StepZen

StepZen (now IBM API Connect Essentials) is a GraphQL-as-a-Service platform that enables developers to build, deploy, and manage GraphQL APIs by connecting to multiple backends including REST APIs, SQL databases, NoSQL databases, GraphQL endpoints, and SOAP services. APIs are defined declaratively using GraphQL SDL with custom directives like @rest and @dbquery. StepZen runs a high-performance in-memory Golang GraphQL engine deployed on Kubernetes, optimizing queries at runtime for low latency and high throughput.

StepZen publishes 3 APIs on the APIs.io network: Account API, API Keys API, and Endpoints API. Tagged areas include Backend Integration, GraphQL, API Gateway, REST to GraphQL, and IBM.

The StepZen catalog on APIs.io includes 1 JSON-LD context and 2 Spectral governance rulesets.

StepZen’s developer surface includes authentication, developer portal, documentation, and 7 more developer resources.

🌐 Visit website 📡 Source on GitHub

48.5/100 developing ▬ flat Agent 31/100 agent aware Full breakdown ↓
scored 2026-07-28 · rubric v0.6

AccessFreemiumSelf serve⚡ Free to try

5 APIs

Backend IntegrationGraphQLAPI GatewayREST to GraphQLIBMData Federation

Kin Score

Kin Score How this is scored →
scored 2026-07-28 · rubric v0.6

Composite quality — 48.5/100 · developing

Contract Quality 16.7 / 25

Developer Ergonomics 5.7 / 20

Commercial Clarity 7.9 / 20

Operational Transparency 4.8 / 13

Governance 7.0 / 12

Discoverability 6.5 / 10

Agent readiness — 31/100 · agent aware

Machine-Readable Contract 18 / 18

Agentic Access Contract 10 / 10

MCP Server 0 / 12

Machine-Readable Auth 10 / 10

Idempotency 0 / 9

Stable Error Semantics 0 / 8

Request/Response Examples 0 / 7

Rate-Limit Signaling 7 / 7

Typed Event Surface 0 / 6

Agent Skills 0 / 5

Well-Known Catalog 0 / 4

Consent & Bot Identity 0 / 3

A2A Agent Card 0 / 8

Dry-Run / Simulate Mode 0 / 4

Improve this rating by publishing the missing artifacts — every area above can be raised, and the full rubric is at apis.io/rating/. This rating is computed from github.com/api-evangelist/stepzen: open an issue to ask a question, or submit a pull request to add artifacts. Want it done for you? Prioritized profiling — $2,500 →

APIs 5

Individual APIs this provider publishes, each with its own machine-readable definition.

GraphQL 1

GraphQL schemas published by this provider.

Rate Limits 1

Documented rate limits and quota policies.

Stepzen Rate Limits

5 limits

RATE LIMITS

FinOps 1

Cost, billing, and metering signals for API financial operations.

JSON Schema 1

Standalone JSON Schema definitions for this provider's data models.

Examples 1

Example request and response payloads for these APIs.

Get Started 1

Portal, sign-up, and the first successful call

Portal

Portal

Documentation 1

Reference material describing how the API behaves

Documentation

Documentation

Agent Surfaces 1

MCP servers, agent skills, and machine-readable catalogs

AgenticAccess

AgenticAccess

Build 1

SDKs, sample code, and the tooling you integrate with

GitHubOrganization

GitHubOrganization

Access & Security 2

Authentication, authorization, and security posture

DomainSecurity

DomainSecurity

Authentication

Authentication

Company 2

The organization behind the API

LinkedIn

Website

Website

Other 2

Properties that don't map to a standard resource type

Dashboard

Dashboard

IBM Product Page

IBM Product Page

Source (apis.yml)

aid: stepzen
name: StepZen
description: StepZen (now IBM API Connect Essentials) is a GraphQL-as-a-Service platform that enables developers to build,
  deploy, and manage GraphQL APIs by connecting to multiple backends including REST APIs, SQL databases, NoSQL databases,
  GraphQL endpoints, and SOAP services. APIs are defined declaratively using GraphQL SDL with custom directives like @rest
  and @dbquery. StepZen runs a high-performance in-memory Golang GraphQL engine deployed on Kubernetes, optimizing queries
  at runtime for low latency and high throughput.
type: Index
accessModel:
  pricing: freemium
  onboarding: self-serve
  trial: false
  try_now: true
  public: false
  label: Freemium · Self-serve signup
  confidence: high
  source:
  - plans
  - authentication
  generated: '2026-07-22'
  method: derived
image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/icons/stepzen.png
tags:
- Backend Integration
- GraphQL
- API Gateway
- REST to GraphQL
- IBM
- Data Federation
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/stepzen/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
created: '2026-03-16'
modified: '2026-05-19'
specificationVersion: '0.19'
apis:
- aid: stepzen:stepzen-api
  name: StepZen GraphQL API
  description: GraphQL API platform for connecting to REST, databases, and other backends, automatically generating a GraphQL
    schema and resolvers from your data sources. Supports authentication via API key, OAuth, and custom headers. Deployed
    instances are accessible at account.stepzen.net endpoints.
  humanURL: https://stepzen.com/
  baseURL: https://{account}.stepzen.net/{folder}/{name}/__graphql
  tags:
  - GraphQL
  - API Integration
  - Data Federation
  - REST
  - Database
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://stepzen.com/docs
  - type: GitHubOrganization
    url: https://github.com/stepzen-dev
  - type: CLI Reference
    url: https://stepzen.com/docs/cli/cli-commands
  - type: GettingStarted
    url: https://stepzen.com/docs/quick-start/install-and-setup
  - type: IBM Documentation
    url: https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/stepzen
  - url: graphql/stepzen-graphql.md
    type: GraphQL
- aid: stepzen:stepzen-admin-api
  name: StepZen Admin API
  description: REST API for managing StepZen accounts, deployed GraphQL endpoints, API keys, and usage metrics programmatically.
  humanURL: https://stepzen.com/docs
  tags:
  - Administration
  - API Management
  - GraphQL
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://stepzen.com/docs
- aid: stepzen:stepzen-account-api
  name: StepZen Account API
  description: Account information and settings
  humanURL: https://stepzen.com/
  baseURL: https://{account}.stepzen.net/{folder}/{name}/__graphql
  tags:
  - Account
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/stepzen-account-api-openapi.yml
- aid: stepzen:stepzen-api-keys-api
  name: StepZen API Keys API
  description: Manage API keys for endpoint access
  humanURL: https://stepzen.com/
  baseURL: https://{account}.stepzen.net/{folder}/{name}/__graphql
  tags:
  - API Keys
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/stepzen-api-keys-api-openapi.yml
- aid: stepzen:stepzen-endpoints-api
  name: StepZen Endpoints API
  description: Manage deployed GraphQL API endpoints
  humanURL: https://stepzen.com/
  baseURL: https://{account}.stepzen.net/{folder}/{name}/__graphql
  tags:
  - Endpoints
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/stepzen-endpoints-api-openapi.yml
common:
- type: AgenticAccess
  url: agentic-access/stepzen-agentic-access.yml
- type: DomainSecurity
  url: security/stepzen-domain-security.yml
- type: Authentication
  url: authentication/stepzen-authentication.yml
- type: LinkedIn
  url: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stepzen
- type: Portal
  url: https://stepzen.com/
- type: Documentation
  url: https://stepzen.com/docs
- type: Website
  url: https://stepzen.com/
- type: GitHubOrganization
  url: https://github.com/stepzen-dev
- type: Dashboard
  url: https://dashboard.ibm.stepzen.com/
- type: IBM Product Page
  url: https://www.ibm.com/products/api-connect
features:
- name: REST to GraphQL
  description: Import existing REST APIs and auto-generate GraphQL schemas using @rest directive
- name: Database to GraphQL
  description: Connect SQL (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MSSQL) and NoSQL databases using @dbquery directive
- name: GraphQL Federation
  description: Import and stitch multiple GraphQL endpoints into a unified schema
- name: SOAP to GraphQL
  description: Connect SOAP/WSDL services to GraphQL using @connector directive
- name: Declarative Schema
  description: Define APIs with GraphQL SDL and custom directives, no resolver code needed
- name: Auto-Generated Resolvers
  description: StepZen generates and optimizes resolvers at runtime from declarative schema
- name: Query Optimization
  description: Runtime query planning and optimization for low latency and high throughput
- name: Schema Explorer
  description: Built-in browser-based GraphQL schema explorer for testing deployed APIs
- name: CLI Import
  description: stepci import curl/graphql/mysql commands to introspect and generate schemas
useCases:
- name: API Aggregation
  description: Combine multiple REST and database sources into a single unified GraphQL API
- name: Frontend BFF
  description: Create tailored Backend-for-Frontend GraphQL layers for React, Next.js, Vue
- name: Data Federation
  description: Federate data from multiple disparate sources into a single queryable schema
- name: Legacy API Modernization
  description: Expose legacy REST and SOAP APIs as modern GraphQL endpoints
- name: Rapid Prototyping
  description: Quickly build and deploy GraphQL APIs from existing data sources
integrations:
- name: MySQL
  description: Connect MySQL databases using @dbquery directive
- name: PostgreSQL
  description: Connect PostgreSQL databases using @dbquery directive
- name: REST APIs
  description: Import any REST/HTTP API using @rest directive or stepzen import curl
- name: GraphQL
  description: Import existing GraphQL schemas using stepzen import graphql
- name: Shopify
  description: Pre-built Shopify GraphQL integration
- name: WordPress
  description: Connect WordPress data via REST API import
- name: Next.js
  description: Official Next.js starter template and integration guide
- name: Netlify
  description: StepZen build plugin for Netlify deployments
- name: Apigee
  description: GraphQL API management integration with Google Apigee
solutions:
- name: GraphQL as a Service
  description: Fully managed GraphQL execution layer without infrastructure management
- name: IBM API Connect Essentials
  description: StepZen functionality available as part of IBM API Connect platform
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com

StepZen

APIs 5

Open Collections 1

GraphQL 1

Pricing Plans 1