How to create an API pipeline
Learn how to create and configure an API pipeline on the Digibee Integration Platform, from defining general settings to configuring endpoints, authentication, rate limiting, and CORS.
This guide walks you through creating and configuring an API pipeline on the Digibee Integration Platform. If you are not familiar with the concept yet, read the API documentation before getting started.
Step-by-step guide
Follow the steps below to create and fully configure an API pipeline.
Step 1: Create the pipeline
On the Pipelines page, click Create new.
Select the API option.
A sidesheet with the configuration options will open on the right side of the screen.
Step 2: Configure the General tab
You must complete and save all fields in the General tab to enable the other tabs.
Project
The project this API belongs to.
API name
A name for the API. Must be all lowercase with hyphens as separators only.
Description
A brief description of the API's purpose.
API type
The gateway where this API is published. External API makes the endpoint accessible over the internet. Internal API restricts access to other pipelines in your realm or through a VPN. You can enable one or both, but at least one must be enabled.
Click Save API to proceed.
Step 3: Configure the remaining tabs
Endpoints
Endpoints
Click Import OpenAPI Spec to import an existing specification, or click Add endpoint to add routes manually.
Importing an OpenAPI spec adds new routes to the list without overwriting existing ones. Only routes that match an already configured route are updated.
Method
The HTTP method: GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, OPTIONS, or DELETE.
Path
The endpoint path (for example, /users).
Summary
A brief description of the route.
Once saved, each endpoint becomes a Block Execution connector in the Canvas, configured through its OnProcess and OnException subflows. The Actions column then becomes available for each endpoint:
OnProcess
Open success subflow
Opens the OnProcess subflow for that endpoint in the Canvas.
OnException
Open error subflow
Opens the OnException subflow for that endpoint in the Canvas.
Delete
Remove endpoint
Removes the endpoint from this interface. The Block Execution and its subflows remain in the Canvas but disconnected from the flow.
Inside the Canvas, you can navigate between configured endpoints and switch between their OnProcess and OnException subflows using the Endpoints menu in the left sidebar.
Click Configure API at any time to return to the configuration page.
Response headers
Click Add key and value to add response headers returned by the endpoint after processing.
Key
The header name.
Value
The header value.
Auth
Enable the authentication methods that apply to your API.
Consumer (API Key)
Requires a valid API key configured on the platform and associated with this pipeline. Manage API keys on the Consumers (API Keys) page. If this pipeline has associated Consumers, they appear under the Allowed consumers section once this option is enabled.
External JWT (Token JWT)
Requires a JWT token previously generated by another endpoint. Read more in the JWT implementation article.
Basic Auth
Requires Basic Auth credentials present in the request. Register credentials beforehand on the Consumers page.
Advanced
Timeout and request size
These parameters define the performance boundaries of your API: how long the pipeline can take to respond and how large the incoming payload can be.
Timeout
Maximum time (in milliseconds) for the pipeline to process a request before returning a timeout response. Maximum: 900,000 ms.
30000 ms
Max request size (MB)
Maximum allowed payload size in megabytes. Cannot exceed 5 MB. If exceeded, the API returns HTTP 413 with {"message": "Request size limit exceeded"}.
5 MB
Rate limit
Applies rate limiting on the API gateway to control how many requests can be made within a given time interval. Available only when API Key or Basic Auth is enabled in the Auth tab.
Limit by
The entity to which the limits apply.
API
Aggregate by
Consumer applies limits per group of credentials. Credential (API Key, Basic Auth) applies limits per individual credential.
Consumer
Rate limit windows
Click Add window to define one or more time-based request limits.
Order
The sequence in which the limit windows are evaluated. Use the arrow buttons to reorder.
Interval
The unit of time: seconds, minutes, hours, days, or months.
Limit
The maximum number of requests allowed within the window. Must be greater than zero.
If multiple windows are configured with the same interval value, only one is considered. Misconfigured windows are ignored and a warning is logged on the Pipeline Logs page.
Add Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS)
Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) is a mechanism that controls which origins are allowed to make requests to your endpoint. Enable this option to define CORS headers specifically for this pipeline.
Click Add key and value to add CORS headers.
Key
The CORS header name.
Value
The allowed value.
To configure CORS globally across all pipelines instead of individually, use the CORS HTTP header policy.
mTLS enabled API
Enable this option to publish the API on a dedicated gateway with mutual TLS (mTLS) enforced by default. To use this feature in your realm, contact Digibee Support to complete the setup.
mTLS enabled API does not support API Key, Token JWT, or Basic Auth. You can enable External API and Internal API alongside mTLS, but it is recommended to leave them disabled.
Allow redelivery of messages
Enable this option to allow messages to be redelivered if the Pipeline Engine fails. When enabled, messages returned to the processing queue become available for reprocessing by other pipeline replicas or by the same replica after a restart. Read more in the Pipeline Engine article.
Documentation
Include your API documentation in OpenAPI 3.0 format. This content describes your API's contract and you can use it to generate client SDKs, test your API, or import into tools like Postman or Swagger UI.
Next steps
Once your API pipeline is configured, deploy it on the Run page to make it available for consumption. After deployment, the generated endpoint will be visible on the pipeline card.
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