With the gaining momentum of cloud computing, system administrators look for more ways so that they can integrate the existing cloud model with other systems. Additionally, we need more enhanced customization to deal with direct use cases. With the help of a cloud API environment, we can enhance the cloud experience and be compatible with cross-cloud computing. Using the cloud API, administrators can integrate applications and other workloads into the cloud.
What are cloud APIs?
To access a cloud provider’s application or service, the main enabler is the cloud API. They enable the services or applications on the computer infrastructure, storage resources, or monitoring tools. APIs define the possible features and functions of this app or service and the details required to run them. APIs are typically based on REST or SOAP communication to authenticate and secure the app and are based on authorization schemes such as OAuth 2.0.
Public clouds are based on self-service and automation. So, APIs play a critical role here. Different cloud platforms use APIs to control all user-related operations, e.g., when developers create new software or when they use the console.
How are APIs categorized?
We can categorize APIs in several ways. The prominent two are –
- vendor-specific APIsÂ
- cross-platform APIs.Â
A vendor-specific cloud API supports the services of a particular cloud provider. For example, the Microsoft Azure REST API supports many services offered by the public Azure cloud. For example- Azure DevOps, Cosmos DB, and Visual Studio. A vendor-specific cloud API considers all the functionalities of this platform. However, it is restricted to that specific vendor, and to work with other vendors, you need different APIs.
On the contrary, a cross-platform API provides identical functions between two or more cloud providers. Examples of cross-platform APIs are Simple Cloud, Apache’s jclouds and Apache’s Libcloud, etc. Here the command and parameters used by the developers are the same regardless of the actual cloud provider. However, this often leads to limited functionality and control, so vendor-specific APIs are still the most popular API type for developers.
Also, we can categorize cloud by types, e.g., infrastructure, platform, and software. IaaS APIs typically focus on providing computing and storage resources. PaaS APIs are generally used to provide back-end services or architectures such as databases. SaaS or application APIs are designed to provide connectivity or interoperability with a software product or suite, such as Microsoft Office 365.
Which one is the right model of Cloud API?
It is not always easy to understand the cloud API model. You can integrate into infrastructure in many ways, while each methodology has its own underlying components. It would help if you broke down the conversation at a high level to better understand cloud computing and how APIs fit into the process. There are four major areas where cloud computing will need to integrate with another platform (or even another cloud provider).
Related post – What is Cloud Infrastructure
PaaS APIs (Service-level):Â Also known as Platform-as-a-Service, these service APIs are designed to provide access and functionality for a cloud environment. This cloud platform provides a runtime environment for the user to develop, test, and manage applications. Here, developers can deploy all types of applications without any need for related infrastructure like servers, OS, databases, development tools, etc. Heroku and Google app engines are examples of PaaS. In a PaaS model, the vendors provide the complete infrastructure for development. This also follows pay as you go model.
What is managed by the vendor in PaaS?
– Operating system
– Servers and storage
– Development and management tools
– Networking resources
– Datacenter
SaaS APIs (Application-level):Â These APIs are also referred to as Software-as-a-Service APIs. Their goal is to help connect the application layer with the cloud and underlying IT infrastructure.Â
– SaaS allows you to use cloud-based web applications.
– Email services such as Gmail is an example of cloud-based SaaS services. Office 365 and Google Docs, Salesforce, a customer relationship management software, are examples of SaaS.
– SaaS services follow a pay-as-you-go, which is a subscription-based pricing model. In this case, the vendor manages all hardware and software. Hence, you don’t need to install or configure anything. It gives you a ready-to-go application as you get your login and password.
What is managed by the vendor in SaaS?
– Hosted applications
– Operating system
– Development and management tools
– Storages and servers
– Datacenter
– Networking resources
IaaS APIs (Infrastructure-level):Â Commonly referred to as Infrastructure-as-a-Service, these APIs help control specific cloud resources and their distribution. IaaS is a cloud computing service that provides necessary IT infrastructure like servers, networking resources, and storage. We can compare it with a virtual data center. We can use IaaS services for different purposes, like hosting websites. As a client, you can install and use the operating systems and tools of your choice. This service also follows pay as you go model.
What is managed by the vendor in IaaS?
– Servers and storage
– Networking resource
– Datacenter
What does the client manage in IaaS?
– Hosted applications
– Operating system
– Development and management tools
Cloud provider and cross-platform APIs: Using only a cloud provider or its given platform is not the goal of today’s business. Instead, there is a greater need for cross-platform compatibility. More providers are offering generic HTTP and HTTPS API integration to allow their customers greater cloud versatility. Furthermore, with the help of cross-platform APIs, the cloud tenants are allowed to access resources not just from their primary cloud provider but also from others. This saves a lot of time and development energy since organizations can now access the resources and workloads of different cloud providers and platforms.
How to pick the right Cloud API Platform
As we have described the different types of cloud APIs, it’s also important to select the right API platform for your organization. There may be a scenario where you need multiple different API models for your environment for proper functioning. Also, the selected cloud API model may be very new with some existing challenges. We particularly face platform and infrastructure compatibility issues. Again there are times when applications just won’t work with a cloud-based API platform. In these cases, proper deployment planning is essential so that all the development pieces can interoperate and perform compatibly.
In addition to software-layer compatibility, the API model offered by a cloud provider must scale and support different regions for geographic redundancy of operations.
Who’s In The API Race?
A new cloud API market is emerging as there is a need to integrate with multiple services and platforms. As a result, leading technological innovators are striving to meet this market demand.
Just to name a few:
- Apache (Citrix) CloudStack
- Amazon Web Services API and Eucalyptus
- Google Compute Engine
- Simple Cloud
- OpenStack API
- VMware vCloud API
Each solution and platform has its own benefits and challenges.