As organizations increasingly adopt cloud-based integrations, managing and securing third-party APIs has become a top priority. In many enterprise environments, directly exposing backend APIs can lead to security, scalability, and governance challenges. This is where API Proxy implementation in Workato becomes an essential approach.

Workato’s API Platform enables you to create API proxies that act as controlled intermediaries between clients and backend systems providing a secure, managed, and observable interface for external consumers while maintaining backend flexibility.

Understanding API Proxy in Workato

• An API Proxy in Workato allows you to create a managed endpoint that forwards incoming requests to an external or internal API, processes responses, and applies business logic or security controls in between.
• Instead of allowing clients to call your backend API directly, the proxy acts as a gateway — masking backend endpoints, managing authentication, and enforcing policies such as rate limiting or payload validation.
• This approach is widely used to:
  – Protect backend APIs from direct access
  – Standardize response formats across services
  – Add custom business logic or transformations
  – Integrate multiple APIs under a unified endpoint

Key Capabilities

• Security Layer: Workato’s API platform supports OAuth 2.0, JWT, and custom header-based authentication, allowing you to secure your proxy endpoints while keeping backend APIs private.
• Dynamic Request Routing: The API Proxy can dynamically forward requests to various external APIs based on parameters or logic defined in your Workato recipe.

Steps to Implement an API Proxy in Workato

Step 1: Create an API collection
1. In the left side navigation, find API platform then Click Create new collection → choose API proxy collection

Step 2: Add the HTTP Connector

Step 3: Configure collection and add endpoint.

Step 4: Respond Back to the API Caller

Step 5: Create an API Client and generate API key.

Step 6: Test API endpoint with the API key we generated.

Real-World Implementation Scenarios

• Securing Third-Party APIs: Control access to external APIs (e.g., Jira, Salesforce, or LinearB) — applying authentication and request validation before allowing data to flow into the enterprise environment.
• Unifying Legacy and Modern APIs: API proxies can expose a standardized interface that aggregates responses from multiple systems — such as combining HR data from Workday (SOAP) and employee data from Salesforce (REST) into one unified endpoint.
• Internal Governance and Monitoring: For internal APIs, Workato’s API Platform offers visibility and analytics on API usage, enabling teams to track performance and enforce compliance policies.

As teams scale their integrations, unsecured or scattered APIs often become the biggest roadblock. That’s where Workato’s API Proxy turns chaos into control giving enterprises a secure, governed, and unified API layer in minutes.

Ready to strengthen your API ecosystem and build integrations with confidence? Connect with TGH’s Workato experts today!