# StepZen

**Canonical:** https://apis.io/providers/stepzen/  
**Website:** https://stepzen.com/  
**APIs profiled:** 5

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.

## Kin Score — 33.2 / 100 (thin)

Scored 2026-08-25 under rubric 0.14.0. Trend: flat (+0.0 from 33.2).

| Facet | Score |
|---|---|
| Discoverability | 64.8 |
| Contract Quality | 61.2 |
| Governance | 13.6 |
| Contract Governance | 13.6 |
| Operational Transparency | 10.5 |
| Developer Ergonomics | 26.2 |
| Commercial Clarity | 15.8 |
| Access Clarity | 15.8 |

## Agent readiness — 19.8 (agent-aware)

| Dimension | Value |
|---|---|
| Spec Presence | yes |
| Agentic Access | derived |
| Reversibility Documented | no |
| MCP Server | no |
| Auth Clarity | bearer |
| Idempotency | no |
| Error Semantics | no |
| OpenAPI Examples | no |
| Rate Limit Signal | documented |
| Event Surface Described | no |
| Agent Skills | no |
| Well Known Catalog | no |
| Consent Identity | no |
| Agent Card | no |
| Dry Run Mode | no |
| Delegated Identity | no |
| Protected Resource Metadata | no |
| Dynamic Client Registration | no |
| Agentic Commerce | no |

## Access

Freemium · Self-serve signup — onboarding: self-serve, pricing: freemium, trial: no (confidence: high).

## APIs (5)

- **StepZen GraphQL API** — GraphQL API platform for connecting to REST, databases, and other backends, automatically generating a GraphQL schema and resolvers from your data sources. Supports authenticati...
- **StepZen Admin API** — REST API for managing StepZen accounts, deployed GraphQL endpoints, API keys, and usage metrics programmatically.
- **StepZen Account API** — Account information and settings
- **StepZen API Keys API** — Manage API keys for endpoint access
- **StepZen Endpoints API** — Manage deployed GraphQL API endpoints

## Agentic access (1)

- **Stepzen Agentic Access** — 8 operations · 4 acting

## Security (2)

- **Stepzen Authentication** — apiKey · 1 scheme
- **Stepzen Domain Security** — TLSv1.3 · DMARC

## Plans (1)

- **Stepzen Plans Pricing**

## Tags

Backend Integration, GraphQL, API Gateway, REST to GraphQL, IBM, Data Federation

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Profiled by [API Evangelist](https://apievangelist.com) and published on [APIs.io](https://apis.io/providers/stepzen/). Scores are computed from the provider's own public artifacts under a published rubric.