Viewing API details in API Insights

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 6 minutes to read
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    Summary of Viewing API details in API Insights

    The API details page in the API Insights workspace offers enterprise architects comprehensive insights into API performance, relationships, and governance. This page can be accessed through Workspaces > API Insights, where users can select an API from the data table to view its operational status, usage, security, and connections within the CMDB.

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    Key Features

    • Header Region: Displays API name, version, lifecycle stage, and options to view by management platform and API versions.
    • Metadata Region: Provides key information such as API description, last discovered date, type, ownership group, and interaction method.
    • Related Lists: Highlights access requests, API consumers, deployments, associated products, and tags, all of which can be clicked for detailed insights.
    • Overview Panel: Organized into Frontend, Backend, and Components, detailing client-side and server-side operations, as well as REST API endpoints.
    • Usage: Displays average request counts over time and usage distribution across API versions.
    • Events: Lists critical alerts and recorded incidents related to the API, facilitating operational health tracking.
    • Security: Shows active vulnerabilities and incidents to monitor API security risks.
    • Relationship Map: Visualizes API relationships with components and applications, aiding in impact assessment and service management.

    Key Outcomes

    Utilizing the API details page allows ServiceNow customers to effectively monitor API performance, manage security risks, and understand the API's role within their system architecture. The insights gained can lead to improved decision-making regarding API governance and operational health, ultimately enhancing overall service delivery and efficiency.

    As an enterprise architect, gain insights into your organization's API performance, relationships, and governance from the API details page within the API Insights workspace.

    The API details page in the API Insights workspace provides a detailed view of an API's operational status, usage, security, and relationships within CMDB.
    Figure 1. API details page
    The API details page in the API Insights workspace
    .

    Accessing and using the API details page

    To access the API details page, navigate to Workspaces > API Insights, select the APIs tab, and then select an API from the Name column from the API data table.

    Viewing data

    By default, the page displays the following data:

    Header region
    Displays the name of the API, version information, the API's current life cycle stage, such as Operational, or End of Life.

    The View By list enables you to toggle between different management platforms, if available, under which the API is managed.

    The version selector enables the selection of different versions of the API to view and manage. Select Update to update the details based on the selected version.

    Note:
    The View By list and the version selector appear only if applicable for an API.
    Metadata region
    Displays the following fields.
    Field Description
    Description Brief summary or purpose of the API.
    Last discovered Last date the API was discovered or updated in the CMDB.
    Discovery source Source from where the API was discovered.
    Type Type of the API whether scripted REST API, HTTP API, platform REST API, and so on.
    Ownership group Team or group responsible for managing the API.
    Digital interface Interaction method of the API within the system.
    Related Lists
    Displays the following items as links with their counts.
    Item Description
    Access requests received Displays the number of access requests made for the API. Select the link displayed on the card to view access request details.
    Consumers Displays the number of consumers of the API. Select the link displayed on the card to view details for each API consumer.
    Deployments Indicates any active or past deployments of the API across environments. Select the link displayed on the card to view API deployment details.
    Products Displays the number of products associated with the API. Select the link displayed on the card to view API product details.
    Tags Displays the number of tags associated with the API. Select the link displayed on the card to view details for each tag.
    Overview panel
    Lists all available components of the API, organized into three subsections within the Overview panel:
    Frontend
    Contains client-side operations, including GraphQL mutations and queries that interact with the UI or user-facing functionality.
    Backend
    Contains server-side operations, including backend-specific GraphQL mutations and queries that process business logic and data.
    Components
    Contain various REST API endpoints or service interfaces, each providing a specific function or resource within the API.

    You can expand each subsection to view its endpoints and select any endpoint to see its details.

    Usage
    Displays the following cards.
    Card Description
    Average number of requests Number of API component requests over time, represented as a line graph, with the x-axis showing the date range and the y-axis displaying the request count.
    Usage by version API request distribution across different versions over the past 10 days.
    Events
    Displays the following cards.
    Card Description
    Critical alerts Critical alerts from IT operations related to the API enabling identifying major issues that could affect the API’s performance.

    Select the card to display all the open alerts in the Service Operations Workspace and access more detailed information on them. For more information, see Service Operations Workspace.

    Incidents Recorded incidents, such as outages, change requests, or problems related to the API essential for tracking operational health and remediation efforts.

    Select the card to display all the open incidents in the Service Operations Workspace and access more detailed information on them. For more information, see Service Operations Workspace.

    Security
    Displays the following cards.
    Card Description
    Active vulnerability items Security vulnerabilities associated with the API enabling to track and resolve potential risks.

    Select the card to display all vulnerabilities in the Vulnerability Manager Workspace and access more detailed information on them. For more information, see Vulnerability Manager Workspace.

    Security incidents Security incidents, if enabled, providing insights into security breaches or issues that might have occurred with the API.

    Select the card to display all open security incidents in the Security Incident Response Workspace and access more detailed information on them. For more information, see Security Incident Response Workspace.

    Relationship map
    Provides a hierarchical overview of the API relationships with its components, management platforms, business applications, and designs, making it easier to understand the API's role within the broader system architecture. In addition, provides the option to manage application service relationships. See Managing application service relationships for APIs.

    A relationship map is a partial unified map similar to the one used in the CMDB Workspace. To open the unified map for APIs, select Open full map in the Relationship map section of the API details page. To learn more, see Unified Map.

    Figure 2. Unified map for APIs
    API unified map
    Nodes on the map represent the API and its components in the CMDB and lines represent connections and relationships between API components. The connections help you, for example, to assess the impact of a change to a selected node by showing components that are connected to it through relationships and references. Products such as Change Management, Incident Management, and Event Management benefit from such information.

    The map also shows the composition of application services useful with products such as Event Management and Incident Management. You can review historical changes.

    The following elements are available in the unified map for APIs:
    1: Map
    The map displays the specified API and its connections and relationships. In the example, the httpbin.org-v1.1 is the home node and the lines represent connections and relationships with other components. Select any node to view details like related application services, change history.
    2: Content controls
    • Search for and select the home node, specify the number of relationship levels for application services to display, and reload the map after making changes.
    • Use filters to limit the types and relationship types that appear on the map.
    • Show or hide the timeline of events (related items) for the selected API
    3: Toolbox
    Use the toolbox to control several visual aspects of the map, such as zoom level or layout mode.
    4: Contextual side panel
    • The Attributes panel (Attributes icon.) lists attributes like location and operational status for the selected API or relationship.
    • The Application services panel (Application services icon.) lists details of application services associated with the selected API.
    • The Related items panel (Related items icon.) shows related items such as active incidents or active problems for the selected API.
    • The Changes panel (Changes icon.) lists changes such as changes to operational status for the selected API.
    5: Mini-map navigator
    Set the zoom level or move the view to an area of interest. Select the icon to show or hide the navigator.
    6: Timeline
    The timeline indicates events (related items) like incidents, problems, and changes for the selected API over a specified period of time. You can use the timeline to visualize the history of changes to an API and how they affect the topology of the CMDB.