Integration & automation · chapter 01

Building APIs is one half. Managing them is the other.

A well-designed interface is of little use if nobody knows it exists, who calls it or which version still applies. We do both: the APIs themselves — and the operations around them.

WHY A CORE

With ten systems there are theoretically forty-five possible connections. Each one is its own code, error handling and monitoring. Through an integration core that becomes ten single connections — and each new one costs days instead of months.

PART 01 · BUILDING APIS

The interface itself

Before an API can be managed it has to be well designed. Contract first, implementation second — with failure cases considered from the start.

api

API design & contracts

OpenAPI specifications first, implementation second. Versioning, backward compatibility and clear contracts so consumers can rely on them.

swap_horiz

Transformation & mapping

XML to JSON, EDI to REST, field names and data types properly translated. The logic lives in one place instead of scattered twelve times through the code.

error

Error handling & recovery

Retries, dead-letter queues, idempotency and compensation. When a target system fails, no messages are lost.

handshake

B2B, EDI & partner onboarding

EDIFACT, AS2, webhooks and partner portals. Business documents flow automatically, with acknowledgement and traceable status.

PART 02 · MANAGING APIS

The operations around them

Ten APIs you manage in your head, fifty you do not. Gateway, catalogue, lifecycle and monitoring turn individual interfaces into a manageable portfolio.

shield

API gateway & governance

Authentication, rate limits, quotas and monitoring at the edge. Who calls what how often — visible and controllable.

inventory_2

API catalogue & developer portal

One place where all interfaces are documented and discoverable. Whoever needs an API does not search the wiki but finds it with a sample call.

autorenew

Lifecycle & versioning

From draft through release to deprecation. Old versions phase out in a controlled way instead of silently disappearing and surprising consumers.

visibility

Monitoring & traceability

Every message carries a correlation ID across all systems. When the business asks, you find the transaction in minutes.

WHAT THIS ACTUALLY DELIVERS
10 instead of 45

connections for ten systems — effort grows linearly instead of quadratically.

Days

instead of months for a new connection, because transformation and governance already exist.

0

lost messages. Everything is recoverable and traceable.

Technologies

Chosen vendor-neutrally, to fit the problem.

API-GatewayREST · OpenAPISOAPEDIFACT · AS2WebhooksMQ

Related

UW
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Uwe Winnwa
Sales · cloud37 AG

30-min intro call — free.
No standard pitch. I listen, ask the right questions and give an honest assessment — even if we are not the right partner.