Introduction
eG Enterprise is a 100%, web-based management console that allows users to view performance metrics collected from a target infrastructure. Users with administrative rights can configure the infrastructure that needs to be monitored. Configuration typically involves a sequence of tasks that prepares the environment for monitoring - this includes identifying and adding the components to be monitored, configuring the tests pertaining to these components, setting thresholds, configuring additional external and remote agents for the environment, etc. Typically, a user must login to the web-based eG administrative interface as an admin user in order to perform the above-mentioned tasks.
To perform critical configuration tasks on the eG manager without logging into the eG manager, eG Enterprise previously offered only an eG CLI capability. However, to keep pace with the growth observed in the technology world, eG REST API capability is also available for a similar purpose.
A RESTful API is an application program interface (API) that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST and DELETE data. It is based on representational state transfer (REST) technology, an architectural style and approach to communications often used in web services development.
From any REST client, administrators can hit the URL of the eG manager using the HTTP POST method to connect to the manager and perform administrative tasks on it. Moreover, using the eG REST API, administrators can also retrieve analytical data (for e.g., alarms raised in the target environment, the detailed diagnosis data of a chosen measure, health of the components in the target environment) from the eG manager. This information can be integrated with other management portals. Commands can also be executed in bulk using this eG REST API.
What does the REST API enable?
- Ability to automate admin activities (e.g., auto provision monitoring when a VM is spun up)
- Extract and analyze performance metrics automatically
- Integration with other management portals to provide a seamless user interface
- Integration and consolidation with asset / configuration tracking systems
