In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, enterprises are racing to deliver innovative experiences that set them apart from the competition. To achieve this, organizations must embrace the growing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), leverage Kubernetes for application delivery, and enhance their defenses against cyber threats. WSO2 is stepping up to meet these demands with the latest releases of the WSO2 API Manager and WSO2 API Platform for Kubernetes (WSO2 APK), designed to boost developer productivity and streamline API management.
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Introducing WSO2’s Latest Offerings
Available now, WSO2’s new open-source API management solutions come packed with features that allow businesses to manage AI services as APIs, expand Kubernetes-native API management support, and improve overall developer productivity. These enhancements build on the strengths of WSO2’s two flagship products:
- WSO2 API Manager: A comprehensive platform for full lifecycle API management, handling over 60 trillion transactions annually.
- WSO2 APK: Launched in 2023, this platform is specifically engineered to harness the power of Kubernetes for efficient API management.
A Word from Leadership
Christopher Davey, WSO2’s Vice President and General Manager of API Management, emphasizes the importance of investing in both cutting-edge technologies and the productivity of software development teams. “As organizations seek a competitive edge through innovative digital experiences, they need to invest equally in state-of-the-art technologies and in fostering the productivity of their software development teams,” he stated. With the new functionalities for managing AI services and enhanced Kubernetes support, WSO2 is committed to improving developers’ experiences while ensuring a future-proof environment.
New Functionality for Managing AI Services as APIs
As organizations increasingly integrate third-party APIs to incorporate AI and large language models (LLMs) into their offerings, visibility and control over these APIs become crucial. WSO2’s new Egress API Management capability allows developers to manage both internal and external AI services as APIs, providing full lifecycle management and governance. This feature supports popular service providers like OpenAI, Mistral AI, and Microsoft Azure OpenAI, ensuring secure and efficient access to AI models.
Key Benefits of Egress API Management:
- Enhanced Gateway Experience: Manage and route API requests specifically for AI services, enforcing policies for secure access.
- Cost Reduction and Performance Improvement: Automate responses and control outbound traffic with backend and subscription-level rate limiting for AI API consumption.
Expanded Kubernetes-Native Support
WSO2 is dedicated to supporting the rapid growth of microservices and APIs on Kubernetes with several new developments:
- WSO2 API Microgateway: A cloud-native, developer-centric decentralized gateway for microservices, now updated for enhanced scalability and governance.
- gRPC API Support for WSO2 APK Gateway: This feature improves integration with Kubernetes environments, providing greater control over gRPC services.
- New Traffic Filters for HTTP Routes: Aligned with Kubernetes Gateway API standards, these filters enhance routing and traffic management.
Boosting Developer Productivity
WSO2’s latest updates also focus on improving developer productivity, whether they are creating or consuming APIs. The new WSO2 APK release includes:
- Subscription Rate Limit Policies: API providers can define usage quotas for consumers, allowing for tiered subscriptions with allocated request limits.
- Unified Control Plane: This feature enables API discovery through content from API definition files (like Swagger and GraphQL) directly in the Developer and Publisher Portals.
Enhanced Security and Access Control
Maintaining consistent security configurations across different environments is a challenge for many organizations. The latest WSO2 API Manager release addresses this with:
- Separate mTLS Authentication Settings: Configure different settings for production and sandbox environments, ensuring appropriate security levels.
- Personal Access Token (PAT) Support: This feature allows secure, time-limited authentication for accessing WSO2 API Manager system APIs, ideal for CI/CD pipelines and automated scripts.
Availability and Support
WSO2 API Manager 4.4, WSO2 APK 1.2, and WSO2 API Microgateway 3.2 are now available as open-source products under the Apache License 2.0. You can find the download links and documentation for each product at the following resources:
These products are supported by WSO2 Subscription, which provides continuous delivery of updates, bug fixes, and 24/7 support. Customers can choose their preferred hosting model—cloud, on-premises, or hybrid—making it easier to integrate WSO2 solutions into their existing infrastructure.
Conclusion
With these powerful updates, WSO2 is not just keeping pace with the evolving digital landscape; it’s leading the charge. By enhancing API management capabilities, supporting AI integration, and improving security, WSO2 is empowering organizations to innovate and thrive in a competitive environment. Explore the new features today and see how WSO2 can transform your API management strategy!
