Best API Integration Tools & Trends for 2024

Managing APIs in today's reality is an important element for business and other activities. Quality management tools help facilitate the design, deployment, protection and control of all APIs.

There are several things to understand about API management tools:

• APIs enable software to share information.
• Simplify the management of complex APIs.
• Security and overall teamwork is improved and performance is increased.
• Seamless integration between software is possible.

Below in the article we will break down the best API management tools for 2024, the main trends and trends and additional data.

Benefits of API management tools

API management tools are full-fledged platforms designed to facilitate and protect work. They enable you to create and manage interfaces, provide services and assets to developers, partners and customers, both internally and externally. All this is conducted with complete security and scalable methods.

The main benefits are:

• High degree of security.
• Improved collaboration.
• High productivity.

For business development and growth, such tools play an important role. Platforms will help to significantly speed up development, reducing the probable errors. The work of developers is improved.

Types of API management tools

Proceeding from the business needs, different types of tools can be selected, a combination of them.

• API gateways - can be used for authentication, authorization and traffic routing. 2.
• Design and documentation tools - can be used to efficiently test APIs before deployment. 3.
• Lifecycle Management Elements - a comprehensive set of elements to control the entire API lifecycle.
• Testing tools allow you to test functionality, performance and security. They can be used to simulate user behavior, give a certain load and find bugs.

APIs are the backbone of any software that works with data. With their help an application or a complete platform exchanges information with other software, improves interaction with users.

Top API Integration and Management Tools in 2024

Let's break down the top API integration tools for 2024 that will be relevant and help improve efficiency.

Integrate.io.

A platform within which APIs can be created and managed. Companies use the functionality to simplify the process of working with their own data products. Key features include:

• API creation;
• full customization of the API;
• flexible authentication conditions;
• availability of custom scripting;
• extensive data meshing capabilities;
• user support in the form of chat, documentation.

Integrate.io works together with popular databases, among them SQL Server, MySQL, Snowflake or BigQuery.

The platform gives you full control over the requirements and design of the API, it's possible to add features, modules, if projects start scaling up.

MuleSoft

The service provides comprehensive capabilities for clients, allowing companies to work efficiently and scale software. There is an API gateway inside, which improves access security.

The main features are:

• Personalized security.
• Integrated access management.
• Grid for microservices.

Functionality helps to use efficient API development strategies without using a lot of effort. Management is secure, high-performance, regardless of scale.

The cost of platform services depends on customer needs.

IBM API Connect

A secure environment for API management. With the platform, you can manage everything from a single site. IBM API Connect will allow you to quickly package APIs for specific users or markets with full version control.

The main parameters are:

• Excellent security through robust features.
• Availability of self-service.
• Full API lifecycle management.

Availability of self-service portals will simplify community management, there are subscription tools that give protection through enterprise level gateways.

Jitterbit

A platform with a powerful end-to-end solution. With it, developers quickly create APIs. It is managed with an easy-to-understand interface.

Advantages:

• Excellent functionality.
• Understandable interface.
• Simplified API generation.

API generation is possible on existing data, giving additional flexibility and companies will quickly deploy new services, channels, and strategies with minimal resources.

Microsoft Azure API Management

Complete and 100% managed service for API protection, support, monitoring, publishing. All tools enable full lifecycle management from development to real-world application.

Pros:

• Authentication and other security enhancement tools.
• Real-time information analytics.
• Simplified environment for developers.

Key features of the platform:

• Security - authentication and authorization for all requests.
• Conversion of old web services into powerful APIs on the base.
• Real-time monitoring and analytics about traffic, usage patterns, errors, etc.
• Developer Portal - simplifies software registration, helps you get keys through a simple menu.

Workato

This platform is designed to help companies manage the full API lifecycle. The toolkit includes a suite of tools to enable the creation of secure and structured APIs that can be used by end users.

The main features are:

• Full lifecycle management.
• Control panel.
• Wide opportunities for customization.

The interface is clear and simplifies the launch of new projects.

SAP Integration Suite

iPaaS, which gives you the ability to connect on-premises or cloud-based software, various processes, etc. The platform will simplify API creation, protection and management.

The main parameters are:

• Real-time data control and processing.
• High degree of security.
• OData and OpenAPI.

Companies using the platform will be able to respond quickly to the demands of customers, partners or employees with processing and monitoring. Authentication, authorization and other threat detection features are provided for security.

Apigee

One of the leading platforms, a proprietary Google Cloud API management product with extensive capabilities allowing you to scale your business.

Advantageous features:

• API generation.
• Data control and analysis.
• Excellent security.

The platform unlocks and standardizes information from any software, system or service. In addition, all API operations are secured with controls and other policies.

The analysis tools provide useful data for business, with which you can quickly respond to customer or partner needs.

SwaggerHub

A powerful platform to help maintain high-quality APIs. Simplifies the entire API lifecycle, there are automatic notifications, version control and secure integration. All of these factors will simplify future deployments.

Features:

• Availability of a smart editor.
• OpenAPI specification.
• Easy to work with integrations.

SwaggerHub is suitable for simplified design and management.

Postman

A platform that gathers all the services for managing, creating, testing APIs. Features built-in support for authentication protocols.

Pros:

• Lots of API tools, from generation to testing.
• Features API documentation.
• Management tools.

Postman gives you the ability to structure queries into collections for reuse to save time when working from scratch. JavaScript queries can be used to link to each other, automate basic processes, etc.

Dell Boomi

A platform with an intelligent interface. Configuring and delivering integrations is possible in real-time using APIs and other resources. Recommended for tracking access to information or publishing, API management, regardless of their location (cloud or local).

Features:

• Full lifecycle management.
• Simple interface.
• Monitoring functions.

Suitable platform for developing composite applications for smartphones, social networks and IoT networks.

Kong Konnect

A full-fledged SaaS platform that simplifies management of multi-cloud APIs. It enables companies to securely connect different services in different environments.

Features:

• Multi-cloud API management.
• Availability of powerful plugins to enhance security and traffic monitoring.
• Quality customer support.

Through the platform, a consistent configuration can be implemented at scale, creating runtime environments, services, and commands into a logical group.

In addition, API security is optimized. It's easier for developers to meet user requirements and manage in the newest ways. It's free to get started, but there are several paid plans with monthly fees.

WSO2

Service can be used to provide APIs to internal and external customers, performing the usual processes of automation, integration.

Features of the platform:

• Open source code.
• Availability of OAuth, OpenID, Connect and JWT standards.
• Full-featured API management.

With WSO2 it is possible to manage the design, create APIs from existing services, manage them with applications and control their performance, applying them.

TIBCO

TIBCO is a service that helps deploy APIs in any public or private cloud or locally. There is PaaS compatibility, so usage can be done regardless of location.

Main features:

• Centralized API management.
• The best security related functionality.
• Different types of cloud or local deployment.

Visual API modeling environment without code, performing OpenAPI and AsyncAPI document generation. This simplifies future testing and learning of software. API creation is possible without a single line of code and similar functionality is virtually non-existent in other tools.

API management is an important component for organizations, ensuring scalability, growth, security and improving developer experience, integration of different services/systems.

An example of API management is working with an API gateway. This is a kind of intermediary between consumers and the server component. For example, a store in the form of a website needs to connect payment systems for financial transactions. So as not to do it directly with the payment provider, the site can be connected to the gateway, and it will check all transactions. It is possible to apply caching, query control and other functions that improve performance.

The best method to choose API integration tools in 2024 is to make a list of platforms with your own hands, perform a demo request and compare which service best suits the needs of the business or other activity. You can start with free (test) versions, and after that pick up paid services.

Top 12 API Trends in 2024

As corporations, businesses of all kinds develop, more and more people are starting to rely on APIs. They simplify digital transformation and the importance of managing this integration has increased dramatically in recent years. Below are the top API trends for 2024 to follow.

The importance of API security

In essence, is the protection of information exchange and functionality of applications and systems using APIs. The main purpose of security is to create confidentiality, reliability and accuracy of data, which must be protected from unauthorized access and malware.

Security is very important for modern software, as well as for corporate products. These factors are directly dependent on APIs for data exchange and integration.

The main reasons for concern about security are:

• Information protection. APIs are often used for confidential transmission of information about users, financial transactions, etc. Proper protection eliminates the fact that the database is leaked, tampered with or lost, either by the user or by the enterprise.
• Integrity. Integrity support by API exclusively for authorized clients and compatible software will exclude any possibility of compromise.
• Trust. API security is not insignificant for improving trust in corporate services, as well as increasing the reputation of the business, improving its own name.

Authentication and access control are basic security practices through the API gateway. A good tool in this case would be Apache APISIX. It's a cloud API gateway with performance capabilities. It works in real time and has enough features to improve security.

API standardization

The trend of working with APIs is increasing every year. In 2024, design standardization will be of great importance.

Its main advantages are:

• Simplification of company team work, communication within the enterprise. Combined, proper and collaborative work increases the efficiency and quality of future designs.
• Improved security, API stability, which is caused by a clear interface, structuring of information. This reduces the possibility of errors or incorrect use.
• Increased interoperability through design guidelines, working with best practices. This is how APIs are adapted to different parameters and scenarios.

In the process of API standardization, the common standard API specification is the OpenAPI specification. Many platforms support it. This approach simplifies API import and management.

Popularization of cloud solutions

Classically, API management is more often based on on-premises deployment. In this case, the business will need to buy and maintain hardware resources, perform a lot of additional operations. The main problems of traditional solutions are scalability, costs and cross-platform integration.

A cloud solution is a great alternative, with flexibility and pay-as-you-go. It has cross-platform capabilities that make the business more elastic by providing robust API management methods.

Key components:

• API Gateways.
• Tools for security.
• Analytics.

With cloud-based solutions, users get the following benefits:

• High level availability. This approach guarantees flexibility, good load-to-function ratio for scalability, failover capabilities, etc.
• Cost-effectiveness, which is caused by lower development, launch, and maintenance costs for APIs. With cloud-based solutions, businesses can avoid having to deal with infrastructure development and management, directing their energies to innovation.
• Cross-platform support, giving support for hybrid and multi-cloud environments. As a result, businesses can seamlessly integrate APIs from different vendors and easily migrate or scale.

Compared to classical approaches for API management, cloud solutions will be in demand in 2024 due to a number of advantages and flexibility.

API integration into blockchain

The rise of decentralized applications is the main reason why API trends in 2024 related to blockchain integration are emerging. Solutions based on Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain or Polygon use APIs to interact with applications and users within the ecosystem.

The role of APIs in blockchain:

• Interaction with smart contracts. APIs enable seamless interaction between traditional applications and blockchain-based smart contracts.
• Oracles. APIs act as oracles, bridging the gap between on-chain and off-chain data sources.
• NFT Trading Platforms. APIs allow artists, collectors, and platforms to interact with the NFT Marketplace.

Using the API, you can view asset values on platforms such as CoinMarketCap. Currently, there are over 9k tokens registered on the platform. The data comes from APIs of such exchanges as Binance, OKX, KuCoin.

Low-Code API platforms

Tools to easily create and publish APIs and manage them using a user-friendly interface. These platforms are designed to streamline development, remove potential bottlenecks and increase overall efficiency.

APIs as products

According to a Postman report, 68% of companies with a large number of developers consider their APIs as products. The largest number of such companies are in the finance and banking sector.

Trends in 2024 will touch on the monetization of API solutions. Based on the same report, in 30% of companies, APIs provide a quarter of the revenue for the entire enterprise. There are cases when this value was equal to 75%.

The benefits of APIs as a product:

• Improved development. Successful API products foster developer ecosystems. Twilio, a cloud-based communications platform, has more than 10 million registered developers using its APIs.
• Improved partnerships. APIs strengthen relationships between companies by providing a standardized way to interact and share data.
• Competitive advantage. Having well-designed and developer-friendly APIs gives organizations a loyal following in the marketplace.

The best way to discover a publicly available API is through a company's website. 28% of consumers learn about a product through this source.

To catch API trends in 2024, provide the market with your own product that makes it easier to create apps. Use your website, forum or online advertising to make your product known as soon as possible.

API Marketplace

Specialized marketplaces allow companies to find, evaluate and buy APIs from different vendors. This accelerates the integration of innovations into the business, reducing development costs and eliminating other wastes.

API providers with an API Marketplace gain visibility, increase their revenue and increase their customer base. Consumers get a convenient service to find high-quality APIs quickly and easily. This saves not only finances, but also time.

API Protocols

Modern API protocols have begun to proliferate. For example, GraphQL is a special language for querying and processing information. With it, clients request information and get different resources in 1 request, which reduces data transfer and improves performance.

Compared to REST APIs, GraphQL has clear advantages:

• Request flexibility.
• High information processing efficiency by reducing the number of network cycles.
• Real-time updates to quickly respond to user needs.

gRPC is a platform which allows you to call server-side methods using buffers (Protobuf) to increase the efficiency of data transfer. The main advantages are high speed and flexibility, built-in TLS security and code generation functions in different languages.

Artificial Intelligence and APIs

Many tasks are automated by API management platforms using AI and machine learning. This enables businesses to reduce the burden on their own IT departments, increasing efficiency and accuracy.

The main trends are threat detection and anomaly detection. In the first case, AI will allow the platform to monitor traffic in real time to rule out abnormal requests or malware. In the second case, AI will help diagnose and predict problems that could degrade API performance and availability.

API reuse

According to the NoName Security report, the average number of APIs used in enterprises is over 15k. Some will be duplicative, some will be redundant. Without proper cataloging and management, many will be overlooked.

Here are other reasons that emphasize the importance of API reuse:

• Increased efficiency. A study by Forrester Consulting, found that organizations practicing API reuse reduce development time by an average of 29%.
• Cost savings. Organizations can save up to 67% of API integration costs through reuse.
• Increased developer productivity. When working with reusable APIs, developer productivity increases by 50%.

The starting point for API development should always be "is there something in our catalog that we can use for this case" rather than "we have our own case, it's time to create a new API".

In this way, the potential of API-first to improve efficiency, digital business agility, minimize risk and technical debt can be realized.

Developer Experience

APIs have become important to businesses, so developer experience is also important. Many integration platforms add useful functionality to make the APIs easier to use. Documentation is an important component, a manual that should additionally have consoles or sandboxes for quick debugging and testing. Testing tools are an important part of API validation and optimization. They help developers to find and remove problems quickly and in time. SDK - API integration method.

The growth of API analytics

Technology to collect and analyze information about the work of the API. This tool is popular because it is easier to manage and optimize the API. In addition, the development of IoT, cloud lead to work with larger data sets. API Analytics is great for performance optimization and general API understanding. Analytics allows you to identify possible vulnerabilities in the system, reducing risk.

API management is an essential element for the digital transition, which has both pros and cons. Anyone looking to evolve quickly in today's world should follow trends in API management described above to take advantage of new opportunities, continually scale and innovate.

The importance and need for APIs has increased in recent years, not only in software creation, but also as a business collaboration. It has already been proved that APIs can increase the revenue of businesses of any field with technological communication.