Hybrid cloud is used for the management of API flows. It is an application, not a server, which is the reason for its complexity too. Following strategies will help in the API management in a hybrid landscape. An API integration platform has become requisite for every modern IT enterprise as well as the digital landscape. Let’s discuss steps to design APIs for hybrid cloud architecture.
Enterprises are likely to use hybrid cloud models, so developers will have to focus on different paths to build software. Exploring the common type of hybrid cloud architecture models will help in finding details related to the hybrid cloud API design and management.
There are some standard regulations for API practices that can be followed. In the beginning, architects will have to consider RESTful APIs, also for hybrid cloud environments. In the second step, architects will have to use GET only for inquiry. They don’t need to use GET to do anything representing updates, services, or microservices for any state change. Architects can use POST, PUT or DELETE for updates and state changes. In the third step, there is a role for field selection. The field selection should be supported so that API users will not need to add details in the data model of the API. At last, architects can use the acknowledged data packaging approach like JSON, Java implementations, Or XML.
Tech-savvy can also use design patterns to start API designing. Design patterns have been playing an important role in designing. Design patterns use linking systems for harmonizing microservice front end. A service bus or message queue acts as a linkage to balance a microservice front end with a traditional application back end. Most of the cloud applications used for rebuilding the back-end business applications are not competent. Therefore, a design pattern can be the best framework for the overall business model.
A glance at Microservice Frameworks
APIs used in a hybrid cloud architecture must provide conformity to microservice basic requirements and the structure should also be based on common or similar microservice frameworks. The basic requirements for APIs are scalability and innovation.
A microservice frame is a common type of middleware acting as a common platform to operate different types of microservices. There are specific applications of the framework, i.e., it helps in simplification and harmonization of the application of common or similar elements. This has reduced efforts to a minimum; now the deployment and development of microservices have become easy, eliminating the need for major operations. Microservice frameworks are linked or associated with specific-application models. For example, it can be aligned with event processing or web front-end.
Frameworks are divided into two categories – proprietary and cross-platform. Java is an example of a cross-platform while Microsoft’s NET is an example of proprietary. Examples of hybrid cloud front-end APIs – Moleculer, Restlet, Dropwizard, Spring Boot, etc.
Based on preferences, the features of frameworks can be used specifically, without showing the need for any change in the basic structure. It is interesting to note the change in API implementation concerning the frameworks balancing.
Frameworks are efficient in supporting any type of service like monolithic and microservices. Resltet is rated as a general framework while Micronaut is the latest. Among all, Molecular and Vert.x are rated as highly efficient applications. In the meanwhile, Spring Boot is rated as the most popular app.
Check out the Resource Pool and Service Mesh Models
Resource pool model is a popular model in the hybrid cloud architecture. This model allows the easy deployment of components either in the public cloud or the data center, depending on customized requirements. The model provides easy and enhanced control over the APIs as well as their implementation. When this model is used by components in the cloud or data center, data resources will have to show the time (delay) and cost linked while crossing the boundary. Therefore, API implementations require enhanced security features.
If resources are front-end elements used for current transactions but more portable for hosting, then, in such cases, the setup conforms as the ideal web front-end model. There is no need to take any advice, it has qualified.
Resource pool services not conforming to the front-end will not necessarily need a weblike framework. In such cases, developers will neither want to write them in JAVA nor use JSON for data packaging. RESTful API structures help in ensuring easy going through firewalls and frames, allowing seamless interactions. For agility and faster going, developers can use multiple APIs for different microservices. Using the same API will lead to add up the need for scaling and redeployment during similar actions.
The service mesh model is best suited for the microservice application model. Now, one can think of service mesh as the ideal model for microservices framework providing everything except than the actual microservice logic.
There are some popular services mesh like Istio and Linkerd. Furthermore, there are two versions of Linkerd.
A service mesh frame – service-to-service communication and discovery – is valuable in different aspects. Its importance can be seen in the complexed hybrid environment workflow where components are placed in different hosting environments elastically and variably. Service mesh technologies will comprise overhead during the work movement. It will start affecting performance as compared to a simple microservice framework, made for higher performance.
It is worth in every way to use API managers for the hybrid cloud deployment; it further depends on the need of a specific hybrid model. One should understand the need for an API manager. If public and private resources are taken as a single pool with the consideration of deployment across the hybrid platform, then, API manager will be a valuable option. Apigee is a popular manager and can be linked with Istio.
Further, the event-driven application scenarios have some connection with the cloud providers.
The above information is ample to design APIs for hybrid cloud architecture. Furthermore, hybrid integration platforms have been playing an important role. They help in connecting cloud-based and on-premise applications. Hybrid integration specialists can easily parse metadata from the on-premise systems and apply templates for generating standard data codes.
