SOA Software built its first product in 2002 and had a thriving software business. They questioned whether to build an API, what kind of API to build, and how to manage and promote it. They decided to build a RESTful/JSON API to support new channels without replacing their existing Java technology. They planned to use API management and community capabilities within their own product to secure, monitor, and promote the new API.

1. Using APIs
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.

2. A Case Study – SOA Software (My Keynote)
• SOA Software built its first product in 2002
• Thriving software product business
– Direct Sales to Enterprise
– On premise
• Profitable
December 19, 2013
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.
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3. What kept us awake
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•
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Should we build an API?
What API should we build?
How do we manage this new channel?
How do we get people to use the API?
December 19, 2013
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.
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4. Existing Technology Investment
• Java stack, slightly left of center
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OSGi
Spring
MVC
SOAP API set
• Why?
– Robust
– Fits in with Enterprise deployment and operational models, Java is
common
– Can run on an App server as well as plain OS
– Stable resource pool
December 19, 2013
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.
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5. Architecture - API First
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An API-first design
Designed with the intent of being open, public
REST-based
Supporting both XML and JSON (on Accept header)
Multi-channel
December 19, 2013
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.
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6. Architecture - Model
• XML Model, based on formalized schema
• Generated Java Model (JAXB) used by JAX-RS for both XML and
JSON
– Keeps things consistent and allows us to formalize change
management for a published API
December 19, 2013
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.
Slide 6

7. Architecture – Java Integration Layer
• JAX-RS – XML and JSON bindings
• Spring
– Wiring
– Security Policies
– Publication (!)
• OSGI
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December 19, 2013
Container
Platform independence
Modularity
Extensibility
Packaging, Upgrades, etc
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.
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8. Architecture – UI Framework
• Customizable, extensible server-side theme and layout
management for multi-tenancy
– Themes
– Views
– Widgets
• Backbone.js model
• Handlebars.js view
• JQuery *
December 19, 2013
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.
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9. Architecture – UI Framework
{"tenantId": "atmosphere",
"theme": "default",
"widgetMetadata": {
"widget.api.addmodifygroup": {
"widget": "widget.api.addmodifygroup",
"styleResources": [ ],
"scriptResources": ["widgets/ApiAddModifyGroupWidget/ApiAddModifyGroupWidget.js"]
},
"widget.signup": {
"widget": "widget.signup",
"styleResources": ["widgets/UserWidgets/Signup/signup.css"],
"scriptResources": ["widgets/UserWidgets/Signup/SignupWidget.js"]
}
},
"layoutStructure": [
{
"objType": "user",
""layout": [
{
"widgetInstance": "Main",
"widget": "widget.horiz.tiling",
"priority": "100"
},
{
"widgetInstance": "Header",
"widget": "widget.header",
"parentWidgetInstance": "Main",
"parent": "widget.horiz.tiling",
"priority": "1000"
}
…..
December 19, 2013
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.
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10. Platform Architecture
12/19/2013
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.
Slide 10

11. A digression - Build & Test
• Agile Development Process
• Continuous Build - Jenkins
• Automated Deploy and Test to the cloud
– ServiceMesh Agility provides the management infrastructure
– Jenkins invokes ServiceMesh Agility APIs to spin up VM images in
EC2
– Entire installation, configuration, integration process is scripted
– Test harnesses are executed
– Environment is torn down
– Test results posted back via Jenkins as build state
– Approx every hour
December 19, 2013
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.
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12. A digression - Agile Ops
• Multiple datacenters, SaaS and Managed Service, to meet
different customer requirements
• EC2 and Terremark
• Single point of management via ServiceMesh Agility
• Deployment is done from a tag in Jenkins and automated
• Once parallel environment is installed, it is switched over
manually
• Old environment is torn down after a day
December 19, 2013
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.
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13. What kept us awake
• Should we build an API? – yes, we could create a new UI and an
entire channel strategy without throwing away our existing
technology
• What API should we build? – a REST/JSON API to fully support
our UI, mobile devices, etc.
• How do we manage/secure/monitor this new channel?
• How do we get people to use the API? How do we promote it?
December 19, 2013
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.
Slide 13

14. API Management
API Management protects your
APIs and helps ensure their
performance
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.
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15. API Management - Capabilities
Security
Monitoring
Provisioning
QoS Management
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.
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16. What kept us awake
• Should we build an API? – yes, we could create a new UI and an
entire channel strategy without throwing away our existing
technology
• What API should we build? – a REST/JSON API to fully support
our UI, mobile devices, etc.
• How do we manage/secure/monitor this new channel? – use the
API Management capabilities within our own product
• How do we get people to use the API? How do we promote it?
December 19, 2013
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.
Slide 16

17. Community Capabilities
Social Interaction
Forums
Support
Collaboration
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.
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18. What kept us awake
• Should we build an API? – yes, we could create a new UI and an
entire channel strategy without throwing away our existing
technology
• What API should we build? – a REST/JSON API to fully support
our UI, mobile devices, etc.
• How do we manage/secure/monitor this new channel? – use the
API Management capabilities within our own product
• How do we get people to use the API? How do we promote it? –
use the Community Management capabilities within our own
product
December 19, 2013
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.
Slide 18

19. Thanks
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•
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Alistair Farquharson, CTO, SOA Software
ajf@soa.com
@afarqu
@atmos_phe_re
@SOASoftwareInc
December 19, 2013
Copyright © 2001-2012 SOA Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All content subject to confidentiality agreement between SOA Software and Customer.
Slide 19