Essential REST API Notes for 2015/04/13
In North America, spring is in full bloom. With it comes a flowering of RESTful API discussion. As systems mature, we're seeing a number of authors coming forward and sharing their perspective on what works.
TWITTER ENDS FIREHOSE API ACCESS
Normally a company ending data access wouldn't be a big deal. However, Twitter cutting off their firehose partners raised wonderful debate on the proper exposure of APIs in platform development. One of the first pieces was by Steven Willmott on how the move was a mistake that will rob Twitter of innovation. Tyler Singletary responded, defending a company's right to change platform strategy in light of business realities. As much as we might like, there isn't an obvious answer. The perils (and power) of building on other's platforms will continue to be an source of emerging lesso.
DROPBOX INTRODUCES API V2
One of the best ways of learning API development is studying the work of others. Dropbox has a fantastic write-up on the thought that has gone into the next generation of their API. Leah Culver not only shares what's different but provides simple, straightforward CURL examples to get developers to 'Hello World' ASAP - something that is essential in creating a thriving API ecosystem around a service.
THE SOUND OF HYPERMEDIA
Everyone's favorite hypermedia advocate, Mike Amundsen, recently sat down with Ole Lensmar and Lorinda Brandon on the new-ish "APIs Uncensored" podcast. They discussed trends in microservice usage, the Tinder API hack, and the challenges (and opportunities) with hypermedia.
WRAPPING UP
As I mentioned last week, I'll be speaking on the lessons learned in implementing microservices at the 2nd Annual Capital One API Summit. This week I'm pleased to announce that I'll also be presenting the same talk on the Nordic APIs conference Seattle stop. That event is May 15th. Free registration is available online but hurry - space is limited. If you can't make either event, the REST API Tutorial is always available, 24-7, for your RESTful API needs.
Until next time, Matthew - @libel_vox