WSO2 API Manager centralizes the publishing, securing, documenting, monitoring, and lifecycle management of APIs. Introducing it early helps keep a growing API manageable before production clients make changes difficult. section 4.6
Centralizing APIs creates several practical benefits:
- Routes requests through a single endpoint, even when services run on different servers or use different authentication requirements. section 4.6.1
- Applies authentication, authorization, rate limiting, load balancing, and lifecycle management across APIs. section 4.6.1
- Provides a common console where users can discover, subscribe to, and manage API offerings. section 4.6.1
- Exposes analytics such as call counts and API-version usage, supporting operational decisions and usage-based monetization. section 4.6.1
A Docker-based setup adds WSO2 as a service. The management console uses port 9443, while ports 8243 and 8280 receive HTTPS and HTTP requests. After building and starting the composition, the console is available with the default admin credentials. section 4.6.2
Putting an API behind WSO2
Create an API from the backend OpenAPI URL, then supply its name, context, version, and endpoint. Deploy it and generate a key before trying it through the API documentation interface. Requests then use the manager's URL, such as https://localhost:8243/sample/0.0.1/files, rather than calling http://api:8000 directly. In a hardened deployment, stop exposing the backend port so clients must use the manager's single entry point. section 4.6.4
A Missing Credentials response usually means that Generate Key was not selected before testing. Exploratory testing through the manager is useful initially, but settled APIs need more specialized tools for robust testing. This sandbox configuration is not persistent, so substantial API configuration should be recreated or stored elsewhere. section 4.6.5 section 4.6.4
wso2:
build:
context: ./wso2
dockerfile: Dockerfile
ports:
- 9443:9443 # Management Console
- 8243:8243 # HTTPS Requests
- 8280:8280 # HTTP Requests
Use the Docker Compose service definition as a quick reference for building WSO2 and exposing its management, HTTPS, and HTTP ports. section 4.6.2
