Introduction
If you are seeking API solutions for China, this article will provide you with valuable information. Whether you are using popular hosting providers such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, or Microsoft Azure, or other platforms like Heroku, Netlify, and Vercel, the challenges you may encounter in China will be similar. The purpose of this article is to offer solutions that allow you to expand your coverage in China without the need for a complete redesign or rearchitecture.
Challenges of Popular Hosting Providers
Many enterprises have chosen to redesign and host their services separately in China due to the country’s high demand and fast-paced environment. However, managing a tech team in China while being located overseas in places like the US or UK can lead to increased complexity and slower decision-making processes.
Our goal is to provide companies with minimal changes and overhead, allowing them to extend their services into China. However, there are specific challenges to overcome:
1. Technical Challenges
China’s Great Firewall poses significant challenges when it comes to accessing APIs hosted outside of Mainland China. Connections can be slow and unstable, resulting in long loading times or frozen interfaces for users. Remote debugging becomes time-consuming, especially when the engineering team is not located in China or when using technologies that are not well-supported in the country. As a result, it becomes difficult to identify and reproduce the issues experienced by users.
While it is possible to replace individual technologies that don’t work in China, the problem becomes more complex when most of the familiar technologies are incompatible. For instance, Google Analytics, Firebase Crashlytics, Sentry APIs, and Stripe APIs all experience performance issues in China. This situation can force you to spend more time debugging networking issues rather than focusing on improving features for your apps or websites, ultimately necessitating a change in your technology stack.
2. Regulation Challenges
If you hold a technical role such as CTO or Director of Engineering, it is crucial to pay attention to the regulatory challenges in China. While you may assume that your legal department will handle these matters, Chinese regulations are closely tied to your tech infrastructure.
For example, without an ICP Filing for your domain, ports 80 or 443 (which are essential for web access) will not be accessible. These requirements are in place to ensure that the necessary licenses are obtained before enabling access through these ports. This is just one example of a basic regulation, but there are other licenses that may be needed depending on your specific situation. We offer a free consultation call with our experts who can provide an assessment of your requirements and guide you through the process of obtaining the necessary licenses.
If you are already using enterprise plans from providers like Akamai or Cloudflare, additional considerations need to be taken into account for China compliance. The ICP Filing and ICP license are mandatory if you decide to host your APIs in China. We assist enterprises and companies in obtaining these licenses and are available to answer any questions or guide you through the process.
China Compliance and Its Impact on Your Business
China, with its vast market and unique internet ecosystem, poses challenges for companies seeking to enter mainland China. Giants like Google and Facebook (Meta) have encountered barriers due to non-compliance with Chinese regulations, resulting in restricted access to the Chinese market.
Compliance with Chinese laws necessitates meeting specific requirements. We recognize the significance of these regulations and consistently translate government documents to facilitate compliance for companies. In a similar vein to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the US and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, China has its own regulatory framework known as the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL). If you wish to explore the differences between these three regulations, you can refer to our article on “Cross-Border Data Transfers: PIPL vs. GDPR vs. CCPA”.
Non-compliance with these regulations can have severe repercussions for your business. Your website may be delisted, excluded from Chinese search engine indexes, blocked within China, or subject to fines imposed by the Chinese government.
I got my compliance license, does it mean my API will load fast?
It’s important to understand that obtaining a compliance license, such as an ICP Filing or ICP license, does not automatically guarantee fast API loading times. While these licenses allow you to legally host and operate within mainland China, they do not address performance issues if your technology stack is inherently slow.
Optimizing the technical infrastructure specifically for the Chinese market is necessary to achieve fast and reliable API performance in China. Merely obtaining a compliance license is only one part of the equation, and further optimization efforts are required to ensure an excellent user experience for your API in China.
Simplifying API Solutions for China Compliance and Integration
We offer a comprehensive approach to help you navigate the complexities of API integration in China, addressing both technical and legal aspects:
1. Streamlined China Compliance License Acquisition
Obtaining the necessary China compliance licenses can be a daunting task. Our expertise ensures a smooth process, avoiding common pitfalls and unnecessary expenses. We guide you to acquire the specific licenses required for your business promptly and efficiently.
2. Introducing the 21YunBox Acceleration Suite for Seamless Integration
Our developer-centric 21YunBox Acceleration Suite simplifies integration complexities. With just one change to your API endpoint base domain, our solution enables instant availability in China.
For example, you just need to change the API domain of your client, and the traffic will go through the 21YunBox Acceleration Suite. By simply modifying the API domain of your client, all traffic will flow through the 21YunBox Acceleration Suite. This effortless integration allows you to leverage our solution for immediate access and optimal performance in China.
const axios = require('axios');
// ✅ Simply change the API domain to leverage
// our solution:
//
// const apiDomain = 'https://yourdomain.com';
//
// Replace it with the following line, and the
// rest will seamlessly work.
const apiDomain = 'https://<client-id>.on21yb.com';
// Send your requests as you normally would
axios.post(`${apiDomain}/endpoint`)
.then(response => {
// ...
})
.catch(error => {
// ...
});
Our assigned domain is already compliant with Chinese laws, including ICP filings and port enabling, eliminating the need for lengthy waiting periods. Behind the scenes, our suite leverages a high-bandwidth network, ensuring fast and efficient data transmission both within and outside mainland China. Enjoy seamless integration and optimal performance with the 21YunBox Acceleration Suite.
Seamlessly Expand Your Reach in China with Confidence
We understand the challenges of expanding into the Chinese market without disrupting your existing tech stack. Our goal is to make the process as seamless as possible for your team. Whether you need an account or expert consultation on deploying your APIs in China, we’re here to support you every step of the way. Reach out to us today for a confident journey into China.
