New to Edge? Want to learn? Where to start? I was recently new to Edge myself and wanted to share my experience of learning. I also wanted to share great news - Edge is pretty easy to learn and I think you’ll have fun doing it.
First it is probably important you understand my learning style. I like to get my hands dirty quickly. For better or worse I tend to have a limited attention span for reading documentation. While my general instinct is just to dive right in I have learned that understanding the basics helps me progress faster than pure trial and error.
Getting an Overview
With all that said, let’s get started. If you are new to the concept of API Management or Edge this is a good quick overview.
http://docs.apigee.com/api-services/content/what-apigee-edge
Want more overview?
http://docs.apigee.com/api-services/content/understanding-apis-and-api-proxies
Tutorial Time
Got it? That’s enough? Let’s go through a super simple tutorial. What I love about a simple tutorial is that it helps me get familiar with the User Interface, general tooling and even the language and style of the documentation.
http://docs.apigee.com/tutorials/add-and-configure-your-first-api
Now you are on your way to becoming an expert. From here there are some choices to make. I had a specific need so I googled and found a fine example proxy on git. The example worked great, and met 60% of my basic needs. I pretty much lumbered through to get the remaining 40% and probably stumbled more than I needed.
The good news is there are other good resources to help limit stumbling.
Self-guided Learning
For a very self-guided learn by doing method, the following git repository walks you through many more examples.
https://github.com/apigee/api-platform-samples/tree/master/learn-edge
Instructor Led Videos
Are you looking for a somewhat more guided experience? Try the Foundation Training on Apigee Academy. This is a series of videos with hands on exercises.
http://academy.apigee.com/courses/elearning/foundation_training
Need a quick hint on how to do something specific? Check out the 4 Minute Videos for Developers. These videos are a great way to get the information you need to complete a specific task.
https://community.apigee.com/topics/4mv4d.html
Many More Resources
From here the possibilities are endless with many more resources.
Check out our documentation (feedback is always welcome), try our interactive APIs to see how Edge is built on APIs itself and join the 5000+ strong community to share your experiences and learn what others have done.
It may also be worth a refresher on the basics of RESTful design with the Fundamentals of RESTFul Design on Apigee Academy. As a bonus I find that the course is approachable by less technical folks who may also benefit from some basic RESTful design knowledge. Another great resource is this conceptual guide which goes into details that can help take your understanding of Edge to the next level.
Hopefully the information shared will help your learning journey. Let me know in the comments below.
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