Going Platinum: How to Make a Hit API by Bill Doerrfeld, Nordic APIs
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A presentation given by Bill Doerrfeld, Editor in Chief of Nordic APIs, at our 2024 Austin API Summit, March 12-13. Session Description: As it turns out, making a hit API is a lot like making a hit music album. You have to find a niche, you need good naming, and you need quality content. Also, on the production side, design, style, experience, and collaboration all matter a lot. At the end of the day, both are products, requiring the right management tools, marketing know-how, and infrastructure to scale. In this SXSW-inspired opening keynote, I'll look into the parallels between the two endeavors, providing a fun and informative look into specific things API providers should be considering on their journey toward becoming API platform rockstars.
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Going Platinum: How to Make a Hit API by Bill Doerrfeld, Nordic APIs
- 1. Going platinum: How to make a hit API Bill Doerrfeld Nordic APIs Austin API Summit. March 2024 SXSW edition
- 2. Making a hit API product is like making a hit album Both require: SPECIALIZATION EXPERIENCE NAMING QUALITY STYLE CONSISTENCY CATALOGING SECURITY PRODUCTIZATION
- 3. You have to find a niche. "Micro" is in. SPECIALIZATION
- 4. Genres How it used to be Pop Rock Alternative Hip-hop/Rap R&B/Soul Country Electronic Classical Jazz Blues Monolithic services Traditional web apps ERP systems CMS service Point-of-sale systems Accounting software Human resource systems Inventory management systems SPECIALIZATION
- 5. How it is now Micro-genres Vaporwave Chillwave Witch house Seapunk Bedroom pop Glitch hop Future funk Lo-fi Synthwave Electroswing Cloud rap Fidget house Dark ambient Post-rock Math rock Shoegaze Drone Neo-folk Post-metal Noise rock Experimental electronic Industrial metal Progressive metal Acid jazz Psych pop Ambient techno Breakcore Microservices User Authentication User Profile Product Catalog Inventory Management Order Management Payments Shipping Recommendations Search Content Management Messaging Analytics Logging and Monitoring Image Processing Video Processing Email SMS Notifications Geolocation Weather Social Media Rate Limiting File Storage Notification Queue API gateway Backup and Recovery Caching SPECIALIZATION
- 6. How small is too small? Can the amount of API features be related to the success of a business? Source: The Impact of a Large Number of API Features, Bruno Pedro ● Ratio of operations per feature below 10. ● Perceived complexity impacts support requirements. ● Design impacts discoverability, and developer experience. Diagrams represent HTTP method → API features → capabilities they provide SPECIALIZATION
- 7. The experience matters. EXPERIENCE Developer consumers are like the "listeners."
- 8. The total number of APIs worldwide (public and private) is approaching 200 million, according to A 2021 F5 report. Why developer experience (DX) matters # of APIs Reduce cost Can improving developer experience actually reduce costs? The answer is a resounding "yes." Marketing DX is a natural marketing tool. Docs / dev portal are the window to your product. EXPERIENCE
- 9. ✓ Tell me what this does ✓ Public documentation ✓ Show me the code already ✓ Have an auth guide ✓ Make sure OpenAPI = production ✓ Have a playground in the docs ✓ Better yet, get it in my IDE ✓ Consider AI for ultimate DX Make a great API DX Ways to Souce: How to Make A Rickdiculous Developer Experience For Your API, Doerrfeld, 2023. EXPERIENCE
- 10. Instant playback Let them "listen" before they buy EXPERIENCE
- 11. You need a good name. "Random Access Memories" by Daft Punk NAMING
- 12. Part of the REST standard is to use pluralized resources with the correct HTTP verbs. - Steve McDougall, "The Ten REST Commandments," Nordic APIs. 2023 API naming “RESTful URIs should refer to a resource that is a thing (noun) instead of referring to an action (verb)" - RESTfulAPI.net ● Resources as nouns: /albums/{id} instead of /getAlbum ● Pluralized resources: /albums instead of /album ● Forward slashes for hierarchy ● Punctuation for lists ● Lowercase letters and dashes ● And more… Source: 10+ Best Practices for Naming API Endpoints, Nordic APIs. Last updated 2023. NAMING
- 13. It’s gotta be quality. In the late 70s, Steely Dan pioneered contemporary recording techniques. QUALITY
- 14. Steely Dan level APIs are: ● Intentional: Functions as expected, design-first ● Well-performed: High performance quality ● Produced well: Meets modern standards ● Precise: No errors, vulnerability-free So, how do we make sure our APIs are a good quality production? QUALITY
- 15. API quality benchmarks: FinTech Source: APIContext One method: comparing against industry benchmarks QUALITY
- 16. API quality benchmarks: AI Source: APIContext QUALITY
- 17. API quality screening Test APIs against best practices. Design-first dev for the win! Results from scanning OpenAI's YAML OpenAPI definition: (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openai/openai- openapi/master/openapi.yaml) RateMyOpenAPI API Insights - Inconsistent naming - Not verbose error responses - Lack of performance headers - Content type security policies App.Escape.Tech - Missing operation descriptions - Missing examples - Undefined errors - Potential for information disclosure - Duplicated objects QUALITY
- 19. API architectural style trends Takeaway: REST-first, but consider GraphQL and async styles for usability Source: Postman State of the API Report, 2023 STYLE
- 20. Who is keeping an API style guide? STYLE Resource alert! API style guides from Atlassian, Cisco, Google, Microsoft, Heroku, and others: https://apistylebook.com/
- 21. Consistency matters. "Find your sound." Consistency is typically good in APIs too. CONSISTENCY
- 22. "Similar Hallways" Repurposed from Kristen Womack's talk 'Level Up Your Developer Experience: Creating Awesome Support Resources' at the 2023 Platform Summit in Stockholm. CONSISTENCY
- 23. Not everyone can be the Beatles CONSISTENCY
- 24. Both are cataloged A catalog number is a specific alphanumeric number a record label assigns for a release. Ex. Abbey Road" by The Beatles (Apple Records) - Catalog number: SO-383 CATALOGING
- 25. Both have documentation (but not always!) CATALOGING
- 26. - 2023 State of the API Report, Postman 52% of respondents said lack of documentation was the biggest problem API documentation #1 issue Only 10% of organizations fully document their APIs - 2023 report from Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) CATALOGING
- 27. - Rapid’s 2022 State of APIs report Companies with 10,000 or more employees tend to have over 250 internal APIs API sprawl issues ● What is API sprawl? ○ Sheer increase in APIs ○ Unmitigated technology adoption ○ Lack of governance ○ Lack of standards CATALOGING
- 28. New Risks on OWASP Top Ten for APIs (2023) API9:2023 - Improper Inventory Management API10:2023 - Unsafe Consumption of APIs API6:2023 - Unrestricted Access to Sensitive Business Flows CATALOGING
- 29. Both are products. "Thriller," one of the most commercially successful albums of all time, has sold over 66 million copies worldwide. PRODUCTIZATION
- 30. - Jason Harmon CTO at Stoplight and API Intersection podcast host. Formerly at Expedia Group and Paypal. "It's just another product…The future of APIs is all about product management." The API is a product. PRODUCTIZATION
- 31. - MuleSoft and Deloitte Digital 2023 Connectivity Benchmark Report. APIs and API-related implementations generated 41% of revenue for organizations in the US API monetization ● Direct monetization is just one model! On productifying APIs… Source: ProgrammableWeb 2020 Guide to API Business Models, Mulesoft. Pg. 6 PRODUCTIZATION
- 32. Some are just a one hit wonder 'Take On Me' by A-ha PRODUCTIZATION
- 33. The Anatomy of an API in 2023: A Comprehensive Overview: Treblle analyzed 1 billion requests from 9,000 different APIs. https://blog.treblle.com/the-anatomy-of-an-api-in-2023-a-comprehensive-overview/ ● 68% of API endpoints use GET HTTP method ○ (Might not be using HTTP methods correctly…) ● 20% of API endpoints remain unused for over 30 days. What's your one hit wonder? PRODUCTIZATION
- 34. You gotta secure your IP. In 2011 Skrillex lost an entire unreleased album after his laptops and hard drives were stolen. SECURITY
- 35. "60% of organizations said they experienced at least one API-related breach in the past two years." -Traceable's Global State of API Security 2023 API attacks on the rise SECURITY
- 36. 5 Examples of Recent Terrible API Breaches Trello - When? Early 2024 - What? Endpoint overshared data / business logic abuse - Takeaway: Avoid data overexposure, apply rate limiting Hugging Face - When? Late 2023 - What? 1,500 tokens left exposed - Takeaway: Protect keys/secrets, don't store publicly T-Mobile - When? Early 2023 - What? 37 million accounts compromised w/ auth issue. - Takeaway: Have proper authn/authz checks Kronos - When? Late 2023 - What? $25 million in ETH stolen - Takeaway: Avoid leaking unauthorized API keys Optus - When? Mid-2022 - What? 11 million customer records leaked from open endpoint. - Takeaway: Take a zero-trust approach w/ authn and authz. Read: Takeaways From 5 Terrible API Breaches, Doerrfeld, 2023. SECURITY
- 37. Be a producer. Go produce and be prolific API rockstars
- 38. Est. 2013 Weekly thought pieces on API design, strategy Nordic APIs blog
- 39. Thank you! Going platinum: How to make a hit API Bill Doerrfeld Bill Doerrfeld. Nordic APIs Austin API Summit. March 2024
Notes de l'éditeur
- *Don't need to go through this
- You need to find your sound. And in technology, you nee to find your specizlied purpose.
- In the age of the internet and online streaming, micro-genres of music have proliferated. Interestingly, around
- In the age of the internet and online streaming, micro-genres of music have proliferated. While the typical genres still exist, there are a number of micro genres on offer now, from acid jazz to shoegaze, drone, post-metal, bedroom pop, and beyond. Communities. Interestingly, around Services are more and more domain-driven and based on discrete functions. And, usually expoised via an API.
- In the age of the internet and online streaming, micro-genres of music have proliferated. While the typical genres still exist, there are a number of micro genres on offer now, from acid jazz to shoegaze, drone, post-metal, bedroom pop, and beyond. Communities. Interestingly, around Services are more and more domain-driven and based on discrete functions. And, usually expoised via an API.
- To take the music analogy one step further. Similar to how streaming platforms allow unpaid users to test snippets of songs (or stream for free for a limited time), developer portals should enable instant testing. A great place, in my opinion, is to insert this in the docmetnation.
- My favorite double entendre
- Zuplo: https://ratemyopenapi.com/report/512eeb96-6a90-4e70-bc63-eced1aa9f308 - I like because it can highlight exactly where in the schema the violation occurred and suggest AI-driven suggestions. Treblle: https://apiinsights.io/reports/11bfd848-5f97-4280-978a-a6146e6fec69
- REST is still the dominant style for web APIs. But, year over year, REST is steadily losing popularity to newcomer API design styles. In 2023, GraphL usurped SOAP as the 3rd most popular options for API design styles.
- REST is still the dominant style for web APIs. But, year over year, REST is steadily losing popularity to newcomer API design styles. In 2023, GraphL usurped SOAP as the 3rd most popular options for API design styles.
- Music listeners typically like an artist that has their own sound, which is pretty consistent from album to album. The Beatles, however are an exception to the rule. They pioneered various genres and heavily evolved their sound from album to album, starting with catchy pop tunes, moving into folk, psychedelic rock, folk, indian music, and total experimentation. APIs, on the other hand, should not follow the Beatles's lead. Your API catalog should not probably not look like this. Instead, consistency is key when designing APIs. Because, a hodgepodge portfolio of disparate API styles, URL conventions, naming standards, is just a recipe for poor developer experience and even sprawl issues.
- ## Both Are Products You need a business perspective around a successful project, or else it will fail in the market. This is true for APIs, too. So, how is your API designed and packaged? At Nordic APIs, we've tracked the emergence of API-first thinking that embraces the API as a product mantra. "The API is no different than another product," said Jason Harmon, CTO of Stoplight and API Intersections podcast host, in his presentation '[API-as-a-product: The Key to a Successful API Program](https://youtu.be/G3UZ_oiIw6I?si=sPdbvY_r3seX4FLM),' given at the Platform Summit 2023. "The future of APIs is all about product management." To Harmon, treating your API as a product means seeing the overall network and relationship with your partners. It requires demonstrating busines value and acquiring executive buy-in. He also advocates for a customer-first approach that informs API design. Other product-thinking techniques certainly apply to APIs, such as demonstrating business value, shipping early on and iterating, and documenting the service well. Which brings us to our next comparison.
- ## Both Are Products You need a business perspective around a successful project, or else it will fail in the market. This is true for APIs, too. So, how is your API designed and packaged? At Nordic APIs, we've tracked the emergence of API-first thinking that embraces the API as a product mantra. "The API is no different than another product," said Jason Harmon, CTO of Stoplight and API Intersections podcast host, in his presentation '[API-as-a-product: The Key to a Successful API Program](https://youtu.be/G3UZ_oiIw6I?si=sPdbvY_r3seX4FLM),' given at the Platform Summit 2023. "The future of APIs is all about product management." To Harmon, treating your API as a product means seeing the overall network and relationship with your partners. It requires demonstrating busines value and acquiring executive buy-in. He also advocates for a customer-first approach that informs API design. Other product-thinking techniques certainly apply to APIs, such as demonstrating business value, shipping early on and iterating, and documenting the service well. Which brings us to our next comparison.
- ## Both Are Products You need a business perspective around a successful project, or else it will fail in the market. This is true for APIs, too. So, how is your API designed and packaged? At Nordic APIs, we've tracked the emergence of API-first thinking that embraces the API as a product mantra. "The API is no different than another product," said Jason Harmon, CTO of Stoplight and API Intersections podcast host, in his presentation '[API-as-a-product: The Key to a Successful API Program](https://youtu.be/G3UZ_oiIw6I?si=sPdbvY_r3seX4FLM),' given at the Platform Summit 2023. "The future of APIs is all about product management." To Harmon, treating your API as a product means seeing the overall network and relationship with your partners. It requires demonstrating busines value and acquiring executive buy-in. He also advocates for a customer-first approach that informs API design. Other product-thinking techniques certainly apply to APIs, such as demonstrating business value, shipping early on and iterating, and documenting the service well. Which brings us to our next comparison.
- When it comes down to it, both are products. You need a business perspective around a successful project, or else it will fail in the market. This is true for music albums. And it's true for APIs, too.
- ## Both Are Products You need a business perspective around a successful project, or else it will fail in the market. This is true for APIs, too. So, how is your API designed and packaged? At Nordic APIs, we've tracked the emergence of API-first thinking that embraces the API as a product mantra. "The API is no different than another product," said Jason Harmon, CTO of Stoplight and API Intersections podcast host, in his presentation '[API-as-a-product: The Key to a Successful API Program](https://youtu.be/G3UZ_oiIw6I?si=sPdbvY_r3seX4FLM),' given at the Platform Summit 2023. "The future of APIs is all about product management." To Harmon, treating your API as a product means seeing the overall network and relationship with your partners. It requires demonstrating busines value and acquiring executive buy-in. He also advocates for a customer-first approach that informs API design. Other product-thinking techniques certainly apply to APIs, such as demonstrating business value, shipping early on and iterating, and documenting the service well. Which brings us to our next comparison.
- ## Both Are Products You need a business perspective around a successful project, or else it will fail in the market. This is true for APIs, too. So, how is your API designed and packaged? At Nordic APIs, we've tracked the emergence of API-first thinking that embraces the API as a product mantra. "The API is no different than another product," said Jason Harmon, CTO of Stoplight and API Intersections podcast host, in his presentation '[API-as-a-product: The Key to a Successful API Program](https://youtu.be/G3UZ_oiIw6I?si=sPdbvY_r3seX4FLM),' given at the Platform Summit 2023. "The future of APIs is all about product management." To Harmon, treating your API as a product means seeing the overall network and relationship with your partners. It requires demonstrating busines value and acquiring executive buy-in. He also advocates for a customer-first approach that informs API design. Other product-thinking techniques certainly apply to APIs, such as demonstrating business value, shipping early on and iterating, and documenting the service well. Which brings us to our next comparison.
- Like those deep cuts on an album that aren't many getting plays, APIs have their hit tracks, too. A study by Treblle recently confirmed this. As explained in [The Anatomy of an API in 2023](https://report.treblle.com/) report, the Treblle team analyzed over one billion requests across 9,000 APIs for trends and found that GET methods are, by far, the most popular type of API call. But most interesting to me is that the report sheds light on the fact that many APIs are sitting inactive and unused. One in five API endpoints are zombie APIs, meaning that they haven't been used by anyone in the last 30 days. The takeaway is to analyze your traffic and shutter APIs that aren't used at all — as this will help maintenance and security. Furthermore, knowing your high-traffic endpoints could help inform your true value proposition. Then, you can optimize the developer journey more for that use case and truly reap the benefits of your specialized, one-hit wonder.
- ## Both Are Products You need a business perspective around a successful project, or else it will fail in the market. This is true for APIs, too. So, how is your API designed and packaged? At Nordic APIs, we've tracked the emergence of API-first thinking that embraces the API as a product mantra. "The API is no different than another product," said Jason Harmon, CTO of Stoplight and API Intersections podcast host, in his presentation '[API-as-a-product: The Key to a Successful API Program](https://youtu.be/G3UZ_oiIw6I?si=sPdbvY_r3seX4FLM),' given at the Platform Summit 2023. "The future of APIs is all about product management." To Harmon, treating your API as a product means seeing the overall network and relationship with your partners. It requires demonstrating busines value and acquiring executive buy-in. He also advocates for a customer-first approach that informs API design. Other product-thinking techniques certainly apply to APIs, such as demonstrating business value, shipping early on and iterating, and documenting the service well. Which brings us to our next comparison.
- ## Both Are Products You need a business perspective around a successful project, or else it will fail in the market. This is true for APIs, too. So, how is your API designed and packaged? At Nordic APIs, we've tracked the emergence of API-first thinking that embraces the API as a product mantra. "The API is no different than another product," said Jason Harmon, CTO of Stoplight and API Intersections podcast host, in his presentation '[API-as-a-product: The Key to a Successful API Program](https://youtu.be/G3UZ_oiIw6I?si=sPdbvY_r3seX4FLM),' given at the Platform Summit 2023. "The future of APIs is all about product management." To Harmon, treating your API as a product means seeing the overall network and relationship with your partners. It requires demonstrating busines value and acquiring executive buy-in. He also advocates for a customer-first approach that informs API design. Other product-thinking techniques certainly apply to APIs, such as demonstrating business value, shipping early on and iterating, and documenting the service well. Which brings us to our next comparison.
- I am the Editor in Chief of Nordic APIs blog, which publishes thought pieces on the API economy. We've been tracking the rise of APIs since 2013, and writing articles on the design, development, strategy, business, and security of APIs. There's a lot to unpack.