Azure API Management(APIM) and Hyper-Converged Infrastructure(HCI) Stack deployment from Azure Cloud

Azure API Management (APIM) and a Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI) stack deployment from Azure cloud are two separate technologies that can be used together to build a robust and scalable API management solution.

APIM provides a way to manage, secure, and scale APIs, while an HCI stack deployment provides a way to build and manage a virtualized infrastructure on-premises.

APIM needs named value pairs as it provides a way to manage and centralize configuration settings and connection information used by API policies and operations.

By using named value pairs, you can update the connection string or API key in one place, and it will automatically be updated for all API operations that use it. And also store dynamic data that can change over time.

In terms of how it is related to HCI stack deployment from Azure cloud, one possible way to use these technologies together is to deploy an HCI stack on-premises and use it to host the backend services for your APIs. Then, you can use APIM to manage and secure the APIs that connect to the backend services hosted on the HCI stack.

By using APIM, you can apply security policies, rate limiting, and caching to the APIs, and use named value pairs to manage configuration settings and connection information for the backend services. This can help to improve the scalability, security, and performance of the overall solution.

What is Named value in APIM ?

In Azure API Management (APIM), a named value is a way to store a value or key-value pair that can be referenced by name. These values can be used in various parts of an API, such as policies and operations, to provide configuration settings or connection information. Named values can be created and managed through the Azure portal, Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates, or Azure SDKs or Azure CLI. They can be accessed programmatically using the APIM policy expressions.

For example, you can use a named value to store a connection string for a backend service, and then reference it in an inbound policy to set the connection string for a call to the backend service. This way, if the connection string for the backend service changes, you only need to update the named value, rather than updating the policy for each API operation that uses it.

Named values can also be used to store dynamic data such as tokens, expiration date and any other data that can change over time and needs to be accessible by the API policies.

Named values provide a way to centralize and manage configuration settings and connection information used by API policies and operations in APIM, making it easier to change or update them, improve security and also storing dynamic data.

Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI) Stack deployment from Azure cloud can provide several benefits, including:

Scalability: HCI stack deployment allows for a flexible and scalable infrastructure, which can be easily expanded or contracted as needed to accommodate changes in workload or traffic.

Simplified Management: By using Azure cloud to deploy HCI, you can simplify the management of your infrastructure by using Azure's built-in management tools and services, such as Azure Monitor and Azure Automation.

Cost-effective: HCI stack deployment from Azure cloud can be more cost-effective than traditional on-premises deployments, as you can take advantage of Azure's pay-as-you-go pricing model and only pay for the resources you use.

High Availability: By deploying HCI stack in Azure, you can take advantage of Azure's high availability and disaster recovery features, such as Azure Site Recovery, to ensure that your infrastructure is always available and protected from outages or disasters.

Security: Azure provides a wide range of security features that can be used to secure your HCI stack deployment, such as Azure Security Center, Azure Active Directory, and Azure Key Vault.

Hybrid Deployment: HCI Stack deployment in Azure cloud allows you to leverage the existing on-premise infrastructure and connect to Azure services, thus creating a seamless hybrid deployment model.

How can i call azure cloud named value on Hci stack ?

To call an Azure cloud named value on an HCI stack, you would need to establish a connection between the HCI stack and the Azure cloud. This can be done by using Azure services such as Azure ExpressRoute, Azure VPN Gateway, or Azure Site-to-Site VPN.

Once the connection is established, you can use Azure SDKs or Azure CLI to access the named value programmatically. For example, you can use the Azure SDK for Python to retrieve the named value and then use it in your HCI stack.

Here is an example of how you can retrieve a named value using Azure SDK for Python:

Example

from azure.common.credentials import ServicePrincipalCredentials

from azure.mgmt.resource import ResourceManagementClient

credentials = ServicePrincipalCredentials(

client_id='<client-id>',

secret='<client-secret>',

tenant='<tenant-id>'

)

client = ResourceManagementClient(credentials, '<subscription-id>')

# Get the named value

result = client.configurable.get_value('<named-value-name>', '<resource-group-name>')

print(result.value)

You can also use Azure CLI to retrieve the named value as well. Here is an example:

az configure --defaults group=myResourceGroup

az resource show --id /subscriptions/<subscription-id>/resourceGroups/<resource-group-name>/providers/Microsoft.Config/configurable/<named-value-name> --query value

Additionally, you can use Azure REST API to get the values from the named value, this can be done by sending a GET request to the following URL :|

https://management.azure.com/subscriptions/<subscription-id>/resourceGroups/<resource-group-name>/providers/Microsoft.Config/configurable/<named-value-name>?api-version=2019-11-01-preview

Once you have retrieved the named value, you can use it in your HCI stack as needed.

There are several benefits to using named value pairs in Azure API Management (APIM):

Centralized Management: Named value pairs allow you to store and manage configuration settings and connection information in a central location, making it easier to change or update them as needed.

Reusability: Named value pairs can be reused across multiple API policies and operations, reducing the need to duplicate configuration settings or connection information.

Improved security: By using named value pairs, you can separate sensitive data such as API keys and connection strings from the API policies and configurations that use them. This can help to improve the security of your API management solution.

Dynamic data management: Named value pairs can be used to store dynamic data such as tokens, expiration date and any other data that can change over time and needs to be accessible by the API policies.

Simplified Maintenance: By using named value pairs to store and manage configuration settings and connection information, you can simplify the maintenance of your API management solution.

Improved Scalability: Named value pairs can be used to store configuration settings and connection information that are used by multiple API policies and operations, this can help to improve the scalability of your API management solution by avoiding the duplication of settings and connections.

In summary, Named value pairs in APIM provide a centralized management, reusability, improved security, dynamic data management, simplified maintenance, and improved scalability of your API management solution.

Please note that to call the named value, you need to have the right permissions (at least "reader" role) on the subscription and the resource group where the named value is stored.