Apigee announces general availability of APIM Extension Processor

The Apigee Extension Processor enhances Apigee's capabilities by enabling it to manage gRPC streaming and integrate with Google Cloud services through Cloud Load Balancing, allowing for applying Apigee policies to a wider range of backend services, and improving secure access to Google Cloud infrastructure.

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Google
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Ishita Saxena, Sanjay Pujare
•9 min read•advanced•
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Overview

The article announces the general availability of the Apigee Extension Processor, a new capability that enhances Apigee's ability to manage and secure backend services and modern application architectures. It highlights the integration with Cloud Run, gRPC bidirectional streaming, and the advantages of using the Extension Processor for API management.

What You'll Learn

1

How to integrate Apigee Extension Processor with Cloud Run for API management

2

Why gRPC bidirectional streaming is beneficial for modern applications

3

When to use the Apigee Extension Processor for managing API traffic

Prerequisites & Requirements

  • Understanding of API management concepts
  • Familiarity with Google Cloud services(optional)

Key Questions Answered

How does the Apigee Extension Processor enhance API management capabilities?
The Apigee Extension Processor allows for seamless integration with Cloud Run and enables the application of API management policies to gRPC streaming traffic. This capability extends Apigee's management features to a wider range of backend services, improving security and flexibility.
What are the main components required for configuring the Apigee Extension Processor?
Key components include an Application Load Balancer (ALB), an Apigee instance with the Extension Processor enabled, and a Service Extension configured to facilitate communication between the ALB and Apigee runtime.
What challenges does the Apigee Extension Processor address for gRPC streaming?
The Apigee Extension Processor addresses the challenge of managing gRPC streaming traffic by allowing the ALB to act as the Policy Enforcement Point (PEP) while Apigee serves as the Policy Decision Point (PDP), enabling effective policy enforcement without direct stream traversal through Apigee.

Technologies & Tools

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API Management
Apigee
Used for managing and securing backend services and modern application architectures.
Backend
Cloud Run
Provides a scalable environment for deploying containerized applications.
Communication Protocol
Grpc
Enables bidirectional streaming for real-time applications.
Infrastructure
Google Cloud Load Balancing
Facilitates intelligent traffic management and routing.

Key Actionable Insights

1
Utilize the Apigee Extension Processor to manage gRPC streaming services effectively.
This approach allows organizations to leverage existing API management capabilities while ensuring secure and efficient traffic handling for modern applications.
2
Integrate Cloud Run with Apigee for scalable backend services.
By doing this, developers can apply Apigee's robust security and management policies to their containerized applications, enhancing overall application performance.
3
Leverage Google Token Injection policies for secure access to Google Cloud infrastructure.
This simplifies the process of connecting and controlling access to data services like Bigtable and Vertex AI, ensuring consistent security across applications.

Common Pitfalls

1
Failing to configure the Application Load Balancer correctly can lead to inefficient traffic routing.
Ensure that the ALB is properly set up to call the Apigee Service Extension, as misconfigurations can disrupt the flow of gRPC streaming traffic.

Related Concepts

API Management Best Practices
Grpc Streaming Techniques
Cloud Run Deployment Strategies