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IBM API Connect v12

Create, Secure, Publish, Subscribe, and Test API

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Table of Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. IBM App Connect - Deploying the backend REST Service
• 3. Import an API into the Developer Workspace
  • 3a. Create project
  • 3b. Add API
  • 3c. Rename API
  • 3d. Configure DataPower Nano Gateway Policy
  • 3e. Configure CORS
  • 3f. Configure Security
• 4. Publish API
• 5. API Connect Developer Portal<
  • 5a. Subscribe API
• 6. Test the API
• 7. Summary

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1. Introduction

In this lab, you will get a chance to use the IBM API Connect (APIC) Studio and its intuitive interface to import and edit an API using the OpenAPI definition (YAML) of an existing Customer Database RESTful web service.

In this tutorial, you will explore the following key capabilities:

• Creating an API by importing an OpenAPI definition for an existing backend REST service

• Configuring ClientID/Secret Security, endpoints, CORS, and proxy to invoke an endpoint

• Publish API to IBM DataPower NANO Gateway and to Developer Portal

• Testing a REST API in the Developer Portal

What is IBM DataPower Nano Gateway?
IBM DataPower Nano Gateway is a lightweight, containerized API gateway built on the IBM DataPower technology foundation.

What It Is: A minimal-footprint API gateway designed for edge deployments, microservices environments, and resource-constrained infrastructure — as opposed to the full IBM DataPower Gateway which runs on dedicated hardware or full VMs.

2. IBM App Connect - Deploying the backend REST Service

First, you will deploy a Customer Database REST service and then you will download the OpenAPI file for the Customer Database REST service that you deployed.

1. In a browser, enter the URL for the Platform Navigator URL that is provided by your instructor.

2. Filter instances by the student(number). You will see your instances.(br)

3. Navigate to the App Connect Dashboard.

4. Click on the Dashboard icon in the left navigation.

5. For this lab, we already have the REST service built and available as a bar file. You can download the CustomerDatabaseV3.bar file for the service **here**.

6. Click on Deploy integrations.

7. Click Quick start integration and click Next.

8. Drag and drop the BAR file that you just downloaded or click to upload. Once you have dragged and dropped or uploaded, you will see the bar file listed under to be imported. Click Next.

9. Click Next.

10. Give the Integration Server a Name (e.g., student(n)-customerdb) and click Create. Replace (n) with your student number, for example student1-customerdb.
    

11. This will take you back to the Runtimes Dashboard where you will see your new server. It will likely be showing Pending while it is starting up the pod.

    Note: It may take a several minutes to start up. You can refresh the page. Once it is up and running it will show the following:

    Click on the newly created Runtime.

12. Confirm that the Overview tab is selected and click Download OpenAPI Document As JSON (or) Download OpenAPI Document As YAML. Either format can be used to import in API Connect.
    

3. IBM Api Connect - Import backend REST API

You will be importing the backend REST API definition into IBM API Connect Studio, then you will configure the API to enable Security, CORS, and finally publish the API to community.

1. Navigate to the API Connect instance.

   From the IBM Cloud Pak for Integration Platform Navigator, navigate to apim-demo an IBM API Connect capability.
   

   Click on apim-demo instance.
   

2. If this is your first time logging in, the login page is presented. Click Cloud Pak User Registry.

3. Confirm that you are in the provider organization for your username (upper right).

4. We are now able to begin to create APIs and Products. Click API Studio

3a. Create project

1. Click Create New Project.

   Name it customer-database-ngw, where ngw stands for the Nano Gateway.
   

2.  Open the project customer-database-ngw.

3b. Add API

1. Click “Add API”

2. Click “Import”.

3. Click on “drag and drop”

4. Select Customer_Database-1.0.0.yaml
   

5. Click <Create>.
   

   Your backend REST API has been imported successfully.
   

3c. Rename the API

Change the name to customer-database-ngw, then click \<Update\>. <br>
![alt text](/CP4I-PoT-Public/APIC-labs-v12/Create-Secure-Publish-DPNGW/images/image-43a.png)

3d. Configure API - Add Gateway Policy

1. Click (+) sign next to “Policy Sequence”.
   

2. Select “DataPower Nano Gateway”, and name the policy as “customer-database-agw-policy”, then select the API using the drop-down.
   Click <Add>.

3. Click on “Invoke” policy.
   

   Wrap the endpoint URL with single quotes, then append & $relativeUrl(‘request’) after the single quote (including &).
   
   

4. Change URL Type to be Jsonata

3e. Configure CORS

1. Click on the API Customer_Database under APIs section (left), then scroll down and click on CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing).
   

2. Click <\Add>.
   

3. Enter name, namespace (project), then click <\Add>.
   

4. Edit CORS.
   

   SCROLL down, and uncheck “Expose headers”, then Save.
   

3f. Configure Security

1. Click the Components section Scroll down to “Components” section, then on the right side again scroll down to “Security Schemas” section.
   

2. Click <\Add Security Schema>.
   

3. Add “X-IBM-Client-Id”.
   

4. Similarly, add “X-IBM-Client-Secret”.
   

5. Now, click “Security” section and then click on <\Add Security Schema>.
   

   First, select both apikeys, then click on <Create AND group (2 selected)> button.
   

   Now, click <\Add>.
   
   

   

4. Publish API

Here, you will publish the API to IBM DataPower Nano Gateway and Developer Portal community for consuming the API.

1. Click on “Publish”

   

   

2. Click on Catalog button. Don’t worry if that little window disappears quickly, you should be able to access the Catalog through Manage section in the left.
   

3. Navigate to the Portal Section under Catalog Settings, then click on the Portal URL.
   

5. API Connect Developer Portal

1. Welcome to developer portal

2. Click on <Sign up> button.
   

3. Login as student(n) now.
   

4. THis is the Developer Portal Welcome page.
   

5. Click on “API Products”.
   

6. You should see customer-database-ngw API that was published earlier, then Click on the API.
   

5a. Subscribe API

1. Subscribe the API, Click <Subscribe>

2. Click “Create new subscription”, then click <Request>.
   

3. Enter demo-app-2, then click <Save>

4. Click <Save>
   

   See demo-app-2

5. Click on the demo-app-2. You should see that your subscription is successful, and acknowledged by the DataPower Nano Gateway.
   

   You should also see ClientID, and ClientSecret being generated.
   

   SAVE the ClientID, and ClientSecret to a NOTEPAD or TEXTPAD. You will need them when testing the API.
   

6. Test the API

1. Click on “API Products”.

2. Click on the API Product customer-database-ngw-product, then click on the API.

3. Expand “API Resources”.

4. Navigate to GET under /customers operation, then click on <Try>.
   

5. Click Headers tab to populate our ClientId, and Secret.
   

6. The ClientID should be populated automatically, you need to populate X-IBM-Client-Secret and its value that saved into the Notepad.
   Click <Add New>, and add X-IBM-Client-Secret.
   

7. Click <\Send>.
   

8. If successful, you should get “200 OK” Result.

9. A DataPower Nano Gateway Runtime pod should be started. Switch to OpenShift Console, workloads -> pods -> under project cp4i-apic.
   

   You should see a pod like this.
   

6.Summary

Congratulations, you have completed the Create, Secure, publish, subscribe, and tested your API. Throughout the lab, you learned how to:

• Create an API by importing an OpenAPI definition for an existing REST service

• Configure ClientID/Secret Security, endpoints, CORS, and proxy to invoke endpoint

• Publish an API to IBM DataPower Nano Gateway, and to a Developer Portal to socialize the API for developers to consume the API.

• Test a REST API in the Developer Portal, and witnessed that the Nano Gateway was created on the fly while the API is active.
  

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