What does the term "orchestration" mean in API management?

The term "orchestration" in API management specifically refers to the concept of coordinating interactions across multiple services or API calls in a defined sequence. This is crucial in ensuring that different services communicate effectively and work together to fulfill a specific business process or workflow.

In this context, orchestration involves managing the order and conditions under which APIs are called, allowing for complex workflows that can include conditional logic, error handling, and response aggregation from multiple services. For example, a complex business transaction that requires calling several microservices in a specific order to complete a request is a perfect illustration of orchestration in action.

This approach enables organizations to streamline processes, reduce dependencies, and ensure consistency across services, which is essential for maintaining quality and reliability in API interactions. It allows for better management of resources and can improve overall system performance by optimizing service interactions.