Organizations like Netlifx, Amazon, and PayPal dropped the monolithic architecture and adapted the API-first, microservices, and cloud computing approach. These large companies made the transition to API-first developments because the monolithic architecture failed to provide them with the required scalability and flexibility. Impressed by their success, many companies quickly followed suit.
Postman, an API building platform, reports that 51% of their survey participants say that more than half of their organization’s development effort is spent on APIs.
The API-first approach is quite popular amongst developers; it seems as though it is here to stay. This guide will explain what an API-First approach includes and the key characteristics of an effective API-First website.
Not sure about MACH architecture? Read this blog to learn everything you need to know.
What is an API-First Approach?
In the API-first approach, products are designed around the API from the beginning. Instead of adding an API once the product is completed, the first step to development is building the API.
APIs allow users to use an application without having to interact with the whole program and diving into its complexities.
What is an API Contract Used For?
Before starting the design, an API contract is defined. This contract keeps you consistent. The API contract also helps in developing a reusable and interoperable API.
High-Level API Diagram Example
This image shows the high-level diagram of clients and services being connected by an API.
Interested in learning more about the API-First approach? Read our blog about API-driven commerce here.
What are Key Characteristics of an Effective API?
1. Consistency is Key
Human beings love consistency. Just like in real life, people love to follow a reliable, easy to follow, and consistently designed API.
Set Consistent Names
Requests, responses, resources, parameters, and properties form the foundation of an API. Their names, meanings, and type must stay the same throughout. This consistency allows the users of your API to understand things easily.
As an example, consider these three variables used in the same API:
- cosmeticitemPrice
- PriceOfStationeryProducts
- price_dairy_product
These variables represent the price of a product. However, they are not consistent because the word “price” is used as a suffix, prefix, or the words are differentiated with underscores.
This may not seem like a big deal, but while working in a flow things can become confusing and detrack the API consumer.
Consistent data formats are essential to ensure uniformity across the API. Consistent data formating makes the calculation of different values and keeping track of the variables simple.
Continuing from the example above, if two of the price variables use US Dollars as the currency while the other one uses Euro, the checkout process will turn into chaos as the total is calculated.
Similarly, date and time formats should stay consistent in the API. Whether you are following the 24H or the 12H clock, do not switch between the two as it creates confusion.
Organize Data in a Consistent Manner
Organization of data at an input and output level of the API should stay consistent. If you are using an array to collect data at the time of input, do not randomly use an object in its place at another input point. It will cause confusion and a lot of questions will rise in the mind of your API consumer.
2. Organizing Data in URLs
URLs are the key to an API. If they are inconsistent, it becomes impossible for consumers to integrate the API with their system. Make sure the initial part of the URL always represents the same thing and then the rest of the URL should always follow a similar pattern.
For example,
{website-name}/feature/functionality/item-id
As shown in the example above, keep the sequence of the URL easy to understand. Make sure the same pattern is followed for all other URLs.
3. Documentation Focused
Consider yourself (an API developer) in the position of those people who are about to use your API. If you have no idea what to do and where to start, you will definitely look for a guide. A well-documented API allows the users to incorporate it with their system without hassle and minimum time.
Documenting API Methods is NOT Enough
These days, API methods are fairly easy to document. There are a number of tools available that allow users to generate the documentation for the API method automatically.
Contrary to popular belief, this kind of documentation is not enough on its own. Most of the time, it includes requests, responses, and a quick description of each variable and element on both sides.
Leaving behind API methods documentation is equivalent to your fellow developer leaving you with multiple classes and functions with no explanation of what they do individually and as a whole.
Best Practices for API Documentation
- Aim to provide a complete tutorial. This means, use examples on how to integrate and work with your APIs.
- Keep it concise and to the point. Documentation loses its purpose with too many irrelevant examples and flowery language.
- Ensure that the example code is runnable.
- Clearly mention the functionality of each API in the beginning of the document.
- Ask other members of your team who are not part of the API project to review your documentation. If they understand what you have written, you are most likely on the right track.
At UpStart Commerce, we take API documentation seriously. Go through our documentation here to understand the difference between documentation for API methods and API tutorials.
4. Simple API Security
Security is perhaps one of the most important things to consider while designing and creating an API. It allows your consumers to build their trust in you. However, some APIs have long and redundant security steps that users must take each time they interact with the API. This is time consuming, unhelpful in most cases, and off-putting for most clients.
Provide Token Based Authentication
The classic token based authentication is good enough for API security. The user gets a random hash code assigned to them. If there is a security breach, the hash is replaced or reset. The security token can pass through the POST call.
5. Flexible APIs
It sounds contrary to the consistency principle, but it is not. Here is how to keep your APIs flexible:
There are a vast number of approaches to work with and on an API. Do not assume that your mindset will match the user’s approach in terms of technicalities. In fact, each client platform differs from one another. It is not guaranteed that the consumer will use your API for the specific function you intended.
While most APIs allow their consumers to generate their outputs in different formats such as JSON, XML, and YAML, the format must be predefined in the URL. Many are case-sensitive when it comes to inputs. Issues lead to frustration for the end-user. You can do the following to distinguish yourself from others:
- Accept JSON outputs and specify it in the headers or support a query string variable.
- Make the outputs case-insensitive.
Many other small changes can be made to make your API flexible when it comes to accepting inputs and outputs.
6. Improved Developer Experience
Keeping consistency in the code ensures a smooth developer experience. Overall API consistency increases the efficiency of developers. It ultimately leads to the accomplishment of end goals a lot more quickly and smoothly. Ensure the following to guarantee a smooth developer experience:
- Make sure the functional portion of the API is top-notch. Its basic activities need to be executed without any bugs and delays.
- Design your API in such a way that developers have an exceptional experience while using it.
- APIs should be easy to use and not overly complicated.
- Inform the developers about the API’s limitations and costs from the beginning.
Enhance developer experience by following the microservices approach. Read more about how microservices can help your ecommerce business here.
7. Easy to Implement
Make sure that people who have never interacted with your API before can implement the API without any difficulties. Keep the following things in mind when it comes to easy API implementation:
- Provide detailed support to your clients any time that they need help with your API. Be available around the clock to resolve any bugs.
- If your APIs are private, ensure that the signup process is simple and does not have too many steps.
- Constantly ask new people in your team to test your API and see if they can use it easily.
- Do not develop an API in a programming language that is not commonly used in the industry.
- Don’t implement a security setting that takes multiple steps to clear.
- Provide language specific libraries that support your API.
8. Minimal Excessive Coding
There is no need to pre-implement every feature. In the case of Web-APIs, make the functionalities downloadable in the form of scripts. By minimizing excessive coding, the load on the client side is decreased. Therefore, reducing the pre-implemented coding increases the efficiency of the system.
9. Keeps Product in Mind
Many developers lose sight of the product when developing an API. Treat the API as a first class citizen, but do not forget the ultimate goal of an API: an API leverages the interaction between the back and front-end.
A well designed API will automatically make the development process easy and smooth. This is because the API contract helps the developers from detracking and keeping their goal clear.
Final Words
API-driven commerce is here to stay. Organizations that have identified this as a solution to move towards their goals at a much faster pace. According to Postman, an API building platform, the biggest issue in the world of API-First approach is the lack of API design skills. Focusing on consistency, security, and simplicity, along with the other outlined details in this guide, is crucial to building successful APIs and, in turn, a good website.
