Introduction

In ApiShare, a Subscription acts as a contract between a consumer application and an API Product. It defines the usage terms and enables controlled access to APIs. A subscription must be requested by the consumer application owner and must be approved by the administrators of the API Product. Once approved, the subscription allows the application to consume the API. Subscriptions can be modified, suspended, reactivated, or revoked based on lifecycle management policies.

Managing subscriptions

Submitting a subscription

Prerequisites:

• The user must be a member of a Group that owns at least one Application.

• The target API Product must be published in an accessible environment.

Steps:

1. Navigate to the API Catalog and locate the desired API Product.

2. Click on SUBSCRIBE.

3. Select the Application that will consume the API Product.

4. Choose the deployment environment where the API Product will be used.

5. Enter the expected load and usage scenario for evaluation.

6. Specify the use case, selecting an existing one or creating a new one.

7. Click SUBSCRIBE to submit the request.

Post-Conditions:

• The subscription enters Pending > New state and awaits approval.

• The request appears under Workspace > Subscriptions > Requested.

Tips:

• Users who own the API Product can find pending subscriptions under Workspace > Subscriptions > Received.

Managing a subscription request

Prerequisites:

• Requires Administrator or equivalent permissions for the API Product.

Steps:

1. Navigate to Workspace > Subscriptions > Received.

2. Locate the Pending > New subscription request.

3. Choose one of the following actions:

   • ACCEPT: The subscription moves to Active > Active.

   • REJECT: The subscription moves to Pending > Rejected.

4. Confirm the action.

Post-Conditions:

• Accepted subscriptions allow the consumer application to use the API Product.

• Rejected subscriptions remain inactive.

Suspending a subscription

Prerequisites:

• The subscription must be Active.

• Requires Administrator or equivalent permissions.

Steps:

1. Navigate to Workspace > Subscriptions > Received.

2. Locate the subscription under Active > Active.

3. Click SUSPEND.

4. Confirm the action.

Post-Conditions:

• The subscription moves to Suspended > Suspended state.

• API Product access for the consumer application is temporarily disabled.

Tips:

• If integrated with an API Gateway, the system synchronizes the suspension automatically.

Reactivating a subscription

Prerequisites:

• The subscription must be Suspended.

• Requires Administrator or equivalent permissions.

Steps:

1. Navigate to Workspace > Subscriptions > Received.

2. Locate the subscription under Suspended > Suspended.

3. Click ACTIVATE.

4. Confirm the action.

Post-Conditions:

• The subscription moves back to Active > Active.

Tips:

• If the consumer application is inactive, reactivation is not allowed.

Modifying a subscription

Prerequisites:

• The subscription must be Active.

• Requires Administrator, Contributor, or equivalent role permissions.

Steps:

1. Navigate to Workspace > Subscriptions > Requested (for consumer-side updates) or Received (for provider-side updates).

2. Locate the subscription under Active > Active.

3. Click EDIT and modify the necessary details (e.g., expected load, use case).

4. Click SAVE.

Post-Conditions:

• The subscription moves to Active > Pending for Approval.

• Changes require validation from the API Product administrators.

Revoking a subscription

Prerequisites:

• The subscription must be Active.

• The API Product must be Retired.

Steps:

• When an API Product is retired, all associated subscriptions are automatically revoked.

Post-Conditions:

• The subscription moves to Revoked > Retired.

Deleting a subscription

Prerequisites:

• The subscription must be in Inactive, Rejected, or Revoked state.

• Requires Administrator or equivalent permissions.

Steps:

1. Navigate to Workspace > Subscriptions > Received or Requested.

2. Locate the subscription.

3. Click DELETE.

4. Confirm the action.

Post-Conditions:

• The subscription is permanently removed.

Viewing subscription keys

Prerequisites:

• Requires Administrator, Developer, or equivalent permissions for the application.

Steps:

1. Navigate to Workspace > Subscriptions > Received or Requested.

2. Locate the subscription.

3. Click View Keys.

4. Retrieve authentication credentials (API Keys, Client IDs, Secrets).

Post-Conditions:

• The authentication keys associated with the subscription are displayed.