API gateway comparison
Apigee vs. IBM API Connect
Are you finding it challenging to choose a vendor for your API gateway, and are you struggling to make a decision? Our team of experts has conducted a comprehensive analysis and we are here to assist you in finding the best API gateway that suits your needs.
Comparison
Apigee
IBM API Connect
API7 Enterprise
Architecture
Cloud-native (Google Cloud), uses distributed architecture for auto-scaling
Microservices-based architecture, allows independent deployment and scaling of components
Built on NGINX/LuaJIT, lightweight and high-performance with etcd as a storage center
API Management Capabilities
Full API lifecycle management, but relies on the Google Cloud ecosystem and less focus on deep system integration
End-to-end tools for designing, securing, and retiring APIs
High-performance API gateway, extensible via plugins, cloud-native friendly, flexible enough to be integrated with third-party tools for extendibility
Performance & Scalability
Cloud-based auto-scaling, is dependent on Google Cloud infrastructure
Has limitations when it comes to handling high volumes of API traffic, especially in complex environments
Built on Apache APISIX, ultra-high performance, excels in high-traffic scenarios, and is horizontally scalable and Kubernetes-native
Deployment Flexibility
Cloud-native (Google Cloud) with hybrid support via Apigee Hybrid but the initial setup can be complex
Only supports hybrid and multi-cloud deployments
Easy installation with flexible deployment, supports multi-cloud, hybrid-cloud, and edge environments
Integration Complexity
Requires improvement in integrations, including that with IdP and standard integration capabilities needed for banking or retail sectors
Extensive integration options with enterprise systems and other IBM products
Flexible enough to be integrated with third-party tools for extendibility, allows for custom integrations and extensions through its plugin ecosystem
Protocol Support
REST, SOAP, GraphQL, OData, gRPC, OAS 3.0
Comprehensive protocol support, including SOAP, REST, and others
Broad support (REST, gRPC, MQTT, WebSocket, Kafka)
Cost Structure
Subscription-based, costs scale with traffic, but can be expensive for enterprises with high traffic with analytics and security as add-on fees
Subscription-based, expensive for small businesses but competitive in enterprise IBM ecosystems
Low total cost of ownership due to its open-source core, pay-for-support model, cost-effective at scale
Developer Experience
User-friendly for API design and testing with strong Google-backed documentation
Less intuitive and might require some initial learning curve for new users
Provides extensive documentation and tutorials to assist developers, minimizing the learning curve for new users
Developer Portal
Apigee Integrated Portal, a simple self-service portal development with user-friendly UI
Provides a developer portal but has less flexibility and customization options
API7 Portal provides robust management and monitoring tools and powerful monetization strategies
Vendor Lock-in
Tightly integrated with Google Cloud infrastructure while hybrid deployments still rely on Google Cloud control plane
Tightly integrated with IBM ecosystem, suitable for organizations already using IBM tools (e.g., Cloud Pak, Watson)
Based on Apache APISIX, which is fully open source and licensed under the Apache 2.0 License, Kubernetes-native and multi-cloud friendly
Plugins
Custom JavaScript/Java policies and limited pre-built plugins while offering a range of built-in policies that function similarly to plugins
Does not emphazises a traditional plugin architecture, only allows for integration with other tools and platforms
Open-source plugin ecosystem, including custom plugins, security, observability, and authentication, and allows plugin development in multiple languages
Analytics
Advanced analytics with granular reporting and SLA monitoring
Provides analytics and reporting, but it may have less advanced features
Real-time observability with Prometheus, Grafana, and SkyWalking
Security
Advanced threat protection, OAuth, JWT, and Google Cloud security integration
Advanced enterprise-grade security with SAML, OAuth, and compliance-focused features
Supports JWT, OIDC, OAuth2, IP whitelisting, mTLS, and FIPS 140-2 compliance
CI/CD Integrations
Offers API-first CI/CD, REST APIs for deployment automation, Terraform support
Strong integration with IBM ecosystem and AWS services, supporting Jenkins, Travis CI, Bamboo, AWS CodePipeline, IBM UrbanCode Deploy
Declarative YAML/JSON configurations, Helm charts for Kubernetes, offers native integration with ArgoCD, Jenkins, and GitHub CI/CD
Community Support
Official Google Cloud support, forums, and paid SLAs, limited open-source contributions
Supported by IBM with access to extensive resources and communities
Active open-source Apache APISIX community, vendor-backed enterprise support with contributions to the Apache project
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