Essential REST API Notes for 2015/04/20
This week I'm mixing things up and mailing this newsletter out on a Monday instead of a Tuesday. Even with one less day of coverage, however, there's no shortage of thought-provoking RESTful API notes to be shared.
API FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE?
The first piece comes by way of the Harvard Business Review. In it Bala Iyer and Mohan Subramaniam look at how Uber, Airbnb, and Facebook, among others, use their APIs to drive competitive advantage through four approaches. I also published a piece on How APIs Drive Business Innovation. While they diverge in their focus, many of the main points are similar.
RUNNING YOUR API AS PRODUCT
Ruining an API is much more than standing up some servers and waiting for traffic. As Bruno Pedro writes on Nordic APIs, companies need to manage the entire API life cycle. Marketing is particularly onerous if left in the hands of traditional developers. Whether it is a developer portal, interactive documentation, or collected use cases, these materials often make the first impression in the minds of potential users. Treat them accordingly.
SECURING APIS
Increasingly hackers are discovering that APIs published for mobile applications are the weak link in many institutions' infrastructure. In response, Gunnar Peterson has published a great slide deck and recorded video articulating the Top Ten API Security Concerns. He outlines a number of thoughtful approaches; there's no reason the next cautionary tale should include you.
WRAPPING UP
At the end of this week two premier API events - APIDays and APIStrat - are getting together in Berlin. If you can't be there I've found that monitoring social media for the event's hashtag ( #APIsBerlin ) can be a great way to identify trends and locate speaker materials.
One of the speakers at that event, Kirsten Hunter, is also writing a book, Irresistible APIs. You can check it out as part of Manning's Early Access Program.
Speaking of upcoming events, I'd love it if you could stop by and say hello after I speak at Nordic APIs' Seattle stop, this May 15th. And, as always, if you're just beginning your API journey REST API Tutorial is a fantastic place to get started.
Till next time,
- Matthew, @libel_vox