Blog Series - SAP API Management – API Providers: Part 1: Accelerating connectivity through APIs and SAP API Management

[ShilpaVij]

Customers want to expose data, processes and services from their backend systems as managed APIs using SAP Cloud Platform, API Management. In order to accelerate this, there needs to be an easy way to connect to a variety of backend systems (cloud/on premise, SAP/non-SAP), discover services/APIs and easily expose them.

In SAP Cloud Platform, API Management, we support the concept of API Providers which help to accelerate connectivity to different back ends, discover services and expose them as managed APIs

In this part1 of 8 part blog series, I will explain API providers, its advantages and API provider’s connectivity to On-premise and cloud solutions.

What are API Providers

An API provider is a concept in SAP Cloud Platform, API Management which defines the connection details for services running on specific hosts whose details you want to access. You use an API provider to define not only the details of the host you want an application to reach, but also to define any further details that are necessary to establish the connection, for example, proxy settings.

API Providers connecting to backend system.

If you want to configure the API Management solution to access data from a server that offers a specific service, for example, an SAP Gateway service, SAP HANA, SAP Process Integration/Process Orchestration, SAP S/4 HANA etc. or any 3^rd party cloud solutions, it is recommended to manifest and expose the connection parameters as an API provider and API Provider shall connect through cloud connector to backend(on premise) system.

Advantages (of creating API providers in SAP Cloud Platform, API Management):

• Connect to different backend on premise/cloud system


• Discover services/interfaces


• Simplifies on premise connectivity


• Simplifies configuration incase Backend changes

Architecture Diagram



Legends



You can see the other parts of the blog series below:

Part 2: Connecting and exposing APIs from SAP Gateway

Part 3: Connecting and exposing Interfaces from SAP Process Integration/Process Orchestration(PI/PO)

Part 4: Connecting and exposing APIs from SAP HANA

Part 5:  Connecting and exposing APIs from SAP S/4 HANA

Part 6: Connecting and exposing APIs from SAP Success Factor

Part 7: Connecting and exposing APIs from SAP Cloud Platform Integration

Part 8: Connecting and exposing APIs from 3rd Party Here Maps

In subsequent blogs of this series, you shall find step-by-step explanation on how SAP Cloud Platform, API management can be easily connected to different backend cloud and on premise systems through different API Providers.

Thanks for stopping by! If you have a question or comment leave them below.

Shilpa