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3scale vs. Apigee Comparison

Which is the best API Management provider for you?

November 20, 2022

Written by
Louis-Victor Jadavji, Cofounder of Taloflow

Who should you choose and why?

✋ Most important consideration

  • Apigee API Management is one of the best overall products in the API Management category, but it’s usually much more expensive than 3scale API Management.

🤔 Slightly consider 3scale over Apigee if

  • You need fine-grained access control for your APIs (i.e., limit user access based on operations).
  • You have a hybrid cloud model. 3scale integrates well with OpenShift.
  • You’re cost-sensitive.

🤔 Strongly consider Apigee over 3scale if

  • You want better tooling for API versioning.
  • You’re productizing and publishing your APIs to external consumers.
  • You need an API catalog.
  • You have more rigid compliance standards to meet for procurement.

📝 Other Notes

  • Apigee API Management has a better API gateway for security and traffic management compared to 3scale.
  • Apigee is better for API policy enablement compared to 3scale API Management.
  • Apigee provides better support for GraphQL, OData, OAS2.0, OAS3.0, and gRPC compared to 3scale.

3scale API Management

The 3Scale API Management Platform is a solution powered by Red Hat to manage and monetize APIs and comes with a simple and functional user interface. By providing straightforward registration, and a suitable API gateway in the edge layer exposed in the DMZ (i.e., the zone between two network firewalls), the platform is ideal in situations that expose APIs to external partners or consumers for monetization. However, because the source code versioning comes through the API Manager portal, it can become a counter-productive factor in cases with enormous amounts of customizations.

Apigee API Management

Apigee, integrated within the Google Cloud ecosystem, enables organizations to design, secure, and scale APIs effectively. It offers a comprehensive API Management solution that includes two types of gateways - one that is based on NGINX and the other reliant on Envoy. Its industry-specific accelerators are valuable for organizations seeking targeted solutions. Apigee also prides itself on its transparent and straightforward pricing model, aiding businesses in their budgeting process and making it a popular choice for organizations of varying sizes.

We put all the information below in an interactive quiz to make your API management provider choice easy.

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Feature Comparison

Integration With Other Services

Compliance Requirements

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Learn more about API management

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About the Author

Louis-Victor Jadavji (or "LV") is a recognized leader in the cloud services industry. He's helped 50+ digital native companies like ModusBox, Later, and NS1 choose the right cloud stack for their applications. His work has been featured in Forbes (30 Under 30 All-Star), HuffPost, The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, and Inc. Magazine.

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