APIBRT

APIBRT, or API Bridge Runtime, is a term used to describe middleware or a software framework that provides runtime capabilities for connecting, adapting, and governing APIs across heterogeneous systems. It is not a single universal product; rather, many organizations implement or reference API bridge runtime components as part of API modernization and integration strategies.

Typical functions include protocol bridging between REST, gRPC, GraphQL and other interfaces; payload transformation and shaping; aggregation of multiple backend services into unified endpoints; dynamic routing and load balancing; and governance features such as authentication, authorization, quotas, auditing, and observability.

Architecturally, APIBRT is often designed with a data plane that handles traffic and a control plane that manages configuration and policy. It may support modular adapters for different protocols, a rules engine for transformation and routing, and integration points for monitoring, metrics, and tracing. Deployments are commonly containerized and run on Kubernetes, and configurations may be expressed through declarative manifests or API-driven interfaces.

Use cases include API modernization of legacy services, multi-cloud or hybrid-cloud API exposure, API composition for client applications, and secure exposure of internal services to external partners.

In relation to existing technologies, APIBRT complements API gateways, service meshes, and API management platforms rather than replacing them. It emphasizes runtime bridging and transformation, while gateways focus on policy and security at the edge, and service meshes manage service-to-service communication.

There is no universally adopted standard for APIBRT, and the term often describes a family of capabilities rather than a single specification. Specific products and projects implement varying features under different names.