Orchestration Platform for APIs, Overcoming the Limitations of Traditional Platforms

Imagine this: you’re driving and suddenly get lost. Your eager passengers jump in to help. One of them, feeling nostalgic, insists on using a paper map to find the way. Meanwhile, another passenger does what most of us do today—checks Google Maps to quickly find the fastest route to your destination. You might be thinking, come on! Who is still using paper maps today?! Yes, this might sound like a far-fetched example. Both paper maps and Google Maps aim to serve the same purpose: getting you to your destination. But wouldn’t you agree that sometimes we stick to using tools that no longer meet our needs as effectively as they once did?

In this post, we’ll explore why traditional orchestration solutions struggle with API use cases and how Unmeshed—a new-generation orchestration platform—steps in to bridge these gaps effectively. APIs are at the heart of digital innovation, it enables seamless data exchange, it ensures real-time user interactions and handles service integrations across various systems. However, handling API workflows effectively requires an orchestration platform that meets very specific demands.

Why Traditional Orchestration Platforms Struggle with APIs

Most traditional orchestration platforms were designed for a very different set of goals: it manages complex and long-running workflows that span multiple systems and involves robust state management and error handling. While these capabilities are essential for backend processes, they perform less than ideal when applied to the high-speed demands of real-time API orchestration.

1. Traditional Platforms Prioritize Reliability Over Speed

   For example, a platform like Netflix Conductor are open-source orchestration solutions that handle complex, multi-step workflows. Their core purpose is to reliably store and manage the states of each workflow step, ensuring that processes complete successfully—even in the face of failures.

   This approach makes Conductor an excellent option for backend orchestration, where stability is the primary requirement. However, when it comes to APIs, this state-heavy, reliability-focused model leads to increased latency. Essentially, APIs demand near-zero response times, a traditional platform and need time to store and track each step, that adds unnecessary delay thus making them unsuitable for low-latency API calls.

2. Real-Time Needs Aren’t a Design Priority

   Bear in mind that API use cases typically require response times measured in milliseconds, as well as the ability to stream partial content and handle thousands of requests per second.

   To support these needs, an orchestration platform must prioritize speed and lightweight processing over extensive state tracking. Unfortunately, this demand is often in direct conflict with the design principles of traditional platforms, which prioritize reliability over real-time performance.

3. Complex State Management is Unnecessary for APIs

   In API orchestration, the goal is often to quickly query backend systems, transform data, and return a response. In fact, a complex state management between steps is generally unnecessary and counterproductive for APIscenarios, as it only adds to the processing overhead.

   Traditional platforms’ is built to treat every step as a stateful operation that needs to be recorded, managed, and monitored, but this approach isn’t well-suited for the quick, stateless nature of most API workflows.

Key Requirements for an Effective API Orchestration Platform

In response to limitations by traditional orchestration platforms, a dynamic orchestration platform must meet a set of unique requirements that prioritize speed, security, and efficiency, while continuing to be reliable in all scenarios.

• Fast Response Times:
  APIs need to deliver data at near-instant speeds, often within milliseconds, to maintain a seamless user experience.

• Ability to Stream Partial Content:
  In some cases, APIs may need to begin delivering content before all data is retrieved. The ability to stream partial results as they're available can dramatically improve the perceived speed of API responses and enhance user experience.

• Near-Zero Latency:
  APIs power real-time interactions, meaning they must operate with as little latency as possible.

• Authentication, Rate Limiting, and Security:
  APIs often handle sensitive data, making robust security measures such as API key authentication and rate limiting critical.

How Unmeshed Bridges the Gap

In Unmeshed, we redefined orchestration to support both API and backend scenarios, by creating a unique solution that’s as effective for high-speed API workflows as it is for complex, long-running backend processes. Unmeshed combines the stability of traditional orchestration with the speed and efficiency needed for API management.

1. Built for Multiple Scenarios

   Unmeshed’s architecture was designed to handle the high-speed, low-latency requirements of API orchestration while retaining the capabilities necessary for backend workflows. It is flexible enough to handle both API-driven, short-lived processes and long-running orchestration scenarios, making it a versatile choice for a variety of use cases.

2. Optimized for Latency and Speed

   For APIs, where latency and speed are critical, Unmeshed operates with near-zero latency. Unlike traditional platforms, Unmeshed doesn’t over-rely on complex state management, reducing unnecessary delays. This approach means that API calls are orchestrated efficiently, allowing for real-time interactions that are impossible with more state-heavy solutions.

3. Supports Parallel and Fan-Out Queries

   Unmeshed allows for fan-out queries, enabling the platform to quickly access multiple backend systems, gather data, and transform it for API responses. This makes it easy to deliver comprehensive, real-time information to users. For instance, a fan-out query might retrieve user account data from one system, recent transaction data from another, and current offer information from yet another—all in one fast API call. Unmeshed manages this complexity without the latency typical of traditional orchestration platforms.

4. Seamless Data Transformation and Response Handling

   API workflows often require data transformation before results are sent back to the client. Unmeshed handles these transformations on the fly, allowing API calls to return precise, user-ready data without additional processing delays.This capability is essential for delivering personalized or contextualized data directly to end-users in real time.

Unmeshed: Meeting Today’s Orchestration Demands

In today’s dynamic environment, businesses need an orchestration platform that can handle a range of use cases, from real-time API management to robust, long-running workflows. Unmeshed was built to fill this gap, offering a single platform capable of meeting both high-speed, low-latency requirements for APIs and the durability and reliability necessary for backend processes. By moving beyond the limitations of traditional orchestration platforms, Unmeshed empowers businesses to innovate faster, simplify integrations, and handle complex workflows—all while maintaining the performance needed for modern digital experiences.

Whether you’re managing high-frequency API calls or orchestrating critical backend processes, Unmeshed offers the flexibility and speed to keep your business agile and competitive. Curious to see Unmeshed in action? Chat with us and explore how our platform can empower your team to innovate and automate like never before.