API management refers to the processes for distributing, controlling, and analyzing the APIs that connect applications and data across the enterprise and across clouds. The goal of API management is to allow organizations that create APIs or use others’ APIs to monitor activity and ensure the needs of the developers and applications using the API are being met.

Organizations are implementing strategies to manage their APIs so they can respond to rapid changes in customer demands. In most cases, these organizations adopt a microservices architecture in order to meet demands by speeding up software development. HTTP-based APIs have become the preferred method for synchronous interaction among microservices architectures. These APIs are the glue that connects all of the microservices together. Managing these APIs allows an organization to make sure the APIs are used in compliance with corporate policies and allows governance by appropriate levels of security, as some services may require different security policies than others.