Issue: Unable to Create Subscription Keys Directly for OData APIs in Azure API Management

Question

OData APIs published in Azure API Management do not appear in the subscription creation dropdown, preventing direct subscription key generation. This creates additional administrative overhead and complicates API access management.

Detailed Description

When attempting to create a new subscription key for an OData API in Azure API Management, the following issues occur:

API Not Listed: OData APIs do not appear in the "API" dropdown when creating a new subscription through the Azure portal

Direct Access Blocked: There is no direct method to assign subscription keys to OData APIs

Workaround Required: It is possible to obtain a subscription via a workaround. To do this, an intermediate product must first be created that is linked to the OData APIs.

Required Steps:

1.Create a new Product in API Management

2.Navigate to the OData API settings

3.Associate the newly created Product with the OData API

4.Create subscription keys through the Product (not directly through the API)

Business Impact

Increased Administrative Overhead: Additional steps required for every OData API subscription

Inconsistent User Experience: Different workflow compared to REST APIs

Management Complexity: Extra products created solely for subscription management

Potential Configuration Errors: More complex setup increases risk of misconfigurations

Expected Behavior

OData APIs should be treated consistently with other API types in Azure API Management, appearing in the subscription dropdown and allowing direct subscription key creation without requiring intermediate products.

Request

Please investigate this issue.

Answer 1

When working with OData APIs in Azure API Management, it is indeed necessary to create an intermediate product to manage subscription keys. OData APIs do not appear directly in the subscription creation dropdown, which can lead to the issues you've described, such as increased administrative overhead and a more complex management process.

To create subscription keys for OData APIs, you must follow these steps:

1. Create a new Product in API Management.
2. Navigate to the OData API settings.
3. Associate the newly created Product with the OData API.
4. Create subscription keys through the Product instead of directly through the API.

This workflow is different from that of REST APIs, where subscription keys can be created directly for the APIs. The expectation for OData APIs to behave similarly is valid, and this inconsistency can lead to confusion and potential configuration errors.

It may be beneficial to provide feedback to Microsoft regarding this behavior to improve the user experience in future updates.