Ole LensmarChief Architect at SmartBear

@Olensmar

APIs are moving to center-stage for many businesses and technology teams today

This makes it increasingly important to know what really matters when implementing

your API strategy.

There are some obvious aspects of your APIs that appeal to both technology and business needs of your API customers

Choice of Technology

Choice of Technology

Security

Choice of Technology

Security

Authorization

Choice of Technology

Security

Authorization

Naming/Vocabulary

And then there are some not-so-obvious aspects that, if utilized, could give your

API a head-up on the competition

Your API can become highly effective if…

It has a @twitter account

Communicates feature updates, new versions, etc.

Exposes itself in API directories

Provides health / uptime / downtime info

It has a @twitter account

It’s beautifully described

Generous and easily navigable documentation

Code examples for “relevant” languages

Metadata for code generation and testing

It’s beautifully described

It’s instantly accessible

Fully automated API key / account creation

Generous developer quota

“Getting Started” tutorials and examples

It’s instantly accessible

It has a sandbox for experiments

Limited functionality or content

Simulations of errors and out-of-bounds situations

No limits on usages – doesn’t consume quota

It has a sandbox for experiments

It has out-of-the-box clients

Lowers barrier of entry

Adapts API to client paradigms

Hides complexity related to authentication, parsing, etc.

It has out-of-the-box clients

It knows and serves its user

Uses the right technologies for the domain

Respects security and authentication requirements

Adopts common nomenclature and naming

It knows and serves its user

It’s aware of its own constraints

Continuously evaluates its own performance

Monitors third-party APIs and dependencies

Handles unexpected events gracefully

It’s aware of its own constraints

It’s prepared for (r)evolution

Versioned from day one in line with best practices

Communicates and implements a versioning strategy

Handles “old” clients gracefully

It’s prepared for (r)evolution

It follows the 3:30:3 rule

3 seconds to understand what the API does

30 seconds to find the endpoint

3 minutes to be up and running

Thanks to Ori Pekelman!

It follows the 3:30:3 rule

I hope you’ve enjoyed this presentation and that you are able to apply some of

these habits to your own APIs.

And now that you know how to make your own APIs effective…

Take a few minutes to learn how to use other people’s APIs safely…

Thank you!

#APIStrat