an API management gateway.

I am a software architect. The organization upgraded to API premium in order for us to be able to use virtual networks and security growth. We migrate things from Google Cloud. We use the solution to have an API that is calling internal resources to expose data on the internet. Furthermore, we also use API Management for partners and mobile apps.

Other than the cost, it is difficult to customize. The external policies are impossible to look at and configure.

The deployment time is too long. It is difficult to have multiple authentication mechanisms and authorization mechanisms at the same time.

Microsoft Azure API Management has not improved since I last used it in 2017.

By using Azure you are forced to use their technologies. For example, I wanted to use PostgreSQL, but I could only use SQL server. I also wanted to use Java or TypeScript, but the only option is .NET, which we do not use. They are very difficult to collaborate with as the solution does not integrate with other products. 

They do not offer extensions, if you want to use a Swagger extension you have to use XMLs, which are very complicated.

Another concern is that Microsoft Azure often does not have enough Linux machines in the region. If you want to deploy on Linux, and there are not enough, they will tell you to deploy in another region, or it has to be on the Windows server instead.

I have been using Microsoft Azure API Management for two years.

The solution is a bit more stable than it was in 2017. It is reliable.

Azure API is scalable. We have 20 people working with this product as a gateway to the outside world.

Technical support with Microsoft is poorer than AWS, but better than the one from Google Cloud. They reply too late. We had premium technical support at one point, however, they did not reply with anything we needed at the time. There is a concern with the knowledge base as well as the procedure in how they are instructed to reply.

I would rate technical support a three out of five.

Neutral

We switched to Microsoft Azure API Management because two years ago, someone in the organization decided to use this solution. I would never have made that decision.

I have had prior experience with API Gateway and Apigee.

The solution takes one hour to deploy. Like everything on Azure, it is difficult to create the deployment scripts because the ARM and Bicep that they use are awful. Deployment is very complex.

I would rate the experience of the setup of Azure API Management a two out of five.

The solution doesn't require maintenance as it is cloud-based. However, it does require monitoring.

The upgrade to Azure API costs 2000 euros per month, per instance, per unit. Our finance department asked us to find cost reductions. After conducting an analysis, I came to the conclusion that it was impossible unless we sacrificed security.

Azure API Management is the most expensive solution on the market. AWS is at least four times less expensive. Any price comparison needs to include the additional cost of the security you will need to purchase from Microsoft, which comes from their premium plan. The only way to reduce the cost is to sacrifice security when using Microsoft data.

I rate the pricing a one out of five.

The other option is API Apigee. It is the best in class and less expensive. Its deployment to API Gateway from AWS is easy and fast. 

In AWS API Management you can build everything from open API specification files. AWS has Swagger extensions that are built in that can define everything in Swagger.

I would switch solutions if I could. 

Any organization looking to implement Microsoft Azure API Management should look at other alternatives. Be cautious of the marketing behind Azure products. Once you decide on your solution, it is difficult to change.

I would rate this product a four out of 10 overall.