API Management is becoming increasingly important as more and more organisations need to expose their data and application functionality to internal and external developers. Exposing APIs empowers these organisations to engage customers in innovative new ways, create new revenue opportunities and transform their businesses into platforms. But how do you ensure your APIs are exposed securely? How do you create, maintain and update different versions of your APIs? How do you throttle usage, meter requests and monitor API health?
80. Event Driven Style
• not HTTP-based
• resource intensive connections
• inefficient for request-reply
Trade-offs
81. API Styles Summary
• Web API != standard
• Four popular styles: Tunnel, URI,
Hypermedia, Event
• Choose a style that fits your constraints
and business goals
137. Security
Security can hurt Usability
But… security can also improve the
overall experience!
We need to think about the system as a
whole
138. Complexity
• Sometimes complexity is necessary –
that is ok
• Enough features to meet
requirements
• Don’t hurt the DX – use structure
and modularity
149. 1. Identify the problem space
2. Learn about the audience
3. Design Interactions
4. Make API design choices that
are developer-centric
5. Prototype and get feedback
6. Iterate
164. Considerations for an API Strategy
Ronnie Mitra
Principal API Architect - Europe
Layer 7 API Academy
Editor's Notes
Make a slide with an example
Make a slide with an example
Why are API publishers opening up their APIs? What are their motives? This will help us choose APIs that have reasonable business modelsNeed a better word for integration (trying to describe b2b scenarios driven by the business)[consider doing separate slides for each]
Why are API publishers opening up their APIs? What are their motives? This will help us choose APIs that have reasonable business modelsAlong with some simple examples that I came up with for your own business.
Really should be a DIRECT revenue sourceMake money per call Example: .02 per call, settle account at the end of term Tiered model: 50 pounds / month for 1000 calls. 100 pounds / month for 5000 calls. This motivation makes sense if you have a product that is worth buying. Are your data and services compelling enough to justify it? Charging for API usage has a detrimental impact on usage. Some organizations set a limit for free calls and charge for calls after that (rewarding success with a partnership of sorts) – tie this to lowering the barrier
Why are API publishers opening up their APIs? What are their motives? This will help us choose APIs that have reasonable business modelsAlong with some simple examples that I came up with for your own business.
Talk about taking over new markets.Talk about plethora of devices.Talk about apps as platforms. How do you reach a user who doesn’t know who you are?
Talk about taking over new markets.Talk about plethora of devices.Talk about apps as platforms. How do you reach a user who doesn’t know who you are?
Why are API publishers opening up their APIs? What are their motives? This will help us choose APIs that have reasonable business modelsAlong with some simple examples that I came up with for your own business.
Why are API publishers opening up their APIs? What are their motives? This will help us choose APIs that have reasonable business modelsAlong with some simple examples that I came up with for your own business.
Why are API publishers opening up their APIs? What are their motives? This will help us choose APIs that have reasonable business modelsNeed a better word for integration (trying to describe b2b scenarios driven by the business)[consider doing separate slides for each]
Why are API publishers opening up their APIs? What are their motives? This will help us choose APIs that have reasonable business modelsNeed a better word for integration (trying to describe b2b scenarios driven by the business)[consider doing separate slides for each]
Why are API publishers opening up their APIs? What are their motives? This will help us choose APIs that have reasonable business modelsNeed a better word for integration (trying to describe b2b scenarios driven by the business)[consider doing separate slides for each]
Why are API publishers opening up their APIs? What are their motives? This will help us choose APIs that have reasonable business modelsAlong with some simple examples that I came up with for your own business.
Why are API publishers opening up their APIs? What are their motives? This will help us choose APIs that have reasonable business modelsNeed a better word for integration (trying to describe b2b scenarios driven by the business)[consider doing separate slides for each]
Large amount of business generated through third party appsVery healthy app eco-system for end-users (lots of tooling)
Large amount of business generated through third party appsVery healthy app eco-system for end-users (lots of tooling)
Explain how this is important for Flickr’s business model (rapid growth?)
Developer = end user.
Copy and Paste from usability
They drive all of the technology that we use in our daily lives.
By our definition, a Web API includes SOAP, REST, HTTP, CSV… just about any type of interface deployed over the web.
By our definition, a Web API includes SOAP, REST, HTTP, CSV… just about any type of interface deployed over the web.
Hypermedia is like building a browser based web for computer programs.You can follow linksYou can provide input based on templatesRather than mapping to a resource + operations you can follow tasks.
Hypermedia is like building a browser based web for computer programs.You can follow linksYou can provide input based on templatesRather than mapping to a resource + operations you can follow tasks.
Hypermedia is like building a browser based web for computer programs.You can follow linksYou can provide input based on templatesRather than mapping to a resource + operations you can follow tasks.
Hypermedia is like building a browser based web for computer programs.You can follow linksYou can provide input based on templatesRather than mapping to a resource + operations you can follow tasks.
Hypermedia is like building a browser based web for computer programs.You can follow linksYou can provide input based on templatesRather than mapping to a resource + operations you can follow tasks.
Hypermedia is like building a browser based web for computer programs.You can follow linksYou can provide input based on templatesRather than mapping to a resource + operations you can follow tasks.
Copy and Paste from usability
Coined in the 1980sBut rooted in the design ideas of industrial age products and how users interact with technology
Our product is our API and our useris our developer.
Coined in the 1980sBut rooted in the design ideas of industrial age products and how users interact with technology
Lots of methodologies and terminology
We are not simply producing products that perform a funciton, but we consider how people (or users) will interact with the product.
They are intuitive, we spend less time understanding them, ultimately they are a pleasure.Conversely, poorly designed products are painful.
We talked about this, so highlight again.
Different identities
APIs are all about connectivity.
APIs are all about connectivity.
APIs are all about connectivity.
APIs are all about connectivity.
APIs are all about connectivity.
Different social conventions.Another form of this, is the question of RESTfulness.
APIs are all about connectivity.
APIs are all about connectivity.
[there was something else I realized after this pres. for Reason #4. – try to remember]Talk about when API dsigners don’t botyher with usability – selling to enterprises. (or do I leave this till later?)
APIs are all about connectivity.
APIs are all about connectivity.
Designer mental model vs. user mental model
Designer mental model vs. user mental model
APIs are all about connectivity.
APIs are all about connectivity.
Moneysupermarket.com example
Designer mental model vs. user mental model
Box.com example
APIs are all about connectivity.
There is a delay between
There is a delay between
There is a delay between
There is a delay between
Tie good design back to the business value we want
APIs are all about connectivity.
Why are API publishers opening up their APIs? What are their motives? This will help us choose APIs that have reasonable business modelsNeed a better word for integration (trying to describe b2b scenarios driven by the business)[consider doing separate slides for each]