Last week, we announced enhancements to our partner program that make working with Backblaze even easier for current and future partners. We shared a deep dive into the first new offering—Backblaze B2 Reserve—on Friday, and today, we’re digging into another key element: the Backblaze Partner API. The Backblaze Partner API enables independent software vendors (ISVs) participating in Backblaze’s Alliance Partner program to add Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage as a seamless backend extension within their own platform.
Read on to learn more about the Backblaze Partner API and what it means for existing and potential Alliance Partners.
What Is the Backblaze Partner API?
With the Backblaze Partner API, ISVs participating in Backblaze’s Alliance Partner program can programmatically provision accounts, run reports, and create a bundled solution or managed service which employs B2 Cloud Storage on the back end while delivering a unified experience to their users.
By unlocking an improved customer experience, the Partner API allows Alliance Partners to build additional cloud services into their product portfolio to generate new revenue streams and/or grow existing margin.
Why Develop the Backblaze Partner API?
We heard frequently from our existing partners that they wanted to provide a more seamless experience for their customers when it came to offering a cloud storage tier. Specifically, they wanted to keep customers on their site rather than requiring them to go elsewhere as part of the sign up experience. We built the Partner API to deliver this enhanced customer experience while also helping our partners extend their services and expand their offerings.
“Our customers produce thousands of hours of content daily, and, with the shift to leveraging cloud services like ours, they need a place to store both their original and transcoded files. The Backblaze Partner API allows us to expand our cloud services and eliminate complexity for our customers—giving them time to focus on their business needs, while we focus on innovations that drive more value.”
—Murad Mordukhay, CEO, Qencode
What Does the Partner API Do, Specifically?
To create the Backblaze Partner API, we exposed existing functionality to allow partners to automate tasks like creating and ejecting member accounts, managing Groups, and leveraging system-generated reports to get granular billing and usage information—outlining user tasks individually so users can be billed more accurately for what they’ve used.
The API calls are:
- Account creation (adding Group members).
- Organizing accounts in Groups.
- Listing Groups.
- Listing Group members.
- Ejecting Group members.
Once the Partner API is configured, developers can use the Backblaze S3 Compatible API or the Backblaze B2 Native API to manage Group members’ Backblaze B2 accounts, including: uploading, downloading, and deleting files, as well as creating and managing the buckets that hold files.
How to Get Started With the Backblaze Partner API
If you’re familiar with Backblaze, getting started is straightforward:
- Create a Backblaze account.
- Enable Business Groups and B2 Cloud Storage.
- Contact Sales for access to the API.
- Create a Group.
- Create an Application Key and set up Partner API calls.
Check out our documentation for more detailed information on getting started with the Backblaze Partner API. You can also reach out to us via email at any time to schedule a meeting to discuss how the Backblaze Partner API can help you create an easier customer experience.
