Developer Portals, API Catalogs, and Marketplaces Miriam Greis, Lead API Consultant at codecentric AG apidays Munich 2025 - Accelerate AI Use Cases with APIs July 2 & 3, 2025 ------ Check out our conferences at https://www.apidays.global/ Do you want to sponsor or talk at one of our conferences? https://apidays.typeform.com/to/ILJeAaV8 Learn more on APIscene, the global media made by the community for the community: https://www.apiscene.io Explore the API ecosystem with the API Landscape: https://apilandscape.apiscene.io/

1. Developer Portals,
API Catalogs, and
Marketplaces:
Choosing the
Right Tool for API
Consumers
2

2. 4
Dr. Miriam Greis
Lead API Consultant
miriam.greis@codecentric.de
www.linkedin.com/in/miriam-greis
Talk to us at the booth right at the
registration.
Introduction

3. 5
Agenda
Why This
Matters
Developer
Portals vs.
Catalogs vs.
Marketplaces
The Missing
Piece
When to Use
What?
Final Thoughts
& Takeaways

4. 6
APIs are critical for digital
strategies and managing them
at scale is increasingly complex.
APIs Are Everywhere
The Growing Complexity of API Ecosystems

5. 7
APIs are critical for digital
strategies and managing them
at scale is increasingly complex.
Discoverability, onboarding,
integration, governance,
monetization, operations,
versioning, deprecation, …
APIs Are Everywhere Many Topics to Handle
The Growing Complexity of API Ecosystems

6. 8
APIs are critical for digital
strategies and managing them
at scale is increasingly complex.
Discoverability, onboarding,
integration, governance,
monetization, operations,
versioning, deprecation, …
Each serves a unique purpose
but is often confused. Choosing
the right one impacts adoption
and success.
APIs Are Everywhere Many Topics to Handle Portals, Catalogs, and
Marketplaces
The Growing Complexity of API Ecosystems

7. - “Where is the right API for my use case?”
- “Why are there multiple APIs that seem to do the same
thing?”
Discoverability
9
The Real Pain Points of API Consumers
21

8. - “Where is the right API for my use case?”
- “Why are there multiple APIs that seem to do the same
thing?”
Discoverability
10
The Real Pain Points of API Consumers
21
- “How do I get started quickly?”
- “Why do I need to read 20 pages of docs before
making my first API call?”
Onboarding

9. - “Where is the right API for my use case?”
- “Why are there multiple APIs that seem to do the same
thing?”
Discoverability
Integration & Usage
- “How do I make this API work in environment?”
- “Is this API stable, reliable, and secure?”
11
The Real Pain Points of API Consumers
21
- “How do I get started quickly?”
- “Why do I need to read 20 pages of docs before
making my first API call?”
Onboarding

10. - “Where is the right API for my use case?”
- “Why are there multiple APIs that seem to do the same
thing?”
Discoverability
Integration & Usage
- “How do I make this API work in environment?”
- “Is this API stable, reliable, and secure?”
12
The Real Pain Points of API Consumers
21
- “How do I get started quickly?”
- “Why do I need to read 20 pages of docs before
making my first API call?”
Onboarding
Business Alignment
- “Can I use this API commercially?”
- “There are too many APIs, and I don’t know which one
to use.”

11. 13
Agenda
Why This
Matters
Developer
Portals vs.
Catalogs vs.
Marketplaces
The Missing
Piece
When to Use
What?
Final Thoughts
& Takeaways

12. 14
Developer
Portals
“Developer portals provide self-service
access to APIs, enabling seamless
onboarding, documentation, and
integration support.”

13. 1515
Technical
stakeholders
as the primary
audience.

14. 16
Developer
Support
SDKs, sample code,
Bruno/Postman
collections
API
documentation
Authentication
& API
key/token
management
Interactive API
exploration and
sandboxes
Features

15. 17
Helps developers
understand how to use
the API.
Improves self-service
adoption of APIs.
Reduces friction in
integration and first-time
use.

16. 18
Catalogs
“Catalogs organize and govern APIs for
better discoverability and
consistency.”

17. 1919
Internal
technical
stakeholders
as the primary
audience.

18. 20
Standardization
of API contracts
& dependencies
Centralized
API
inventory
API
metadata
Governance and
policy enforcement
Search,
filtering, and
categorization
Features

19. 21
Improves API reuse by
making APIs easier to find.
Reduces duplicate API
development and sprawl.
Enforces governance and
consistency across teams.

20. 22
Marketplaces
“Marketplaces connect API providers
with consumers to enable
monetization and partnerships.”

21. 23
23
External
business and
technical
stakeholders
as the primary
audience.

22. 24
API pricing
models
Ratings,
reviews, and
community
engagement
Legal
agreements &
SLA visibility
Billing &
revenue
sharing
mechanisms
Provider & consumer
onboarding
Features

23. 25
Expand API adoption
beyond internal teams.
Help business leaders
track API consumption
effectively.
Support
commercialization and
revenue generation.

24. 26
Agenda
Why This
Matters
Developer
Portals vs.
Catalogs vs.
Marketplaces
The Missing
Piece
When to Use
What?
Final Thoughts
& Takeaways

25. 27
What about the API
lifecycle and evolution?

26. 28
We can discover APIs…
but who ensures
consistency, versioning,
and smooth evolution?

27. 29
Registries
“Registries manage API Artefacts for
Lifecycle Transparency.”

28. 30
30
API owner as
the primary
audience.

29. 31
Centralized
API Definition
Storage
Schema &
Dependency
Awareness
Versioning &
Change
Tracking
Lifecycle State
Management
Features

30. 32
Ensures API lifecycle
transparency.
Provides a structured
source of API artefacts.
Improves collaboration.

31. 33
Registries support API
producers and
governance teams by
providing structured
artefact management,
while portals, catalogs,
and marketplaces focus
on API consumption.

32. 34
Agenda
Why This
Matters
Developer
Portals vs.
Catalogs vs.
Marketplaces
The Missing
Piece
When to Use
What?
Final Thoughts
& Takeaways

33. 35
Is API sprawl
complicating
governance and
discoverability?
Do developers
struggle to find
and use APIs?
Are you ready to
scale API
adoption beyond
internal use?

34. 36
Mapping Consumer Needs
Consumer Need Developer Portals API Catalogs API Marketplaces
Discoverability
Onboarding
Integration & Usage
Business Alignment

35. 37
Mapping Consumer Needs
Consumer Need Developer Portals API Catalogs API Marketplaces
Discoverability ❌ Not the primary focus ✅ API metadata,
categorization, taxonomy
✅ APIs listed based on
pricing or ecosystem fit
Onboarding
Integration & Usage
Business Alignment

36. 38
Mapping Consumer Needs
Consumer Need Developer Portals API Catalogs API Marketplaces
Discoverability ❌ Not the primary focus ✅ API metadata,
categorization, taxonomy
✅ APIs listed based on
pricing or ecosystem fit
Onboarding ✅ Tutorials, interactive
docs, SDKs, sandbox
❌ Not a core function ❌ Limited to API
descriptions
Integration & Usage
Business Alignment

37. 39
Mapping Consumer Needs
Consumer Need Developer Portals API Catalogs API Marketplaces
Discoverability ❌ Not the primary focus ✅ API metadata,
categorization, taxonomy
✅ APIs listed based on
pricing or ecosystem fit
Onboarding ✅ Tutorials, interactive
docs, SDKs, sandbox
❌ Not a core function ❌ Limited to API
descriptions
Integration & Usage ✅ self-service ❌ Primarily a
governance tool
✅ Pre-built integrations,
API contracts
Business Alignment

38. 40
Mapping Consumer Needs
Consumer Need Developer Portals API Catalogs API Marketplaces
Discoverability ❌ Not the primary focus ✅ API metadata,
categorization, taxonomy
✅ APIs listed based on
pricing or ecosystem fit
Onboarding ✅ Tutorials, interactive
docs, SDKs, sandbox
❌ Not a core function ❌ Limited to API
descriptions
Integration & Usage ✅ self-service ❌ Primarily a
governance tool
✅ Pre-built integrations,
API contracts
Business Alignment ❌ Mostly
developer-centric
✅ Supports API lifecycle
governance
✅ Enables monetization
& partnerships

39. 41
API Consumer Access Model (ACAM)

40. 44
Agenda
Why This
Matters
Developer
Portals vs.
Catalogs vs.
Marketplaces
The Missing
Piece
When to Use
What?
Final Thoughts
& Takeaways

41. 45
Where do you see gaps in your API ecosystem?
Where are you?
How do you enable API consumers today?

42. 47
Developer Portal, Catalog or
Marketplace?
● All tools serve different but
complementary roles.
● API consumer adaptation depends
on choosing the right tool.
"APIs are more than just interfaces—they
power ecosystems. Choose the right tools
to support your consumers and unlock
real business value."
Miri
codecentric
API Consulting:

43. 48
Learn from a real world story

44. codecentric AG | Hochstraße 11 | 42697 Solingen
Creating the digital future together.
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codecentric AG | Hochstraße 11 | 42697 Solingen
Creating the digital future together.