If architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, then API architecture is akin to constructing a digital fabric to connect end users and application services together to bring digital experiences to life. It’s the blueprint for an information superhighway composed of on-ramps for ingress where users enter an interconnected turnpike for service-to-service communication.
Key architectural considerations for managing and monitoring API-based systems include performance, observability, API life cycle and security.
The API life cycle is incredibly important because evolving into API-based systems does not end with design and deployment.
Traffic management is also critical for managing and monitoring APIs and serves as an opportunity to use traffic routing to model releases.