DEV Community

realNameHidden
realNameHidden

Posted on

When Would You Group Multiple API Proxies Into a Single Product in Apigee X?

#apigee #gcp #apigeex #interview

Introduction

Imagine you’re running a mobile app platform.

Your mobile app needs to call:

  • A user profile API
  • A transactions API
  • A notifications API

Now imagine managing separate access rules, quotas, and security settings for each API… for every app… across environments.

Sounds painful, right? 😅

This is exactly the problem API Products in Apigee X are designed to solve.

In modern API management, you don’t just expose APIs—you package them, secure them, and control how consumers use them. That’s where grouping multiple API proxies into a single API Product becomes powerful.

In this blog, you’ll learn:

  • What it really means to group multiple proxies
  • When you should (and shouldn’t) do it
  • Real-world use cases with simple analogies
  • A step-by-step Apigee X example
  • Best practices and common mistakes to avoid

Core Concepts: API Proxies and API Products in Apigee X

What Is an API Proxy? (Quick Recap)

An API Proxy in Apigee X is a façade that sits in front of your backend service.

It helps you:

  • Secure APIs
  • Apply rate limiting
  • Transform requests/responses
  • Monitor traffic

👉 Think of an API Proxy as a single shop.

What Is an API Product?

An API Product is a bundle of one or more API proxies, combined with:

  • Quotas
  • Access rules
  • Environment settings

👉 Think of an API Product as a subscription plan that includes multiple shops.

Simple Real-World Analogy 🧠

Shopping Mall Analogy

  • API Proxy → Individual store (electronics, clothing, food)
  • API Product → Mall entry pass
  • App / Developer → Customer

Instead of issuing a separate pass for every store, you issue one mall pass that grants access to multiple stores under shared rules.

That’s exactly why you group multiple proxies into one product.

When Should You Group Multiple Proxies Into One Product?

✅ 1. When APIs Are Used Together by the Same Consumer

Example: Mobile App APIs

  • /users
  • /accounts
  • /transactions

These APIs are always called together by the same app.

✔ Group them into one product
✔ Apply a single quota
✔ Simplify access management

✅ 2. When APIs Share the Same Security Model

If multiple APIs:

  • Use the same OAuth scope
  • Are consumed by the same partner
  • Require identical access rules

👉 One API Product = cleaner security model

✅ 3. When You Want Unified Rate Limiting

Instead of:

  • 1000 calls/day per API

You want:

  • 1000 calls/day across all APIs

Grouping proxies into one product allows shared quotas, preventing abuse across APIs.

✅ 4. When Exposing APIs to Partners or External Developers

Partners don’t care about internal API boundaries.

They want:

“Give me everything I need to integrate.”

An API Product becomes your contract with the consumer.

❌ When You Should NOT Group Proxies

Avoid grouping when:

  • APIs have very different consumers
  • APIs have different SLAs
  • APIs belong to different domains
  • One API is internal-only, another is public

Over-grouping reduces flexibility.

Step-by-Step Example: Grouping Multiple Proxies into One Product

🧩 Scenario

You have three API proxies:

  • user-api
  • account-api
  • transaction-api

Goal:

  • Expose all three to a single client
  • Apply one quota
  • Manage access centrally

Step 1: Create API Proxies (Assumed Existing)

Example base paths:

/users
/accounts
/transactions
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Step 2: Create an API Product in Apigee X

  1. Go to Publish → API Products
  2. Click + Create API Product

Fill details:

Name: customer-platform-product
Display Name: Customer Platform APIs
Environment: prod
Access: Private
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Step 3: Add Multiple API Proxies

Add proxies:

  • user-api
  • account-api
  • transaction-api

Optional path restriction:

/users/**
/accounts/**
/transactions/**
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Step 4: Configure Quota (Shared Across APIs) 

Quota: 5000
Interval: 1
Time Unit: day
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

👉 This means all APIs together can be called 5000 times/day per app.

Step 5: Attach Product to an App

  1. Create a Developer App
  2. Associate customer-platform-product
  3. Generate credentials

Now the app can access all three APIs.

Step 6: Runtime Behavior (Important)

If the app calls:

  • /users → 2000 times
  • /accounts → 2000 times
  • /transactions → 1001 times

🚫 The 5001st request fails, regardless of which API caused it.

This is centralized traffic management in action.

Benefits of Grouping Multiple Proxies

✔ Simplified access control
✔ Unified quota & rate limiting
✔ Easier onboarding for consumers
✔ Cleaner API lifecycle management
✔ Better analytics at product level

Best Practices for Grouping Proxies in Apigee X

✅ 1. Group by Consumer, Not by Backend

Think who uses the APIs, not how backend teams are structured.

✅ 2. Keep Products Purpose-Driven

Each product should answer:

“Who is this for and what do they need?”

✅ 3. Use Path Restrictions

Even within a product, limit access to only required paths.

❌ Common Mistakes to Avoid

🚫 Creating one giant product for all APIs
🚫 Ignoring quota configuration
🚫 Mixing internal and external APIs
🚫 Not monitoring product-level analytics

Conclusion

Grouping multiple API proxies into a single product in Apigee X is about clarity, control, and scalability.

When APIs:

  • Are used together
  • Share access rules
  • Serve the same consumer

👉 Grouping them into one API Product makes your API program cleaner and safer.

Remember:

  • API Proxies expose functionality
  • API Products define how that functionality is consumed

Used correctly, API Products become the backbone of a successful API strategy.

Call to Action 🚀

💬 Have you grouped multiple proxies into one product before?
What worked—or what didn’t?

📌 Want more beginner-friendly yet real-world Apigee X guides?
Follow for more API management, security, and traffic control insights.

🔗 Authoritative References

Top comments (0)