Open APIs

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  • 1.  Middleware for Open APIs?

    Posted Feb 12, 2020 14:05

    This might be a very general question, but at our team we are wondering around this idea: We see a lot of potential for using the Open APIs for almost all our current systems, but we feel that the APIs are quite low level (very close to a very generic scenario/data). For example taking into account  a case where we will need to involve: Offering Qualification + Product Ordering + Quote Management + Shopping Cart, etc. we are asking ourselves what is the best approach: build a self-designed middle layer that connects all those APIs to perform a given task or is there any integration design that can take over?
    Is anybody eager to share how they are using Open APIs in their architecture?

    Thanks a lot in advance!



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    Alejandro González Pérez
    Telia Company
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  • 2.  RE: Middleware for Open APIs?

    Posted Feb 13, 2020 11:38
    There was some lively discussion on this topic at the recent Action Week. You might want to reach out to @Alexis De Peufeilhoux, who made a presentation on experience-level APIs, or to @Ludovic Robert, who made a presentation on user journeys by process API.
    Hope it helps​​​

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    Jonathan Goldberg
    Amdocs Management Limited
    Any opinions and statements made by me on this forum are purely personal, and do not necessarily reflect the position of the TM Forum or my employer.
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Middleware for Open APIs?

    Posted Feb 14, 2020 10:00
    I would also be very interested in these presentations as well if they are shareable!

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    Kevin Ng
    TELUS
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Middleware for Open APIs?

    Posted Feb 17, 2020 02:05
    Hello Alejandro, Kevin,

    Presentations done during TAW are available as part of Jira for TMF member:
    Alexis' one: https://projects.tmforum.org/jira/browse/AP-2068
    Mine: https://projects.tmforum.org/jira/browse/AP-2077

    Regarding Alejandro point this is an UC where probably the ProcessFlow API could help. This API could be used for exemple between Front End (FE) and Back end (BE) to orchestrate an user journey. This journey is described in a Back end, available for FE(s) thru Process Flow. Process Flow indicates to the FE the current task(s) to be performed and update back end in particular when several resource must be updated. FE could use all API to get data and provide captured information to the BE via the process Flow (BE in this scenario is responsible about data creation/update).

    Hope it helps,

    Ludovic


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    Ludovic Robert
    Orange
    My answer are my own & don't represent necessarily my company or the TMF
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Middleware for Open APIs?

    Posted Feb 19, 2020 12:58
    Hi Alejandro,

    we have faced the very same challenge not so long ago, when we were creating the self-care mobile application on top of the OpenAPIs as a vendor of Deutsche Telekom. We had long discussions on the task that we called "orchestration and aggregation", because as you also mentioned, the API definitions are quite low level, thus they don't fit the channel specific use cases out of the box.

    The solution we choose was to build a thin Middleware layer in between the app and the OpenAPI implementations. This layer is responsible for taking off the load from the client applications by massive simplification: parameterizing and calling all necessary API endpoints for a specific set of data to be presented or action to be taken, then transforming the responses into the appropriate channel specific format. For example when we wanted to present the details of a paid bill, it aggregated data from the following APIs:
    • Customer Management
    • Customer Bill Management
    • Document Management
    This enabled way much easier client implementation, and it was also very beneficial in the integration phase. We have shipped this solution to 5 countries, and since then it is in production in five additional ones.

    As you can see we went with custom development, as we could not find any existing design for this. However in my opinion it could be standardized to a certain extent.

    Here you can find a bit more background on the project and how OpenAPIs were utilized: https://medium.com/mito/a-case-study-on-how-we-built-deutsche-telekoms-new-self-care-application-4d5e69d80975

    I hope you'll find this informative!

    Csaba Végső
    Mito Digital
    --
    Check out our latest insight:
    Lessons of a Decade in Telecommunications


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    Csaba Végső
    Mito
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Middleware for Open APIs?

    Posted Feb 19, 2020 12:58

    Hi Alejandro,
    There is a pattern which is quite widely adapted which is called "Backend for Frontend (BFF)" that might be helpful.
    See for example:
    https://nordicapis.com/building-a-backend-for-frontend-shim-for-your-microservices/
    https://developer.ibm.com/patterns/create-backend-for-frontend-application-architecture/

    I am using it in my projects a lot and it works very well with the TM Forum Open APIs.

    Best regards,

    Dirk



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    Dirk Rejahl
    DIGIGLU Ltd.
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    Original Message


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