Integration Digest: January 2024
Tags: api, restapi, microcks, json
Published: 2024-02-01 11:03:47

## Articles

🔍 [4 best practices for your API versioning strategy in 2024](https://blog.liblab.com/api-versioning-best-practices/)

_This article is about API versioning best practices. It discusses what API versioning is and why it is important. It also details different ways to implement API versioning. Some of the important points from this article are that it is necessary to plan ahead and consider all of the different aspects of your API before implementing versioning. It is also important to communicate clearly with your clients and to test thoroughly before releasing a new version._

🔍 [4 Examples of JSON Schema In Production](https://nordicapis.com/examples-of-json-schema-in-production/)

_The article discusses JSON Schema and its benefits, including improved accuracy, reliability, and standardization. It also details four examples of how JSON Schema is used in production: GitHub, Postman, Manfred Awesomic CV, and KrakenD._

🔍 [Apache Pulsar 2023 Year in Review](https://pulsar.apache.org/blog/2024/01/12/pulsar-2023-year-in-review/)

_It highlights the release of Apache Pulsar 3.0, the first long-term support version, and the growth of the community to over 600 contributors. Other highlights include the Pulsar Summits and the addition of new features like Extensible Load Balancer and Large-scale delayed message support._

🔍 [APIFutures: API Sprawl to Be a Pressing Concern in 2024](https://nordicapis.com/api-futures-api-sprawl-to-be-a-pressing-concern-in-2024/)

_It discusses the increasing number of APIs being used and the challenges this creates. Some of the problems caused by sprawl include difficulty managing APIs, security risks, and inconsistencies between different APIs. The author suggests several solutions to mitigate these problems, such as documenting APIs, creating an API inventory, and using an API style guide._

🔍 [API Linting Levels](https://lornajane.net/posts/2024/api-linting-levels)

_It discusses what API linting is and the different levels of linting that can be implemented. The author suggests that the best level for an API depends on the specific context of the API. They outline four levels of linting: level 0, level 1, level 2, and level 3. Level 0 requires a valid API description._

🔍 [API Trends for 2024: A Glimpse into the Future of Interface Technologies](https://www.soa4u.co.uk/2024/01/api-trends-for-2024-glimpse-into-future.html)

_The article discusses the top API trends for 2024, including the impact of generative AI on API design, the need for new use cases, the rise of polymorphic interfaces and polyglot APIs, and the growing importance of API product management and security._

🔍 [Differences Between API Management and Service Mesh](https://nordicapis.com/differences-between-api-management-and-service-mesh/)

_This is an article about the differences between API management and service mesh. It discusses what APIs are and how they are used. It also details the functionalities of API management and service mesh. Some of the key points are that API management focuses on the lifecycle of APIs and service mesh focuses on managing communication between microservices. While they have different purposes, they can be used together to create more robust and efficient applications._

🔍 [Introducing the NATS Execution Engine](https://nats.io/blog/introducing_nex/)

_This is an article about introducing the NATS Execution Engine. It discusses what it is and why it was created. It also details the different types of workloads that can be deployed with Nex. Some of the important points are that Nex is designed with developer experience as the highest priority, and that it can deploy zero dependency JavaScript and WebAssembly functions as well as native, 64-bit Linux statically compiled services._

🔍 [Extend Microcks with custom libs and code](https://microcks.io/blog/extend-microcks-with-custom-libs/)

_Microcks lets you customize behavior with your own code or libraries. This enables you to reuse code, extend functionality, and integrate with external systems. You can achieve this through the SCRIPT dispatcher and the async-minion component. Remember to keep mocks simple and understandable!_

🔍 [OpenAPI Sets It Sights On v4 Moonwalk For 2024](https://nordicapis.com/openapi-sets-it-sights-on-v4-moonwalk-for-2024/)

_This is an article about the OpenAPI Initiative's plans for version 4 of their specification. It discusses the goals for the new version, some of the challenges they face, and how they plan to address them. Some of the new features planned for version 4 include the ability to use imports instead of $refs, a focus on signatures to improve clarity for consumers, and the ability to describe all HTTP-based APIs. The biggest challenges they face are the fact that the effort is volunteer-driven and that there are many different approaches to API design. They plan to address these challenges by focusing on clear communication and by providing a welcoming environment for new contributors._

🔍 [Scaling your API practice in 2024](https://pragmaticapi.substack.com/p/scaling-your-api-practice-in-2024)

_The blog discusses the challenges and strategies in scaling APIs, emphasizing the crucial role of urgency, a strong API vision, supportive organization structure, and sustaining changes. The author uses examples from BackMarket to illustrate these points and highlights the need for a decentralized decision-making approach, API champion roles, a user-friendly system, and an established change commitment. The author predicts more vendors will integrate their capabilities into engineers' Software Development Life Cycles (SDLCs) in the upcoming decade._

🔍 [The Differences Between Synchronous and Asynchronous APIs](https://nordicapis.com/the-differences-between-synchronous-and-asynchronous-apis/)

_This is an article about the differences between synchronous and asynchronous APIs. It discusses what they are and the pros and cons of each. Synchronous APIs are good for when you need immediate feedback. Asynchronous APIs are good for when you don’t need immediate feedback. Examples of synchronous APIs are Google Geocoding and the US Air Force API. Examples of asynchronous APIs are Amazon S3 and batch processing._

🔍 [The API Future is Bright with the New API Workflows Specification](https://swagger.io/blog/meet-the-new-api-workflows-specification/)

_This is an article about the future of APIs and the importance of the OpenAPI Workflows Specification. It discusses the challenges of using multiple APIs and the need for better documentation. The Workflows Specification is a new tool that helps developers understand and use APIs by describing the steps involved in different tasks. This will make it easier for both humans and AI to use APIs._

🔍 [What Makes Charismatic APIs?](https://apievangelist.com/2024/01/15/what-makes-charismatic-apis/)

_The blog post examines the characteristics that make APIs charismatic, using Stripe and Twilio as popular examples. The author asserts that while these APIs have a simplistic design and sometimes make common mistakes, their charisma is largely derived from the comprehensive support they provide to developers, including up-to-date documentation and software development kits (SDKs) in relevant programming languages. Their timely entry into the market and their role in powering the fast-growing API economy, particularly in the spheres of messaging and payment, have also been crucial in their rise to prominence. The author aims to further explore what aspects contribute to an API's popularity, whether it be the API design, the support and presence provided, or the success of actual integrations, in order to better understand and measure their impact on the expanding API economy._

🔍 [What’s New in AsyncAPI v3.0?](https://nordicapis.com/whats-new-in-asyncapi-v3-0/)

_AsyncAPI v3.0 is a new version of the specification for describing message-oriented APIs. It introduces several important changes, including refactoring Channels and Operations, supporting the Request-Reply pattern, and using more runtime expressions. These changes make AsyncAPI v3.0 a more powerful and flexible tool for describing message-oriented APIs._

### Gravitee

🔍 [Why Gravitee for FLAPIM, pt. 1](https://www.gravitee.io/blog/gravitee-for-flapim-part-1)

_The blog discusses Gravitee's solution for Full Lifecycle API Management (FLAPIM). According to the post, FLAPIM offers benefits such as end-to-end management, improved security, and scalability, but poses challenges including complexity, vendor lock-in, and cost considerations. Gravitee helps mitigate these challenges by supporting API creation, testing, and security. It provides two no-code solutions for API creation: Gravitee API Designer and Gravitee API Creation Wizard. For API testing, Gravitee uses API mocking and debugging. The platform delivers robust API security through traditional measures like OAuth2 authorization and more advanced methods like step-up authentication. Lastly, Gravitee ensures system reliability through rate limiting policies, load balancing, and an API monitoring and alerting solution._

🔍 [Why Gravitee for FLAPIM, pt. 2](https://www.gravitee.io/blog/gravitee-for-flapim-part-2)

_It covers Gravitee’s tools for API Deployment, such as API Management Console UI and Management API, and its assistance in API Productization like API Developer Portal/Catalog and protocol mediation. Gravitee's Alert Engine is highlighted for monitoring API performance and security. Finally, Gravitee's aid in version control with provisions for version numbers, deployment descriptions and pre-deployment rule enforcement is discussed._

### Mulesoft

🔍 [Anypoint Code Builder vs. Anypoint Studio: Top 3 Differences](https://blogs.mulesoft.com/dev-guides/anypoint-code-builder-vs-anypoint-studio/)

_This is an article about Anypoint Code Builder and Anypoint Studio. It discusses the differences between the two IDEs. Anypoint Studio is a well-established IDE, while Anypoint Code Builder is a newer option based on Visual Studio Code. Anypoint Code Builder offers a more concise way to get started with projects. However, it currently lacks some features found in Studio, such as a visual Mule Palette and the ability to add global configuration elements. The future of Anypoint Code Builder is promising, with plans to improve its GUI and functionality._

🔍 [Masking Sensitive Data in Mule 4](https://medium.com/another-integration-blog/mask-sensitive-data-in-mule-4-77fc63ffb12a)

_This is an article about masking sensitive data in Mule 4. It discusses what data masking is and why it is important. It also details two functions, replace and mask, that can be used to mask data in Mule 4. The article provides examples of how to use these functions to mask different types of data._

### RabbitMQ

🔍 [RabbitMQ 3.13: Classic Queues Changes](https://blog.rabbitmq.com/posts/2024/01/3.13-release/)

_It introduces a new implementation of the classic queue message store, designed for better performance, especially for small messages. It also offers significant improvements in throughput and reduces latency. However, there are some regressions when the new message store is used with the old queue index._

### Oracle

🔍 [What's New in Oracle Integration 24.02](https://blogs.oracle.com/integration/post/whats-new-in-oracle-integration-2402)

_Oracle Integration 24.02 introduces several new features, including the ability to test integrations in the canvas, a new jet-based diagram builder, and the observability errors screen. Other new features include new document types support, a B2B metrics dashboard, and the ability to create your own adapters with the Rapid Adapter Builder. There are also new adapters and enhancements to existing adapters._

## Releases

🚀 [Camunda 8.4](https://camunda.com/blog/2024/01/camunda-8-4-simplifying-installation-enhancing-user-experience/)

_This is an article about the new features of Camunda 8.4. It discusses improvements to multi-tenancy, scalability, and user experience. Some of the important points are that Camunda now supports Amazon OpenSearch, process instance migration, and new form components._

🚀 [Gravitee 4.2](https://www.gravitee.io/blog/platform-update-gravitee-4.2)

_Gravitee's API Platform 4.2 expands its reach to TCP-based APIs, boosts Kafka support, streamlines developer experience with visual tools and portal revamp, strengthens security, and enhances the management console for improved platform monitoring and usability for both developers and administrators. In short, it expands capabilities, improves performance, security, and ease of use._

🚀 [Microcks 1.8.1](https://microcks.io/blog/microcks-1.8.1-release/)

_Microcks 1.8.1 boasts better OpenAPI support, streamlined architecture for development, enhanced Kubernetes deployment, and an active community with new communication channels and event recordings. Expect community-driven additions like improved OpenAPI features and AsyncAPI support in the future._