Revitalising Event-Driven Architecture: Applying API-led Integration Principles

Introduction:

REST APIs have become the dominant integration style, overshadowing SOAP-based services in recent years. MuleSoft’s API-led Connectivity methodology and Anypoint Platform played a significant role in driving this trend. While APIs proved to be a better fit for the evolving landscape, it unintentionally pushed Event-Driven Architecture (EDA) into the background. However, with API-oriented integration now mature, industry attention is shifting towards revitalizing EDA. In this blog post series, we will explore how key aspects of API-led integration can be applied to EDA, making it a first-class citizen once again.

The Rise of APIs and the Neglected EDA:

The widespread adoption of APIs can be attributed to their simplicity, ease of use, and adherence to the REST standard. Factors such as the mobile revolution, increased cloud adoption, and serverless architecture also contributed to their success. While APIs solved synchronous integration challenges, EDA had a distinct purpose in solving asynchronous integration needs. However, the prominence of APIs inadvertently overshadowed EDA, as vendors focused on enhancing their API offerings.

The Need to Revisit EDA:

As the API-oriented integration style has matured, it is only natural for the industry to seek the next significant trend and apply lessons learned from APIs. At Sypid, we firmly believe that EDA will regain attention and become the next focal point in the integration domain. We have already observed the emergence of Async APIs as a stepping stone towards this trend.

Looking Ahead: Applying API-led Principles to EDA:

In the forthcoming parts of this blog post series, we will delve into the key aspects of API-led integration that can be leveraged to elevate EDA once again. By bringing together the strengths of EDA and the proven principles of API-led connectivity, we envision a future where EDA becomes a first-class integration style.

Conclusion:

While APIs have rightfully dominated the integration landscape, the time has come to reevaluate the importance of Event-Driven Architecture. As the industry matures and vendor offerings evolve, there is a growing need to leverage the success of APIs and apply similar principles to EDA. In the next parts of this series, we will explore how API-led integration concepts can be seamlessly integrated with EDA, paving the way for its resurgence as a key integration style.

Stay tuned for the next installment, where we will delve into the practical aspects of applying API-led principles to EDA.