Alcatel-Lucent introduces apiGrove open source software engine

SOFTWARE

Alcatel-Lucent has introduced an open source software engine, called apiGrove, that will enable companies to more effectively manage the application programming interfaces (APIs) they use to expose the capabilities of their cloud platforms, telecommunications networks or enterprise infrastructure.

APIs enable data to flow easily between applications and devices and provide access to the core network assets that are critical for the creation of new services. apiGrove gives companies an easy way to manage the APIs they use to make their networks more programmable, supporting the development of services for both internal operations and for delivery to consumers and businesses.

Laura Merling, Senior Vice President, Application Enablement, at Alcatel-Lucent said: “We’ve reached a point where basic API exposure and management is ‘table stakes’ for doing business in today’s economy. Network exposure, through APIs, is becoming a commodity. The future of the API ecosystem lies in building on an open industry foundation and a holistic approach that spans the network, cloud and enterprise/IT spaces. We believe apiGrove gives our customers and the community the foundation they need to make this a reality.” Laura discusses this topic further on her blog post and she can be followed on twitter @magicmerl.

The apiGrove installation package, source code, and documentation are available effective immediately on the open-source repository and collaboration tool GitHub under the business-friendly Apache 2.0 license. The apiGrove software is based on Alcatel-Lucent’s Open API Platform used by communications service providers around the world.

Companies including Citrix Systems and Olliance Group have expressed enthusiasm for this initiative.

Kevin Kluge, Vice President, Products, Citrix Systems said: "This is a bold move by Alcatel-Lucent and an even bigger deal for the API industry. They are making API management readily available to everyone as an open source project that will set the de facto standard for how APIs are managed."

Andrew Aitken, Sr. Vice President, Olliance Group said: “There’s a collective momentum around open source in cloud computing. This move by Alcatel-Lucent continues that momentum, taking the API piece of the puzzle deeper into the cloud computing and communications network infrastructure stack. They’re effectively doing to the enterprise API market what RedHat did to the enterprise server market."

One of the key benefits of the open source approach embodied in apiGrove is that companies can contribute to the basic apiGrove code, helping ensure that their particular requirements are captured. As this open source initiative moves forward, Alcatel-Lucent will continue in its role as lead contributor to the project. API management remains a key tenet of the company’s Open API Platform and the company will continue to make additional capabilities available as part of Alcatel-Lucent’s commercial API management offer. At the same time, the company will actively support the efforts of open-source software developers worldwide.

Ben Kepes, cloud evangelist, commentator and investor from Diversity, Ltd. said: “Existing API vendors are focused, by their very nature, on the technology of the API and hence the business discussion is secondary. I envisage a future where API delivery and management solutions are another offering sitting on top of cloud infrastructure, such that an API management function - say increasing a rate limit - can be automatically adjusted in the same way that cloud infrastructure scales. In order for this to happen the very API platform needs to be constructed on its own open APIs, allowing for clear hooks between it and other platforms.”