API Connect Form Factor Migration (FFM)

Throughout 2022-H1 I had the chance to work on a unique API Connect project. The core technical part of the engagement is best described by analogizing it to a brain transplantation surgery. We took the brain out of an existing APIC environment and transplanted into another APIC instance. The source was on-prem v2018 and the target was v10 in AWS.

What is FFM?

The API Connect Form Factor Migration is a technical process to migrate an API Connect instance to another form factor, or to the same form factor. In high level the process consists from the following steps:

1. Set up a new target API Connect instance
2. Extract the APIC data from the source instance
3. Import the extracted data into the target instance
4. Cut over to the target instance

Who could potentially benefit from FFM?

Depending on the existing v2018 (or v10) version and the desired target v10 version, the standard migration path (see documentation below) may require multiple upgrade steps (upgrade version A to B, test, cut over, repeat to version C, repeat to version D, and etc). One of the reasons for someone to go thru FFM is to complete the project in one shot, thus minimizing the risks and significantly reducing the overall project timeline.

Another important reason to use FFM is to change API Connect deployment form factor. The main API Connect supported form factors are VMWare, Kubernetes, Openshift, and CP4I. Many customers start initially with VMWare based deployments. Later, as part of a move-to-containers / move-to-cloud / and other modernization journeys, they could benefit from using FFM to quickly migrate to the new platform.

Lastly, FFM could be used to change the API Connect endpoints. API Connect is a platform. It is based on a micro-services concept, consists from many different services, and these services communicate thru internal and external APIs. Each service is based on endpoints that are set as part of the product installation. Some of these endpoints cannot be changed after deployment. However, there are times that such a change is required. That's where FFM could be helpful as it provides an opportunity to set new endpoints in the target environment. Although it may sound overkill, it is not, and it is the only way (as of now) to change the endpoints.

Reference:

1. API Connect: v2018 to v10 upgrade paths
2. API Connect Upgrade Central: v2018 to v10
3. Migrating v10 to another form factor
4. An API Connect project I used FFM to migrate from v2010 to v10

P.S. The image is from the "Heart of a Dog" film based on a novella by Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov.