Almost everything runs on the cloud today- business functions, operations, communications, applications, and more. This cloud dominance has enhanced technological dependencies considerably.
Modern businesses should try their best to harness maximum cloud potential. Therefore, they must train their employees with the latest cloud advancements and related technologies. Education Nest offers the best training courses that can help your employees understand and utilize the power of the cloud.
Many computer programs and applications run behind the picture for successful digital operations. API (Application Programming Interface) offers a common ground to develop such software applications and facilitate communication between various systems.
But what are APIs? What is the difference between synchronous and asynchronous API?
In simple terms, you can consider API as a middleman that connects different software, enables data sharing, and enhances user experience.
While synchronous APIs have a direct flow and require real-time connections for bidirectional communication, asynchronous APIs allow multiple requests without having to wait for the response. Thus, there’s no real-time execution of requests. However, it is possible to invoke asynchronous external APIs using orchestration services. Here, we have discussed asynchronous API invocations using AWS Step Functions. Read on to get a clear picture!
What are AWS Step Functions?
AWS Step Functions help in building and managing complex cloud workflows with a visual and easy-to-use configuration. It directly integrates with about 220 AWS services and over 10,000 APIs. As a result, you can harness the complete AWS ecosystem to build and manage your workflows.
AWS Step Functions also allows HTTPS endpoint integration without customized code or extra infrastructural resources. There are separate workflow logic that will enable you to make changes to steps, without affecting the business logic.
What are Asynchronous API Invocations?
When designing software applications or programs, a major requirement is to improve overall performance and responsiveness. Also, they must be able to handle high volumes of requests simultaneously and process each of them independently.
Asynchronous API invocations use an event-driven architecture that simply acknowledges that the API request has been received, processes it in the background, and frees up the system for other new requests. Once the processing is complete, it sends a notification to the client using a callback mechanism.
Thus, asynchronous API invocations help maintain the application functionality and improve real-time experiences. Besides, they also ensure efficient resource utilization. Common applications include batch processing of huge datasets, complex computations, third-party services integration, microservices architecture, chat applications, and more.
Asynchronous API Invocations Using AWS Step Functions
Here’s an outlined architecture aimed at using AWS step functions for calling asynchronous APIs:
Step Functions Definition
Using the AWS Step Functions Console, define different states for the requests, like Task, Wait, and Choice. For long-running requests, include a step to pause the workflow. Also, create a timeout error step to abort the workflow in case no callback is received.
Integrated AWS Services
The task then flows through the AWS Ecosystem, like Amazon SQS, AWS Lambda, CloudWatch, AppConfig, and more. The requests are sent to Amazon SQS in queue, and the length is monitored using Amazon CloudWatch.
AWS Lambda Functions
Create a Lambda Function to invoke the external third-party API. It returns a correlation ID that can be used to check the request status. If you want to add dynamic delays, use AWS AppConfig.
Configuring Callbacks
There must be different configurations for different request states. If the request is waiting, unblock the workflow. Send the failed requests to a different queue. In the case of successful requests, get the third-party results by invoking a Steps Function. Finally, process the results obtained.
Final Thoughts
As businesses need to maintain a reliable digital infrastructure, address performance issues, streamline operations, and improve customer services, they must rely on external API vendors for better accessibility. Otherwise, building these from scratch requires significant effort, resources, and time.
AWS Step Functions help with a systematic strategy to orchestrate asynchronous external API requests efficiently. So, invest in effective training courses that can equip your workforce with the best AWS practices and cloud skills.
Check out Education Nest’s tailored training programs specifically designed for corporate excellence. They can help address your unique business needs efficiently and enhance your workforce capabilities.
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References:
- https://educationnest.com/
- https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/api/#:~:text=API%20stands%20for%20Application%20Programming,other%20using%20requests%20and%20responses.
- https://aws.amazon.com/step-functions/
- https://aws.amazon.com/step-functions/features/
- https://www.nylas.com/blog/synchronous-vs-asynchronous-api/#:~:text=An%20asynchronous%20API%20is%20an,waiting%20for%20an%20immediate%20response.
- https://d1.awsstatic.com/architecture-diagrams/ArchitectureDiagrams/invoking-asynchronous-external-apis-ra.pdf?did=wp_card&trk=wp_card
