Zuplo vs. Azure API Management
Zuplo is redefining what it means to be an API Management platform and is an alternative to Azure API Management. With Zuplo, you can easily build and share quality APIs with other developers. Compare features, pricing, deployment options, and customizability below.
Overview#
Most companies that we speak with that use Microsoft Azure have an obvious question... why would I choose Zuplo versus Azure API Management? Here are 11 reasons why engineering teams would choose Zuplo over Azure API Management when publishing a public API or tackling the challenge of multiple teams working on many APIs.
"Since moving from Azure API Management to Zuplo, we've experienced a much quicker path from development to production. Zuplo's built in policies, route editing, custom code, and Github version control all make surfacing our backend APIs to the world a breeze. The slick web interface and super speedy deployments also make working in Zuplo enjoyable! There's no waiting around for lengthy or complicated deployments, meaning our devs can spend their time getting on with things. To top things off, the support from the Zuplo team has been exemplary - both technically sound, and extremely timely."
- Reece Preston, Managing Director, iTicket
Feature Comparison#
| Feature | Azure API Management | Zuplo |
|---|---|---|
| GitOps-enabled | Information about the gateway is stored in abstracted databases. GitHub integration is difficult - requires extractor tools to pull information out and then build and management of a complex pipeline. | All gateway information is stored in text files that can be version controlled. Integrated with git services like GitHub, bitbucket, etc. Deploy unlimited preview environments (including developer portals) in under 20 seconds. Set up a new development environment in around 10s. |
| Cloud Deployment | Azure or custom on-premise deployment only. Takes hours to deploy. Each environment costs as much as the first $$$$. | Edge native at 250+ data centers around the world. Under 20 seconds to deploy, unlimited preview environments. Serverless scalability with 0ms startup time. |
| Scalability | Manually scale by provisioning coarse-grained, expensive servers. Or choose the consumption tier with few features. | Auto-scales dynamically and globally with 0ms startup time. We already have customers processing over 1.5B calls / month who have had 0 downtime and never worried about scale-up. |
| Multi-cloud | Azure only. | Zuplo runs at the edge, in over 250 datacenters around the world, and can securely connect to your backend wherever it’s hosted. Zuplo often outperforms AWS API gateway when calling services hosted in the same datacenter in AWS! |
| Single product | Azure API Management is split between the consumption tier and the other tiers. The former offers some benefits like serverless compute and auto-scale but has very few features. Choose your tradeoff. | There’s only one Zuplo, and it’s always great. |
| Autonomous Reliability | Dependent on multiple Azure services for runtime operation. | Your Zuplo gateway will keep running even if other major parts of Zuplo are down (not happened yet, btw). |
| Designed for Programmability | Write scripts in hybrids of XML and CSharpScript | Developers get to write code in JavaScript/TypeScript, that runs natively in the gateway and feels familiar to any developer. |
| Cost-effective | Pay for redundant environments, pay even more per datacenter to be globally distributed. | Serverless, global deployment means you get super-fast routing and redundancy built-in to the price.coming) |
| Secure Tunneling Connection Available for any Cloud | VPC connectivity to Azure. | Zuplo can secure backend connections to your internal APIs via a secure tunnel based on WireGuard technology - whichever cloud you’re running on (private, AWS, GCP, or Azure). |
| Integrated WAF (Web Application Firewall) | VPC connectivity to Azure. | In partnership with CloudFlare, we offer built-in web application firewall to keep the bad folks at the gates and your API secure. |
Other Features That Make Zuplo Unique#
Stripe-like Developer Portal#
Just import your OpenAPI spec to generate beautiful documentation and developer portal. Check out an example portal.
Secret Know-How#
Founded by a product leader who also founded Azure API Management at Microsoft in 2013, but felt the product was stuck in the dark ages and decided to build redefine what it means to be an API Management Platform. Read Zuplo's story.
