In an API-driven world, consumers want to discover APIs while producers seek to list their APIs and API products in a thriving API ecosystem. The primary goal of an API marketplace is to create a platform that supports this high-intensive interaction seamlessly while also transforming the technical definition of a consumer and a producer into a natural business experience, which happens between a buyer and a seller. This session will present the capabilities of an API marketplace, how it can be used for all APIs at different levels in an organization, and how it easily falls into place in an Integrated API Supply Chain. Watch the session on-demand here: https://wso2.com/library/summit-2020/emea/building-an-interactive-api-marketplace/

1. Building an Interactive Marketplace
September, 2020

2. 2
Agenda
Introduction to an API Marketplace
● Why is it so special in an Integrated API Supply Chain
API Marketplace Patterns
● Patterns of Federation
Building Blocks needed to build an API Marketplace
Building your API Marketplace
● Select, Build and Socialize
Takeaways

3. Let’s talk about Marketplaces

4. 4

5. MarketplaceA location where people gather to both sell and buy commodities
5

6. 6
An
API Marketplace
Is a meeting place of API providers who
publish their APIs and API consumers
who search and subscribe to these APIs
https://www.tiempodev.com/blog/aligning-your-api-strategy-with-api-marketplaces/

7. 7
What’s Special about an API Marketplace
1 An API Marketplace is virtual - however,
the experience sought is still real.
Producers and Consumers need to feel
that same selling and buying
metaphoric experience.
2 An API Marketplace has no physical
boundaries - it has more reach than an
actual marketplace. A boundaryless
marketplace needs to be connected,
accessible and available to all.
3 The commodity is an API. An API is not
an end commodity - it is in fact a
means to a larger journey. Selling a
building block requires inbuilt support
that goes together with the commodity.
4 An API Marketplace should while
maintaining the expected experience
also bring together the necessary bits
and pieces through technology. It
should be technology driven.

8. 8
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200521005271/en/RapidAPI-Raises-25M-Fuel-Growth-World%E2%80%99s-Largest

9. What do these statistics mean ?
9

10. Reinforcing the value of API Marketplaces in ISCA
10
● Volume of APIs exposed and invoked
⦿ Legacy integrations are still in demand
⦿ Reuse is promoted through ease of access and usability
⦿ APIs are becoming the most common building block
⦿ APIs are definitely the new Products of the 21st century
● Volume of Organizations involved
⦿ Enterprise Marketplaces are being sought more
● Volume of Developers signed up and increase of paid subscriptions
⦿ Marketplaces are the start to Innovation
⦿ Innovation fuels more Revenue

11. API Marketplace Patterns

12. Patterns based on Federation
https://wso2.com/library/webinars/federated-apis-across-ecosystems/
12
#1
e.g. Scania
Internal federated marketplace #2
e.g. BNY Mellon
Partner marketplace #3
e.g. Smart Dubai
Closed group marketplace
#4
e.g. ideabiz
Shared revenue marketplace #5
e.g. Apigate
Aggregator marketplace

13. Internal Marketplace - i
13
● Each team/department produces it’s
own APIs
● Publishing APIs are done adhering
to enterprise wide guidelines and
quality controls but still maintaining
team/dept independence
#1
e.g. Scania
Internal federated marketplace
● Calls for visibility control of APIs
which are published to a common
marketplace

14. Internal Marketplace - ii
14
#1
e.g. Scania
Internal federated marketplace
● Each department has it’s own
publisher and developer portal
● An API when published to a
department developer portal also
gets published into a central
marketplace
● Calls for the ability to publish APIs
to multiple locations

15. Partner Marketplace
15
● In addition to the departments
within an Enterprise, APIs of
partner organizations are also
pushed into the central
marketplace
#2
e.g. BNY Mellon
Partner marketplace
● Calls for the ability to integrate
external identities into the
marketplace

16. Closed Group Marketplace
● Multiple enterprises publish APIs into a
central marketplace
● Not an open group but more a single
focused group of enterprises working
or belonging together
● Marketplace artifacts and experience
is unified to standardize the consumer
experience 16
#3
e.g. Smart Dubai
Closed group marketplace
● Calls for the ability to create
artifacts using a standard template

17. Shared Revenue Marketplace
17
● Open group of enterprises publish
APIs into a common marketplace
● The main incentive is revenue
sharing
● Marketplace can specify the
gateway or be GW agnostic
#4
e.g. ideabiz
Shared revenue marketplace
● Calls for extensive identity
federation and ability of the overall
platform to integrate with
heterogeneous IdPs and Gateways

18. Aggregator Marketplace
● APIs or parts of APIs from multiple
parties are taken and aggregated
into value added API products
● An API product is the commodity
which is sold
● Revenue is shared in a staggered
manner
18
#5
e.g. Apigate
Aggregator marketplace
● Calls for the ability to support API
Products

19. What should the platform provide

20. An API Marketplace is not just a
Developer Portal
It is a complete ECOSYSTEM which has more
components to it
20

21. The API Publisher and the Developer Portal
21

22. Publisher support for API Providers
● Ability to create APIs in different ways
⦿ Pre-created definitions, from scratch, multiple protocols
⦿ Add documentation
⦿ Swagger editor
● Creating products out of APIs
● Ensuring proper API reach
⦿ Visibility control for deployments, tenants, and roles
● Ensuring proper policy controls
⦿ Rate limiting
⦿ Security control
● Proper framework to do lifecycle management of APIs created
● Test APIs before being published
22

23. Developer Portal support for API Consumers
● Ability to sign up and sign in easily
⦿ Intuitive and configurable sign up procedure which is also self service
⦿ Ability to link with existing enterprise identity and access management (IAM)
solutions
● Easy discoverability of APIs once signed in
⦿ Landing page to provide context
⦿ View APIs and products that are meant for you
⦿ Categorization and tagging capabilities
⦿ Search for APIs on multiple criteria
⦿ See others’ comments and ratings
● Group APIs or Products for Subscription
⦿ Logical grouping of APIs based on usage
⦿ Variety of grant types
23

24. Developer Portal support for API Consumers
● Try out APIs with least amount of hassle
⦿ Documentation on APIs
⦿ In-app test tool
● Get SDK help for using subscribed APIs in applications
⦿ Support for many languages
⦿ Downloadable SDK
● Ability to work in communities
⦿ Share applications created
⦿ Provide feedback on APIs used
24

25. Security related support for Providers and Consumers
● Identity federation from external IdPs for logging into these portals and API
Authentication / Authorization
● SSO across portals (including external portals)
● Multiple options to provide API security
⦿ OAuth, API Key, Certificates, Basic Auth
● Ability to provide finer grained access control on specific resources of an API
● Availability of threat protection mechanisms that could be included in the
design of an API
● Do a full audit on the API from a security perspective before publishing
25

26. Governance support for Providers and Consumers
● Support full lifecycle management on APIs created
● Give flexibility to configure lifecycles as needed
● Provide control through workflows on certain actions for Providers and
Consumers
⦿ API Publishing, Sign up, Application Creation, Subscription
26

27. Analytics support for Providers and Consumers
● Provide dashboards with overall views of APIs from a Provider’s perspective to
gain insight on all APIs
⦿ API usage, Identification of Top APIs and Top Subscribers, Geo related information
on API usage
● Maintain privacy and relevance when viewing dashboards
● Alerts and Real time notifications to Providers which can be configured for
problematic situations
⦿ API going out of service, API being throttled out frequently
● Dashboards for consumers to sum up overall market adaptability of APIs
27

28. Monetization support for Providers and Consumers
● Configure billing plans and assign these to APIs
⦿ Commercial, Free, Freemium
● Link billing plans to usage of APIs
● Integration to a billing engine where
⦿ Providers can create accounts
⦿ Consumers can create accounts
⦿ Consumers can pay directly
⦿ The product can invoke APIs to either update information or obtain information
28

29. Building your own Marketplace

30. 30
Select an API Platform that provides all the necessary components

31. Build an Ecosystem
● With APIs come applications
⦿ Application marketplace
⦿ Security provisioning for application
users
⦿ Support federation to existing Idps
⦿ Provide SSO across multiple
applications
● Marketplaces require activity
management
⦿ Provide workflows
● Monitor, Analyze, and Learn
⦿ Analytics and governance over usage
31

32. ● Promote reuse through incentives
⦿ Monetary incentives
⦿ Developer halls of fame, public mention
⦿ Growth / revenue sharing
● Organize activities to evangelize and engage stakeholders more
⦿ Workshops, Hackathons
⦿ Documentation drives
● Have a clear communication model
⦿ Adopt multiple communication channels
⦿ Update on new capabilities from a business as well as a tech perspective
Socialize the stakeholders
32

33. Summing it up

34. Key Takeaways
● An API Marketplace is a mandatory value addition when building an Integrated
API Supply Chain
● Interactions matter - understanding how an API Marketplace is similar but at
the same time different from marketplaces or digital marketplaces is important
● Pick a marketplace pattern which suits your organization best
● Components matter - select an API Platform that provides all the bits and
pieces that are needed for you
● Don’t stop at just the API Platform - Build the surrounding Ecosystem that will
sustain and add more value to your API Supply Chain
34

35. Technology Partner of your API Strategy and Implementation
35
https://wso2.com/contact/
shiro AT WSO2.com
https://lk.linkedin.com/in/shiroshica-kulatilake-b4239a9
@shirolk
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