SmarterX Cuts APIM Costs by 75%
Key Benefits
Rapid Implementation
Achieved production readiness with Zuplo in just one month, including features like monetization and the developer portal.
Significant Cost Savings
Saved 75% on costs by switching to Zuplo.
Increased Developer Engagement
Saw a 3x increase in developers using Zuplo platform compared to Apigee.
Zero Hosting Costs
Hosting costs for infrastructure related to the proxy decreased to zero.
SmarterX is a technology company that specializes in helping brands and retailers make precise, expert decisions regarding consumer products. Their platform, which is built on eight years of retail and CPG data, simplifies navigating regulations related to waste, storage, and transportation, and automates supply chain decisions. The SmarterX Platform and API integrate trillions of data points, including 231 unique embedding models and over 100 fine-tuned GPT models.
SmarterX aims to provide seamless and efficient API services to its clients, however their previous API management solution, Apigee, proved to be cumbersome and costly. In search of a more developer-friendly and cost-effective alternative, they discovered Zuplo.
Problem
SmarterX initially used Apigee for their API management needs, but it quickly became apparent that the solution was not meeting their requirements. The key issues included:
- The high cost of Apigee which started to add up as they begun to scale.
- The platform's complex usability made it difficult for engineers to use effectively, leading to underutilization of its features.
- Apigee's restrictive functionality, characterized by its black-box nature, limited control over the request pipeline and connectivity options.
- The complex interface and lack of flexibility resulted in slow development cycles, impacting the time to market for new features.
Solution
Upon evaluating various alternatives, SmarterX chose Zuplo for several compelling reasons. Zuplo offered a more intuitive and familiar environment for developers, integrating seamlessly with existing workflows through the use of TypeScript/JavaScript, making code writing and testing easier.
“One thing that made the switch to Zuplo a no-brainer was how easily Zuplo fits into a development cycle. There are included dev environments for each user and branch. Zuplo uses Typescript functions as Policies (steps) in the request flow. They integrate directly with Github/VCS and facilitate PRs - all-in-all it's easy for developers to understand and use.”
The other big contributor… cost - Zuplo provided a significantly more cost-effective solution, drastically reducing the API management expenses for SmarterX. Additionally, Zuplo's platform allowed greater control over the request pipeline and connectivity, enabling faster and more flexible integrations. The proactive support from Zuplo's team, including a dedicated Slack channel for real-time assistance, greatly enhanced the overall experience.
Results
The transition to Zuplo brought about transformative results for SmarterX. They achieved rapid deployment, moving from discovery to production-ready status in just one month, including monetization and a developer portal. Cost savings were substantial, with API management expenses reduced by 75%, significantly improving their bottom line. The user-friendly interface and robust features led to a 3x increase in developer engagement. SmarterX was able to eliminate hosting costs for infrastructure related to the proxy thanks to Zuplo's efficient architecture. The ease of use and programmability of Zuplo accelerated development cycles, allowing SmarterX to deliver new features faster and more efficiently. This also improved their deployment frequency and reduced time to market for new projects.
“The natural programmable nature of it makes it easy to integrate Zuplo into any dev team and partner with developers to own it rather than have operations people do it.”
Zuplo has proven to be a game-changer for SmarterX, addressing their critical pain points and delivering outstanding results. With reduced costs, increased developer engagement, and faster development cycles, SmarterX can now focus more on innovation and delivering value to their customers. Zuplo's intuitive platform and exceptional support have empowered SmarterX to achieve their goals and set new benchmarks in API management.
