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API Evangelist LLC

Portals

Dedicated developer portals for an API provide a way to make documentation, sign-up, getting started, plans, SDKs, and other resources API consumers need more easily accessible publicly or privately to a specific audience.

Rules

APIs.json Apis Properties Portal Info

This property ensures there a developer portal associated with an API and that you can find a landing page for the API, documentation, SDKs, and other resources

Strategies

Onboarding is Always as Easy as Possible

I have been onboarding with APIs for over fifteen years and the best ones always get you from zero to first call in just a couple of steps. Documentation, authentication, SDKs--these need to be eas...

Experiences

Access

I keep seeing teams struggle with getting consumers proper access to their APIs. The sign-up, authentication, and authorization process is where you lose people before they ever make their first AP...

Alignment

I see product and engineering teams talking past each other constantly when it comes to APIs. Without alignment on the why behind each API, you end up with technically sound resources that nobody a...

Communication

I struggle with how little communication happens between the teams producing APIs and the people consuming them. Blogs, changelogs, roadmaps -- these are building blocks that most teams just skip, ...

Discovery

Discovery is the dark matter of the API landscape. Teams build APIs that already exist somewhere else, and consumers can't find the APIs they need. Without a catalog and proper metadata, you're jus...

Onboarding

I see teams dealing with massive friction during onboarding. If a consumer can't get from zero to their first successful API call in minutes, you've already lost them. Getting started guides, sandb...

Self-Service

Self-service is the goal I keep pushing teams toward. If a consumer can't find your API, sign up, get keys, and make their first call without emailing someone, you've created a bottleneck that will...