Using MuleSoft Anypoint Exchange as an API Hub.
Introduction
MuleSoft Anypoint Exchange is one of the amazing platforms available in MuleSoft for sharing various reusable components, REST APIs, SOAP APIs, etc. In this document, we will try to use MuleSoft Anypoint as an API Hub, a single place to visit and understand all APIs in our landscape. In this document, we would import a non-Mule API in MuleSoft Exchange, however, we will not use this as a Proxy, so we will not be able to put the MuleSoft policies or any other features. This can only be used as an API placeholder for someone to discover and use this API.
Prerequisite
For this blog, we would need to make sure, there are a few things. We will not go through how to get them, because that would not be a part of this document.
· Anypoint Platform with Anypoint Exchange
· An API with an Open API Specification running on a non-Mule server. I am using a Node.js API running on an EC2 instance with an OAS.
Anypoint Exchange
Anypoint exchange is a marketplace for connectors, templates, examples, and of course APIs. This can be used to discover, and use pre-build assets from the MuleSoft ecosystem, or to save, share and reuse internal best practices.
However, we, in this case, will use only the API Management part, where we would Publish an asset, describe the same, and then allow us to simulate data using a mock endpoint and connect to the actual endpoint.
So, let us log in to the MuleSoft platform using the URL https://anypoint.mulesoft.com and then click on the option of Exchange. This can be found in the middle of the page or found in the menu on the top Left.
Once this is done, we will get into the exchange page, and this is where we will try to publish our API.
Non-Mule API created using Node.js
I have created a non-mule API here using Node.js, this can be any non-mule API e.g., it can be an API using SAP Cloud Platform, however, to add this API to the exchange platform, it must support and have an API Definition using OAS Specification. MuleSoft supports RAML, OAS 2.0, or OAS 3.0 both in JSON and YAML format.
These are my API created in AWS.
I have created the same API in 2 different EC2 servers, naming one as dev and one as stg. This is similar to another application that can have multiple environments like dev, stage, and production. Both the APIs are accessible using the endpoint http://<host>:3000/
This is a simple API that does CRUD operation on 2 tables named User Master, and User Transactions. The APIs are consumable using the endpoint as per the Open API Specification. Here is an example call:
The open API Specification is accessible using the endpoint
https://<host>:3000/openapi.json
The similar API is available in the stg instance using a different IP Address.
We should select the Development Open API Specification and download to a folder in our computer.
Step 1 to Import to MuleSoft: Design Center
The Design center can be used to write API definitions with RAML using API Designer. This can be accessible by Clicking the Menu on the Left Top and clicking Design Center. Initially, there will be an empty design center. We can create a new API Specification here, however, we will simply import the downloaded API Spec (OAS).
We will simply Click on the Create New button and then click on Import from File.
Now we should fill in the necessary fields, like Project Name, we will select the import type as REST API and then choose the file that we downloaded earlier. Next, we will select Import.
Our Open API Specification will be imported into the Design Center and we should be able to visualize all the API endpoints that are available in this OAS on the right side of the screen.
Step 2 to Import to MuleSoft: Publish to Exchange
Since we are not changing anything in the Design Center, we will simply publish this in the Exchange. Let us press the button Publish, fill up the details like Asset version, etc. and click Publish to Exchange as a Stable version.
Upon successful deployment, we should receive a confirmation with a link to our Exchange document.
We can press the link to navigate to our API in the Exchange with all the details that we had earlier filled up. In the exchange, we find all the API endpoints on the Left side. Also, we can notice, that there is a Mocking Service already associated with our API.
MuleSoft exchange converts an OAS to RAML as well as a RAML document to an OAS, so, once we press the Download button, we have an option of downloading our API using both RAML and OAS.
