Contents

• Introduction

• Values of the IGT-API Framework

• Interesting Content for the week

• Product updates/New releases

• FeedBack & Share

• Upcoming Conferences

The Values of the IGT-API Framework

Following up on Issue #37, where I first introduced the IGT-API (Ikenna Governance Toolkit for APIs), I want to dive deeper into this framework. Currently at version 0.3.0 Alpha, the IGT-API is designed as a guiding framework to help organisations create and refine their API delivery operating models. In this post, we'll explore its foundational values.

At the heart of the IGT-API framework are its core values. The framework values:

• Consumer-driven, user-centric APIs over producer-driven, system-centric APIs. 

• Automated API governance checks over manual governance checks.

• GitOps over manual API deployment operations.

• Improving both API consumer satisfaction and API production lead time over prioritising one at the expense of the other.

• Collaborative over directive API governance.

• Continuous improvement and a feedback-based approach to API governance over a one-shot, project-based approach.

• Face-to-face conversations with stakeholders to gauge API satisfaction over solely depending on reports and surveys.

While the items on the right have their place, the framework places higher value on the items on the left.

In upcoming posts, I’ll delve into the foundational principles of the IGT-API framework, exploring how these values translate into actionable strategies for your API programs. Stay tuned!

Interesting Content for the week

AI-API Consumption Governance

Why API-First Matters in an AI-Driven World: Frank Kilcommins shares the increasing critical importance of an API-First approach in today's AI-driven technological landscape.

Blueprint for Enterprise GenAI: Governance, Gateways, and Guardrails: Kevin McGahey shares a comprehensive strategy for enterprises to safely and effectively deploy Generative AI (GenAI) by focusing on three critical pillars: Governance, API Gateways, and Guardrails.

The Missing Layer in AI Infrastructure: Aggregating Agentic Traffic: Eyal Solomon identifies AI gateways as essential for managing "agentic traffic" generated by increasingly autonomous AI agents. As AI agents transition from passive tools to active, self-initiating actors that make chained API calls without direct human intervention, they create new challenges.

How To Prepare Your API for AI Agents: Bill Doerrfeld outlines how traditional API design and management practices must evolve to meet the specific demands and behaviours of AI.

API Production Governance

Understanding Your API Consumers: Why Knowing Your API’s Users Is Key to Success: Savan Kharod argues that knowing who your API consumers are—including human developers, partners, and increasingly, AI/LLM machines—is crucial for driving adoption, minimising friction, and fostering platform growth.

Provenance: David Biesack shares a historical perspective highlighting the foundational and timeless nature of certain design considerations, demonstrating how lessons learned from one era of software development remain highly relevant in another

On the Behavior of OpenAPI's oneOf: Bruno Pedro delves into the often-misunderstood functionality of OpenAPI's oneOf keyword, clarifying its precise role in data validation.

Why call one API when you can use GraphQL to call them all?: Ryan and Matt DeBergalis from Apollo GraphQL, explores how GraphQL effectively manages the intricacies of API interactions and the evolving landscape of API orchestration.

Product updates/New releases

Kong Gateway Enterprise 3.11: Adds support for data orchestration with the Datakit plugin and support for a new vault - CyberArk Secrets Manager

Traefik Hub June 2025 Release: Traefik Hub’s June release adds support for chat-completion endpoints (including in the semantic cache), and GenAI metrics.

Feedback & Share

I appreciate your feedback. If you find my newsletter useful, please forward and share it with a friend.

Upcoming API Conferences

GraphQLConf 2025: Date: September 8th-10, 2025, Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands.

APIdays London: Theme: “No AI Without APIs” Conference Date: September 22nd - 24th, Location: Convene 155 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 3YD

Platform Summit 2025: Date: October 13-15, Location: Stockholm, Theme: Engineer Next-Gen API Architectures Register to get your tickets.

Kong API Summit Live 2025: Join developers, leaders, and visionaries from around the world as we explore the latest innovations around APIs, microservices, and AI. Date: Oct 14 - 15, 2025, Location: New York City

API Conference Berlin: Theme: The Conference for Web APIs, API Design & Management, Date: October 20 - 22, 2025. Register to get your tickets.

API World Conference 2025: Date: Sept 3-5 Location - Santa Clara, CA, Sept 10-12 - Live Online, Register to get your tickets

API Governance Consulting