Step 10 - Deploy an API Developer Portal

So far, we have only focused on deploying and securing our API Gateway. In the API Management world, there is yet another important topic for both API developers and API consumers, the API Developer Portal (DevPortal). An API DevPortal includes documentation on how to use any given API (e.g. sample requests/responses for each available endpoint).

In this lab, we will deploy a dedicated NGINX Plus instance as an API DevPortal.

Note

The API DevPortal can be deployed in an existing API Gateway instance, or a dedicated instance.

The goal is to offer to both API developers and API consumers documentation on how to use the API Sentence app.


Install the NGINX Controller agent on the second NGINX Plus instance

  1. In NGINX Controller -> Select Home -> Infrastructure -> Instances

  2. Click Create -> Add an existing instance. Use the following values:

  3. Enter a Name, e.g. devportal.

  4. Check the box Allow insecure server connections to NGINX Controller using TLS.

  5. Copy the curl commmand in the command box:

    curl -k -sS -L https://10.1.20.4/install/controller-agent > install.sh && \
API_KEY='8c8adf4b5966f517203e578d51b16059' sh ./install.sh -i devportal

  6. SSH (or WebSSH) to the Nginx-2 - DevPortal instance. This instance is an NGINX Plus instance, but it’s not yet linked to NGINX Controller.

  7. Paste the curl command and execute it. Enter y at every confirmation prompt.

  8. After few seconds, the command will succeed and the instance will appear in NGINX Controller.

    ../../../_images/instances.png

Warning

Wait till the status changes from Configuring to Running. If the status is stuck in the Configuring state, force the NGINX Controller agent to restart in the Nginx-2 as below:

sudo service nginx restart
sudo service controller-agent restart

Create the NGINX DevPortal Gateway

As a reminder, an instance cannot be used alone. It needs to be part of a NGINX Controller Gateway.

  1. In NGINX Controller -> Select Home -> Services -> Gateways -> Create. Use the following values:

    • Name: devportal-gw
    • Environment: env_prod
    • Placement > Instance Refs: <your devportal instance>
    • Hostnames: http://devportal.local

  2. Click Submit