API integration allows different software systems to connect with each other and exchange data seamlessly, and this process is literally the backbone of our digital world. While it is entirely possible to perform API integration manually, using dedicated API integration tools offer so many advantages to make this process more efficient, reliable, and manageable.
In this article, we’ll explore in-depth the top API integration tools in the market currently and provide best practices when leveraging them. The top API integration tools include:
Before discussing these tools, we first need to understand the concept of API. An API is a set of rules that allows different computer programs to talk to each other. It's like a waiter taking your order at a restaurant to the chef and then bringing you the food you asked for. In the same way, an API lets one program ask another program for certain information or actions, and then the second program provides that information or performs those actions.
Why do we need API then? Simply put, with APIs, developers can easily build feature-rich applications by leveraging the already built and tested functionalities of other systems, without having to start from scratch.
In fact, you have been using a lot of APIs in everyday life:
To learn more about examples of API, check out our article: 10 Popular API Examples: A Complete List
API integration tools are software solutions designed to simplify the process of connecting and integrating different software applications, services, or systems using APIs. They are especially valuable when dealing with complex integrations involving multiple APIs and applications.
APIs can have a wide variety of data formats, protocols, or authentication methods. When you need to connect several types of APIs that are so inherently different from each other, you need to understand how to structure requests and parse responses for each of them.
API integration tools abstract that complexity away, so that you don’t need to know how to handle responses or parse data for each individual API type. All you have to do is configure the endpoints, while the tool does the rest of the work.
Here’s an example: imagine you're building an application that needs to fetch weather data from different sources. You want to integrate with two weather APIs: one uses REST and returns data in JSON format, while the other uses SOAP and returns data in XML format. Instead of manually converting the data format and structuring the request for each type, you have a tool to standardize the process for you.
APIs can return errors or fail to respond due to server-side issues, authentication issues, or simply reaching API rate limit.
Many API integration tools have built-in retry mechanisms. For example, if an API call fails due to temporary issues like network timeouts, the tool can automatically retry the request a certain number of times with configurable delays between attempts. For other issues that can’t be automatically retried (such as misconfigured request), the tool can generate descriptive error messages to guide you on how to fix the issue.
For collaboration purposes, integration tools often allow developers to define custom error handling logic. For example, based on the type of error, you might choose to log it, send notifications to administrators, or trigger specific workflows for recovery. If there is an alternative workflow, the tool can automatically execute it so that critical processes can continue. It saves time spent on administrative tasks so that developers can truly focus on their work.
Integrating APIs is typically not a linear process. Its workflows tend to be quite complex, which involves coordinating multiple API calls at the same time, managing conditional logic, or mapping/transforming data between APIs. Certain data must be available before an operation requiring it is executed, so synchronization and timing is also important.
API integration tools simplify the process by providing a more visual experience to managing workflows. Instead of writing code to address those tasks, we can use a drag-and-drop editor to quickly create an integration workflow.
API integration tools are generally designed to scale along with your team’s growth, serving the needs of businesses and organizations of all sizes. These tools abstract away the complexities of infrastructure management, making it a good choice if you want to focus more on application development and less on handling the nitty-gritty details of scaling, which has been taken care of by the API integration tool vendor.
Here are 5 of the top API integration tools on the current market for you to consider. Make sure to take into consideration the specifics of your team to choose the most suitable tool and pricing plan.
IBM API Connect is a tool that helps organizations manage their APIs from end-to-end. This tool makes it easy to create, control, secure, share, and even make money from APIs. You can make digital changes in your own systems and also across different cloud services, allowing you and your customers to create new digital applications quickly and encourage new ideas. Additionally, IBM API Connect is available on Amazon Web Services (AWS) if you want a highly flexible and managed way to use it.
Key Features:
Pricing:
IBM API Connect offers 3 different tiers with 3 pricing models: a Free Trial, a pay-as-you-go Enterprise tier at $100/month, and a quotation-based tiers to tailor for your needs.
MuleSoft Anypoint is a comprehensive API integration platform provided by MuleSoft, a company specializing in integration and API management solutions. Anypoint offers a range of tools and services that facilitate the creation, management, and orchestration of APIs and integrations between software applications and systems.
Key Features:
MuleSoft comes with several interesting unique components, including:
The great thing about MuleSoft is that it also promotes the API-led connectivity approach, where APIs are designed with specific purposes and reused across projects, making room for more efficient integration strategies in the future.
Pricing:
MuleSoft follows a quote-based pricing model with 3 tiers: Gold, Platinum, and Titanium, and you can contact Sales to receive a plan best suited for your needs.
Zapier is not an API integration tool by itself, since it is better defined as a “online automation tool”, but you can totally leverage Zapier for your integration needs. If you already used Zapier as a workflow automation tool in your projects, you can expand its capabilities to support your API integration tasks.
In Zapier, you can create “Zaps”, which are automated sequences that trigger actions in one app based on events in another app. The little nitty-gritty tasks of integrating a wide variety of tools together via API is simplified into basic drag-drop-and-clicks with Zapier.
Key Features:
Pricing:
Zapier has a free forever version for teams who need the basics of automation, but you can only automate 100 tasks/month, while paid plans start from $19.99/month.
Boomi is a tool that helps connect different apps and systems, whether they're in the cloud, on your own servers, or hybrid. It's made for both developers and non-developers, offering simple connections and more complex options. Boomi also supports data transformation automation within the platform.
Boomi enhances its capabilities for connecting and mapping data by allowing users to share the maps and connections they create with others as open-source resources.
Key Features:
Pricing:
Boomi offers a Free Trial along with 4 pricing tiers that you can easily adapt to as you grow. To get a custom quote, you can Contact Sales on their website.
Microsoft Azure, more commonly referred to as Azure, is a comprehensive cloud computing platform and infrastructure provided by Microsoft. Azure provides both Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offerings, giving users flexibility in choosing how they develop and manage their resources in the cloud.
For API integration in particular, you can leverage the Azure API Management module, which is a hybrid, multicloud management platform for APIs across all environments.
Key Features:
Pricing:
APIM offers a relatively complex pricing plan at up to 6 tiers, ranging from Consumption, Developer, Basic, Standard, Premium, to Isolated. You can check the specifics of their pricing here.
When it comes to API integration, teams can either leverage a tool to help them, or manage everything by themselves. Both options have their merits, and the choice between using API integration tools and developing an in-house API management solution depends on factors like budget, technical expertise, customization needs, and the complexity of the integration scenarios.
Here is a quick table to help you understand the pros and cons of each approach:
|
Aspect |
API Integration Tools |
In-House API Management |
|
Implementation Time |
Quick setup using pre-built connectors and templates |
Requires development time to build and configure |
|
Complexity |
Abstracts away technical complexities |
Requires technical expertise and ongoing maintenance |
|
Connectivity |
Offers pre-built connectors for popular apps |
Customized connections to match specific needs |
|
Data Transformation |
Provides built-in data mapping and transformation |
Requires coding for data transformation |
|
Security |
Offers built-in security and authentication features |
Requires implementation and management of security |
|
Scalability |
Handles scalability through cloud infrastructure |
Requires capacity planning and resource allocation |
|
Error Handling |
Includes error handling mechanisms and monitoring |
Custom error handling implementation |
|
Maintenance |
Managed updates and maintenance by the tool provider |
In-house team responsible for updates and fixes |
|
Cost |
Subscription-based pricing model |
Initial development and ongoing maintenance costs |
|
Flexibility |
Suitable for a wide range of integration scenarios |
Tailored to specific organizational requirements |
|
Time to Market |
Faster time to deploy integrations |
Development and setup time can be longer |
|
Support and Documentation |
Typically comes with support and extensive docs |
In-house team responsible for support and training |
|
Control |
May have limitations in customization and control |
Full control over customization and configuration |
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Common types of APIs include:
An API integration platform goes beyond just an “API integration tool”. It is a software solution that facilitates the connection and interaction between different applications, systems, or services by utilizing APIs. It aims to simplify the complexities of connecting disparate systems by providing a unified interface and infrastructure for creating, managing, and optimizing API integrations.
APIs are widely used across various industries, including: