Is there a free API management system (e.g. a Mashery alternative)?

Question

I'm looking into releasing a public REST API, which I'd like to keep protected via API keys. Services like Mashery offer API management services; per their spec sheet, they offer:

• API registration, access and self-service provisioning
• Key issuance and credential management
• Usage throttling and limiting tied to key, user, method or group
• Intelligent caching of frequently used calls
• Business rules configuration based on filters, parameters, and methods

Are there free (either as in beer, or as in freedom) tools/services out there that offer any of these features? Articles that describe best practices?

I happen to be working in a Perl/Unix environment, but am interested in other solutions as well. I can't afford Mashery, and reinventing the wheel is a pain. Thanks.

Answer 1

You'd probably have to setup a "API Key Request Form" ... kind of like when you go to use Flickr's services. Users can then submit their information to receive a key.

Not as auto-magic as Mashery but it'd be easy enough.

Answer 2

I suspect that this sort of thing is almost always too application specific to make a completely general software component for it. (I don't know how well Mashery's service works, but I'm sure a good deal of care and attention goes into it).

In any case, the hard part is exposing your internal systems as useful externals APIs. Keeping track of API keys etc isn't that hard.

Answer 3

Hmmm, Mashery for free - I do wish we could afford to provide that. But then I wish for a lot of things :)

Mashery actually got started when I was at a startup that needed exactly what you're talking about. Over the past few years as we've started serving a lot of larger customers with more substantial needs, the breadth of our solution has certainly grown, along with the value that represents.

But that doesn't mean that there isn't a demand from a lot of startups for a more affordable "basic" API management solution that incorporates all or most of the features you mention. We're actively working on a solution for startups that is exactly that. Stay tuned for an announcement soon.

Cheers -

Oren Michels CEO Mashery

Answer 4

Great question :) - Actually there is a free (as in beer) API management solutions - using 3scale you can list your API, set usage limits for different types of plans and manage sign-ups. The service is free unless you charge for API access, in which case there's a commission.

The service appears listed in the 3scale marketplace right now, but there'll be a white label solution out soon which wont be free but at a very accessible price point. We'd be happy to set anybody interested up with an early account (just mail me at [email protected]).

Steven Willmott, Tech lead / 3scale

Answer 5

Yes. Apigee provides self-service, freemium API management, specifically analytics and rate limiting. It's free for use under 10,000 requests per hour.

It's in private preview but anybody can sign up for an invite. Once you get the invite it sets up immediately - you create a proxy and use that new proxy URL (or map to your own domain).

You can also use it for analytics on APIs you are consuming.

Its from Sonoa Systems and we built it on our API router we use for our 50 enterprise customers (banks, media companies, etc.) So it's basically a freemium, simplified web version of our enterprise product.

cheers, Scott Regan, Apigee team ([email protected])

Answer 6

WebServius ( http://www.webservius.com ) does just that (API key management and more, free for free APIs within reasonable limits).

Answer 7

He was asking for a free version of something like mashery not for mashery to be free.