SoftLayer Launches API 3.0

Web hosting provider SoftLayer announced on Monday it has launched its Application Protocol Interface 3.0, an extra improved version of the industry’s first open source API. Obtainable for free to all SoftLayer customers, API 3.0 provides system-to-system access to the more than 100 backend functions additionally available through SoftLayer’s customer portal.

API 3.0 can securely connect any system despite device or location, counting mobile devices. Improvements over preceding versions consist of a highly-integrated, object-oriented approach, greater .NET, Java and Ruby on Rails compatibility and deeper integration with SoftLayer’s core portal SOA design.

Nathan Day, chief technology officer for SoftLayer stated “SoftLayer is committed to giving customers more access and power. And that’s exactly what the API is all about. By directly integrating their systems with the SoftLayer infrastructure, customers have seamless control of their hardware, applications and services. They can eliminate layers of management systems and radically simplify their operations.”

Similar to previous API versions, API 3.0 has the capacity to use both SOAP and XML-RPC interfaces and, as an open, standards-based platform, can completely integrate with any third-party or custom application. Anybody with a connection to the private network, either directly connected through their SoftLayer server or logged in remotely through a VPN, is able to use API-based applications.