API Mashup Infrastructure Generation via Modular Function Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional platforms require significant human effort to build and deploy IF-This-Then-That (IFTTT) mashup recipes, leading to a slower growth in the number of IFTTT mashup recipes compared to Web APIs, with no existing solutions for generating executable API mashup recipes efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A method for automatically generating, deploying, and executing API mashups on cloud computing systems using a mashup installer that configures API gateways, trigger, rule, and action functions, reducing the need for manual coding and accelerating the development cycle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual methods are used to build and deploy IFTTT mashup recipes, then reliability and control are maintained, but productivity and development speed are significantly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the mashup deployment process into distinct functional components: trigger functions that detect events, rule functions that evaluate conditions, action functions that execute responses, and API gateway functions that manage communications. This segmentation allows each component to be independently developed, deployed, and scaled, dramatically improving productivity while maintaining manageable complexity through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements universal function templates that can be reused across multiple mashup recipes. The trigger, rule, action, and API gateway functions are designed as reusable components that can serve multiple purposes, reducing the overall complexity of the system while enabling rapid deployment of new mashups by combining existing functional building blocks.
2Loss of time
If automated generation of API mashup recipes is implemented, then productivity and development time are reduced, but device complexity and system architecture complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mashup installer performs preliminary actions by automatically generating the complete mashup recipe configuration, deploying all necessary trigger, rule, action, and API gateway functions, and establishing their interconnections before the user needs to use the mashup. This automated preliminary setup eliminates manual configuration time while containing complexity within the installer itself, which can be deployed once and reused repeatedly.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service capabilities where the mashup installer automatically discovers available APIs, generates appropriate mashup recipes based on user specifications, deploys the necessary functions, and configures their interactions without requiring manual intervention. This self-service automation dramatically reduces development time while the installer's complexity is justified by its ability to autonomously perform the entire deployment workflow.
3Ease of operation
If specialized expertise is required for mashup creation, then manufacturing precision and control are maintained, but ease of operation and accessibility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The mashup installer empowers users with self-service capabilities to create and deploy mashups without requiring specialized expertise. Users simply specify their requirements through a simplified interface, and the installer automatically generates the complex configuration, ensuring accuracy through automated validation and proper deployment of all functional components. This eliminates the need for manual configuration while maintaining precision through automated processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The mashup installer acts as an intermediary between the user's simple requirements and the complex underlying system. It translates high-level user specifications into detailed mashup configurations, automatically handling the complexity of function deployment, event routing, and API integrations. This intermediary layer shields users from complexity while ensuring accurate and precise mashup creation through automated best practices and validation.
Data Source
AI summary
According to an aspect of an embodiment, operations include deploying a trigger function on a computing system for detecting an electronic trigger event associated with a first Application Programming Interface (API) provider. The operations further include deploying a rule function for applying at least one trigger rule on event data and deploying an action function for generating at least one API call to a second API provider based on whether the event data satisfies the at least one trigger rule. The operations further include deploying a set of API gateways for enabling a workflow system to invoke at least one of: the deployed trigger function, the deployed rule function, and the deployed action function. The operations further include generating a workflow template of an API mashup based on information associated with the deployed functions and API gateways and posting the generated workflow template to the workflow system.