Top 8 API integration tools to drive digital transformation in 2024

If you have recently heard about APIs, API integration tools, or want to know how an API integration strategy can help dismantle information silos, connect multiple apps and systems, and drive efficiency, you have come to the right place.

 In this article, I will take you through the API landscape - wherein we will talk about APIs in general, API integrations, why we need these integrations, why we need API integration tools, and more.

If getting access to this reservoir of API information sounds good, let’s get started right away with a quick definition of APIs.

However, if you are more of an information skimmer, here are 5 quick takeaways about API integrations and top 8 API integration tools:

• APIs stand for application programming interfaces and are software pieces that let you connect with other apps and systems. 
• The global open API market was valued at $2.39 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $13.21 billion by 2030.
• API integrations facilitate a seamless flow of communication and information between apps, microservices, systems, and databases 
• There are 3 main ways you can do this - hand-coding these integrations, using integration tools (We’ll tell you 8 tools you can use), and using an API integration management platform. 
• You can find an endless list of API integration tools. Our top picks include Mulesoft, Workato, DreamFactory, Boomi, Jitterbit, Postman, Swagger, and  FASTAPI.

What is API?

The way you can define a person in multiple ways, you can define APIs in numerous ways. However, to keep it simple, API is an acronym for Application Programming Interface. 

It is a software intermediary that helps you connect two or more software applications or systems or databases. 

In this way, it helps build a more connected enterprise where critical data flows seamlessly from one team to another and one system to another. In the end, this level of connectivity paves the way for more empowered and strategic decision-making.

API integration tools to drive digital transformation.

API integrations are a way to connect multiple apps or systems or databases with one another with a goal to access information from other systems and apps and perform some specific actions.

Strategic API integrations have the potential to open up entirely new vistas of possibilities for companies, customers, employees, and partners. 

API integrations help them eliminate data silos or data inconsistencies across the org or data systems and empower decision makers to gain the much-needed visibility into the future to prepare them for both opportunities and challenges.

Why do we need API integrations?

We have talked about the need though in a subtle way so far. Here I will be more direct about the key benefits of API integration:

5 business benefits of API integrations

• Emergence of a connected enterprise: API integrations pave the way for a more connected and collaborative enterprise by connecting apps, data, systems, and databases.
• Elimination of data silos (aka trapped information): With APIs, you are able to crack open the data silos that long existed in your organization and build an ecosystem where data flows freely to whoever needs it. 
• Developer productivity: APIs integrations help developers reclaim their precious time and energy and route them toward more strategic tasks and projects. 
• Data-empowered decision-making: Strategic API integrations help unlock new insights that were not available before. These data insights enable new developments and revenue streams.
• Reduced manual errors and cost of development: APIs automate workflows and streamline business processes. There is less need for building software applications from the ground up and this reduces both need for manual intervention and development cost.  

Why do we need API integration tools?

In one sentence, it is the speed and efficiency that we get with API integration tools that makes us or hundreds of other companies consider these tools. 

There is a lot of intelligence and experience that go into the development of these tools and platforms. And you can leverage them for a fraction of the time and cost that you’d otherwise spend in building a custom tool.

Top 8 API integration tools for 2024

By no means, I am sharing with you a comprehensive list of API integration tools. However, this is a list of my top 5 favorite integration tools that are reliable, secure, and very seamless. 

1. MuleSoft Anypoint Platform: For those having any experience with APIs or API management, Mulesoft is a familiar name.  Mulesoft ecosystem empowers developers and business users to develop, deploy, and manage APIs and integrations at the speed of business. Plus, you get an unmatched automated security for all the APIs and data they contain. 

Their success stories feature clients of the likes of Netflix, Airbnb, Coca-Cola, and Unilever. Plus, Gartner has also named them a Leader in the space of EiPaaS and API management. 

Mulesoft has been around for a long time and has developed or built a vast ecosystem of tools and technologies that support and accelerate the entire lifecycle of APIs. Therefore whether it’s your first venture into the API territory or you are looking for a really powerful tool for connecting your APIs, systems, apps, Mulesoft is a great choice to go with. 

Have a look at some of the tools in the MuleSoft toolkit that help with API design, testing, and implementation:

• Anypoint Studio 
• Anypoint Connectors 
• Anypoint API Designer
• Anypoint Exchange 
• Anypoint DataGraph
• Anypoint MQ
• Anypoint Code Builder 

2. Workato: Workato is at number 2 in our list of top 8 API integration tools/platforms. Workato has been in the market for years, and is preferred by API developers worldwide. Building, testing, and optimizing APIs becomes a breeze when you do it with Workato as all the complexities are taken care of by the Workato platform and all your team has to do is get involved and build APIs that impact individuals, societies, and the world at large. 

Whether it's ensuring data consistency across CRMs and marketing platforms or automating processes between ecommerce and order fulfillment systems, Workato can help with it all.

Key features of Workato API platform: 

• Extensive library of pre-built connectors for popular applications and services
• Intuitive drag-and-drop interface for creating custom workflows
• Advanced workflow automation capabilities, including conditional logic and error handling
• Real-time data synchronization between connected systems
• Robust security features to ensure data privacy and compliance
• Scalable architecture that supports integration across complex enterprise environments

3. DreamFactory: DreamFactory is packed with features and functionalities that help speed up the API management and integrations. It’s a developer-friendly API platform that offers you a drag-and-drop interface for easy integrations and a massive ecosystem of application connectors.

DreamFactory can run in the Cloud as well as on-premises and takes great care of the API and data security. When you choose to build it up on DreamFactory, you do need to worry about the compliance requirements of data protection and security laws and regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA, SOC, and others. 

4. Boomi: Boomi is a cloud-based API management platform that helps API developers develop, deploy, integrate, and manage APIs without complexity. You can use it to seamlessly integrate all your apps, data, and systems to break down information silos across multiple departments and pave the way for more innovation and less frustration. 

Its analytics dashboard helps you effectively monitor the health of your APIs and accelerate API integrations with its large library of application connectors and integration recipes. 

With Boomi, you can rest assured about the security and governance of your entire API landscape and help your developers spend more time on innovation. Plus, Boomi thrives on a growing community of 100k+ users and 12.5k+ certified experts. 

5. Jitterbit: Jitterbit is our next pick in the list of the top 8 API integration tools or platforms. This leading-edge API platform has it all that you’d ever need to develop and deploy your APIs security and instantly. 

Jitterbit empowers developers to rapidly develop APIs and focus on driving innovation rather than spending their valuable time and energy in building API from the ground up. Developers can expose APIs via API Gateways and effortlessly discover and consume APIs that they need for their projects.   

6. Postman: Postman is a developer-friendly API development platform that has evolved massively both in terms of features and functionality. Using Postman, API developers can strategize and accelerate the entire API development lifecycle. So, teams using Postman tend to develop and deploy better APIs - faster. 

Key features of Postman API platform include:

• Efficient API Development: Its developer friendly interface allows the team to rapidly develop, test, and iterate on APIs, leading to lesser development time and increased productivity.
• Automated workflows: Postman's collection runner and Newman CLI enable automated testing and integration with continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, streamlining the development process.
• Testing capabilities: Postman makes it easy for developers and quality assurance teams to test the APIs with greater ease. From simple unit tests to complex integration tests, teams can test API reliability across different environments and scenarios.

7. Swagger: The API platform believes in simplifying API development so everyone can participate and build something. With its rich set of open-source and professional tools, Swagger streamlines your workflow with unmatched API specification support. 

Key features of Swagger include:

• API design and documentation: API development teams benefit from a very clear and structured way to define API endpoints, operations, parameters, and responses, making it easier for developers to understand and interact with APIs.
• Interactive API documentation: With Swagger UI, developers can explore and test APIs directly within the documentation, improving understanding and facilitating rapid prototyping.
• Code generation: Swagger Codegen automates the process of generating client libraries, server stubs, and API documentation from an OpenAPI Specification, reducing development time and ensuring consistency across different programming languages and frameworks.

8. FASTAPI: FASTAPI is a modern and secure web framework for building APIs that drive innovation and collaboration. With its asynchronous capabilities and automatic documentation generation capabilities, FastAPI streamlines end-to-end API lifecycle, from design to deployment.

Key features that make FASTAPI a perfect place to build APIs: 

• Robust performance: The API platform taps into asynchronous programming to achieve high performance, making it ideal for building fast and scalable APIs.
• Highly secure: The API development platform has to be secure. And FastAPI does not disappoint with its built-in security features such as OAuth2 and JWT authentication.
• Automatic documentation: With built-in support for OpenAPI and JSON Schema, FastAPI generates interactive API documentation automatically, reducing the need for manual documentation efforts.

Conclusion 

Modern software applications can not be imagined without adequate API integrations. These integrations are what makes the new breed of software solutions more agile, responsive, data-driven, and secure. 

Harnessing the power of API integrations can help businesses:

• Drive connectivity across the organization and partner network 
• Improve data flow and collaboration 
• Reduced time to market 
• Streamlined workflows 
• Better products and services 
• A loyal customer base 

Integrating apps and systems via APIs can be challenging and time-consuming. However, you can abstract most of the complexities in API development, deployment, management, and integration with modern and innovative API integrations tools such as MuleSoft, Workato, and Postman.