Consumer Metrics

[ikethecoder]

There is interest for the API Consumer to be able to see how many calls their credentials (or Application?) are making, and for the Access Manager to see what usage a Consumer is doing.

Using the new Gateway Services metrics UX as inspiration, and the existing data we already get in the Portal, the idea would be to create a component that can be used for both API Consumer and Access Manager, although will depend on what UX is designed for each.

[ ] UX design [ ] Implementation

[elisafw-ux]

Why and what is the motivation of needing this?

Assumptions

1. API Consumers need to see how many calls their credentials or application(s) are making so that they can:

• Track their API usage to ensure that they are not exceeding their rate limits which could result in their API access being restricted?
• Identify areas where they can optimize their usage to reduce the overall number of calls?
• Identify any potential issues or bottlenecks in their usage?
• Measure the effectiveness of their application and identify areas for improvement?

2. An Access Manager needs to see what usage a Consumer is doing so he can:

• Understand how the API is used, identify potential issues or abuse?
• Enforce rate limiting so that the API is not overwhelmed by too many requests?

[ikethecoder]

One metric that we could investigate for feasibility is a security related one, which would provide some information about what Device/IP their credential is being used from. This would let the Developer know if the credential is trying to be used from an unknown Device/IP.

[ikethecoder]

The API Provider could use the API usage information to make decisions about revoking consumers that have been inactive for a period of time. Or as a way of following up with clients if they are not seeing traffic, to ensure they are not having any issues - proactive support.