Level up your API Management strategy with automation

Jennifer Craig's article discusses the advantages of automating API Management (APIM) using the Tyk platform, focusing on both imperative and declarative automation paradigms. Imperative automation follows a step-by-step approach similar to executing a build script, which, while widely supported, can lead to less predictable results due to its dependency on system state. In contrast, declarative automation simplifies the process by requiring specifications for desired outcomes, offering consistent results without user intervention in edge cases, as seen in SQL or GraphQL queries. Tyk supports imperative APIM through its dashboard and APIs, allowing detailed configuration via scripts, while its recent introduction of the Tyk Operator facilitates declarative APIM within Kubernetes environments. This integration enables seamless API configuration alongside source code, promoting a GitOps-centric approach and enhancing CI/CD pipeline efficiency. For those not using Kubernetes, Ansible can be employed for similar declarative automation, streamlining API deployment and management compared to manual methods.