Stepzen GraphQL Tools: Free API Management

StepZen Launches Free Tools for Simplified API Management

StepZen emerged late last year, securing $8 million in seed funding with a focus on API unification. Today, the company detailed its vision further by announcing the release of two new, freely available GraphQL tools designed to streamline API management processes.

A Fundamental Shift in Application Communication

According to StepZen’s CEO and co-founder, Anant Jhingran, the graph is central to a significant evolution in how applications interact with backend systems. As organizations increasingly rely on numerous APIs to construct software and integrate systems, StepZen positions the graph as the core of API management.

Managing connections and dependencies between a growing number of APIs introduces inherent complexities. Consider the scenario of consolidating all information related to a single customer, data which is often distributed across multiple systems.

Connecting Disparate Data Sources

How can a complete view of a customer be achieved, encompassing their information, interaction history, and order details? These data points typically reside in separate locations – a CRM, marketing and customer service platforms, and an order management system, respectively.

StepZen aims to simplify the process of establishing these connections. Jhingran emphasizes that the true value lies in linking these individual elements, as this is where a business’s core strengths are realized.

Introducing GraphQL Studio and Federation

To facilitate this, the company is releasing two complimentary tools. The first, GraphQL Studio, assists organizations in visualizing the relationships between their APIs, be they internal, private, or publicly available SaaS solutions.

Developers frequently work with both private and SaaS APIs. GraphQL Studio is designed to accommodate both scenarios, allowing users to select pre-built APIs and integrate their own custom logic.

Unifying Multiple Graphs

The second tool, GraphQL Federation, enables the consolidation of various graphs within an organization into a single, unified graph. This allows companies to understand how different components interact with each other.

Federating these smaller graphs presents a significant challenge, one that StepZen intends to address with this new tool. In larger teams, a single, overarching graph is often absent, requiring applications to connect across multiple graphs to achieve a unified data view.

GraphQL Federation is designed to bridge this gap and provide that unified perspective.

Free Access and Future Expansion

Both tools are being offered free of charge as an entry point for developers to begin connecting their APIs. As users encounter more complex requirements, they can then subscribe to StepZen’s paid services.

The company anticipates that some users will require customization or the integration of private data, prompting them to explore StepZen’s full capabilities. However, the initial tools are intended to provide value even without a subscription.

“We want people to succeed on this without even signing up,” Jhingran stated.