Quick Start with Control Plane

Step 1: Installation

Sign up for a Lunar.dev account

Use this link to sign up for a Lunar.dev account and click “Sign Up”. This will take you to the Lunar Control Plane, the Lunar.dev GUI interface.

Once you’ve created an account, you’ll be prompted to install the necessary pieces of the Lunar architecture.

Install the Lunar.dev API Consumption Gateway

Begin by clicking the “Continue” button to pull up step-by-step instructions on installing the Lunar.dev Gateway. You can refer to the API Consumption Gateway dedicated installation page for more information.

Route your API Traffic

Once the gateway is installed, the next step is to route your API traffic through it.

Click the “Continue” button to access step-by-step instructions. You have several options for routing your API traffic, and the right method depends on your software environment and integration needs.

For quick integration, you can start with Direct Mode, which requires no additional installation—just modify your HTTP requests with specific headers.

For more details on choosing the best routing method for your setup, including the differences between Direct Mode and Interceptor Mode, refer to the dedicated Route Your API Traffic page.

Step 2: Discover

Once your data starts to flow into the Control Plane, you will see high level metrics of your API Consumption at the top of the dashboard. Interact with your application by making a few requests; your API requests data should automatically appear in the Control Plane dashboard!

At the top, you'll find general statistics, including:

Total API calls, Error rate (%), Average runtime (ms), Status code distribution

Below the stats, a table lists all consumed API providers, with each row representing an API provider and key data such as:

API Provider Name, Total Endpoints, Total API Calls, Error Rate (%), Average Runtime (ms)

Clicking on a provider reveals an expanded view with more details like:

HTTP Method, Path, Last transaction time, Status code distribution, Total API calls

Step 3: Diagnose

Now you're ready to dive deeper into diagnosing your API consumption patterns and optimizing performance.

1. Quota Diagnostics: Configure your API quotas in the Control Plane to monitor usage limits and spot potential overages. Lunar enables you to track both internal and provider-imposed quotas, helping you avoid interruptions due to throttling or overuse. Get insights into which APIs are hitting limits, and adjust your usage to stay within bounds.
2. Analyze API Performance: Use Lunar's detailed performance metrics to diagnose bottlenecks, high error rates, or slow response times. Sort your API calls by latency, provider, or status codes to pinpoint inefficiencies in your traffic. This allows you to identify problematic endpoints, improving overall service health.

By utilizing the diagnostic tools available in the Control Plane, you can fine-tune your API consumption strategy, ensuring optimal performance while adhering to usage quotas.

Step 4: Manage & Control

Navigate to the Flows tab to see all available pre-made flows as listed on the Flows Hub. To dive deeper, click on any flow's preview tile to open a detailed tab on the right side of the screen. This provides you with the complete YAML configuration of the selected flow, along with instructions on how it was applied to optimize your API consumption. You'll see how Lunar has efficiently managed your traffic, giving you full control over API performance while ensuring a seamless experience during traffic peaks.