Alcatel-Lucent has introduced an open source software engine, apiGrove. This software enables companies to more effectively manage the application programming interfaces (APIs) used to expose the capabilities of cloud platforms, telecommunications networks or enterprise infrastructure.

The apiGrove software is based on Alcatel-Lucent's Open API Platform. The apiGrove installation package, source code, and documentation are available effective immediately on the open-source repository and collaboration tool external linkGitHub under the business-friendly Apache 2.0 license, said a press note.

APIs enable data to flow easily between applications and devices and provide access to the core network assets that are critical for the creation of new services. apiGrove gives companies an easy way to manage the APIs they use to make their networks more programmable, supporting the development of services for both internal operations and for delivery to consumers and businesses.

Laura Merling, Senior Vice President, Application Enablement, at Alcatel-Lucent said, "We've reached a point where basic API exposure and management is 'table stakes' for doing business in today's economy. Network exposure, through APIs, is becoming a commodity. The future of the API ecosystem lies in building on an open industry foundation and a holistic approach that spans the network, cloud and enterprise/IT spaces.”

apiGrove lets businesses manage APIs at scale, while handling access policies and security needed to protect critical assets. apiGrove supports scalability through clustering, load balancing and request routing. At the base of apiGrove's security lies authentication and authorization, injection detection, and certificate management. apiGrove also includes metering features for rate limiting, quota management, and generation of sophisticated transaction records, added the press note.