--- title: "Publish subscription-based APIs on the Self-Hosted Gateway" description: "Assign subscription plans, attach the Subscription Validation policy, and publish a subscription-based API on the Self-Hosted Gateway." canonical_url: https://wso2.com/api-platform/docs/cloud/api-platform-gateway/publish-apis/subscription-based-apis/ md_url: https://wso2.com/api-platform/docs/cloud/api-platform-gateway/publish-apis/subscription-based-apis.md tags: - cloud - api-gateway - self-hosted - subscriptions author: WSO2 API Platform Documentation Team last_updated: 2026-06-22 content_type: "how-to" --- # Subscription-based APIs A **subscription-based** API is a published API proxy that has one or more **subscription plans** assigned. Subscription plans define quotas, rate limits, and related controls at the organization level. When consumers use the API Platform Developer Portal, they choose an API, subscribe to the API with a plan, and generate Subscription Token according to your plan rules. This model fits APIs where you need tiered access, usage limits, or clear commercial separation between consumer applications. ## Before you begin - Organization administrators have created subscription plans. See [Create API Subscription Plans](../../administer/settings/create-api-subscription-plans.md). - The API proxy is deployed to your **Self-Hosted Gateway** and behaves correctly. See [Getting Started with Self-Hosted Gateway](../getting-started.md). ## Assign subscription plans to the API 1. Sign in to the [API Platform Console](https://console.bijira.dev/). 2. Select the project and the API proxy. 3. Go to **Manage** → **Monetize**. 4. Enable the **Subscription Plan Status** toggle for each plan you want to offer for this API by toggling **Enabled** field. ![Subscription Plans page listing 3PerMin, Bronze, Gold, Silver, and Unlimited plans with all Enabled toggles turned on](../../../assets/img/api-platform-gateway/subscriptions/subscription-plan-enable.png) For detailed steps and field behavior, see [Assign Subscription Plans to APIs](../../develop-api-proxy/subscription-plans.md). ## Assign Subscription Validation Policy to the API 1. Go to **Develop** → **Policies**. ![Policies page showing Global Policies API Level section with available policy list including API Key Auth, Basic Auth, CORS, and JWT Auth](../../../assets/img/api-platform-gateway/subscriptions/policies-overview.png) 2. Select **Subscription Validation** policy. ![Configure Policy dialog showing Subscription Validation policy with description and Advanced Settings section](../../../assets/img/api-platform-gateway/subscriptions/select-sub-val-policy.png) 3. (Optional) Configure Subscription Header/Cookie value in the policy Advanced Section. ![Subscription Validation Configure Policy dialog with Advanced Settings expanded showing subscriptionKeyHeader and subscriptionKeyCookie input fields](../../../assets/img/api-platform-gateway/subscriptions/select-sub-val-policy-advanced.png) 4. Click **Add** to attach the policy to API level policy. 5. Click **Save** to save the API. ![Policies page showing Subscription Validation added to Global Policies API Level section with unsaved changes warning and Save button](../../../assets/img/api-platform-gateway/subscriptions/policy-save.png) ## Deploy the API 1. Go to **Deploy** and click **Deploy**. ![Deploy page showing Self Local Dev GW GA gateway with Active deployment status and Deploy button](../../../assets/img/api-platform-gateway/subscriptions/deploy-api.png) ## Publish the API 1. Go to **Manage** → **Lifecycle**. ![Lifecycle Management page showing API in Created state with Pre-release and Publish action buttons and state transition diagram](../../../assets/img/api-platform-gateway/subscriptions/lifecycle-created.png) 2. Click **Publish**. 3. In the publish dialog, confirm the display name and production endpoint and click **Confirm**. The lifecycle state becomes **Published**. ![Lifecycle Management page showing API in Published state with Pre-release, Demote to Created, and Deprecate action buttons](../../../assets/img/api-platform-gateway/subscriptions/lifecycle-published.png) ## Subscribe to the API 1. Navigate to Developer Portal by clicking **Developer Portal**. ![API Platform Console header showing AI Workspace and Developer Portal navigation buttons](../../../assets/img/api-platform-gateway/subscriptions/navigate-devportal.png) 2. Consumers can find the API in the Developer Portal by going to **APIs**. 3. Select the API and click **Subscribe**. ![Developer Portal API card for Reading List v1.0 REST API showing Plans count and Subscribe button](../../../assets/img/api-platform-gateway/subscriptions/select-api-to-subscribe.png) 4. Pick a Subscription plan and click **Subscribe**. ![Choose Your Subscription Plan dialog showing Bronze, Gold, Silver, Unlimited, and 3PerMin plans with pricing and rate limits](../../../assets/img/api-platform-gateway/subscriptions/select-plan-to-subscribe.png) 5. You will receive a Subscription Token. ![Subscription Created dialog showing generated subscription token value and Subscription-Key usage instruction](../../../assets/img/api-platform-gateway/subscriptions/recieve-sub-token.png) ## Invoke the API 1. Receive the **cURL** to invoke the API using the Subscription Token by navigating to the **Documentation**. ![API documentation page for GET /books endpoint showing Subscription-Key header field and cURL sample request with Subscription-Key](../../../assets/img/api-platform-gateway/subscriptions/document-api.png) 2. Invoke the API. #### Sample Request ```bash curl --request GET \ --url \ --header 'Accept: application/json' \ --header 'Subscription-Key: ' -k ``` #### Sample Response ![Terminal output of curl command returning JSON array of book objects from the reading list API](../../../assets/img/api-platform-gateway/subscriptions/invoke-api.png) ## Related documentation - [Publish APIs overview](overview.md) - [Subscription-less APIs](subscription-less-apis.md) - [Create API Subscription Plans](../../administer/settings/create-api-subscription-plans.md) - [Assign Subscription Plans to APIs](../../develop-api-proxy/subscription-plans.md)