The who, what, how, and why of producing an API, making sure all of the known use cases are accurately described and kept up to date, then used to ensure each API is delivering what is expected with each use case.
Use Cases
Rules
APIs.json Apis Properties Use Cases Info
This property ensures there is a reference to the use cases for an API, helping align an API with the who, what, how, and why of putting an API to work
Strategies
APIs Are Always Aligned with the Wider Enterprise
Every API needs a real business use case that ties the technical details back to why the enterprise actually cares. I see too many APIs built because someone thought it would be cool, with zero ali...
APIs Have Clear Business Models
An API without a clear business model is just a hobby. Pricing tiers, plan features, rate limits, usage metrics--you need to articulate the value exchange between producer and consumer. I have watc...
Experiences
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...
Change
Change is the one constant across the API landscape, and I watch teams struggle with it every single day. If you aren't actively managing and communicating change across versions, deprecations, and...
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, ...
Consistency
When I look across the API landscape, consistency is one of the biggest challenges I see. Every team does things differently, and the surface area of inconsistency just grows until governance becom...
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...
Simplicity
I am a big believer that the best APIs are the simple ones. When I see overly complex API designs, I know someone was thinking about their internal architecture instead of the consumer. Keep the su...