Net API Notes for 2022/01/12 - Issue 186
Hey, how are you? As I recently mentioned in the Patreon-exclusive companion podcast to this newsletter, returning from holiday break was challenging, more so than in previous years. As Eric Barker, a lifestyle blogger, said:
"Maddeningly, COVID may be going from historical 'event' to 'era.' I don't blame you if your optimism has stretch marks and you’re feeling phantom pain where your hope used to be. We’re all wishing life would go back to precedented times."
For me, reading that is hard. I almost involuntarily sucked in a breath just typing that. Thankfully, Eric also offers a solution, backed by scientific research: be good and give to others.
Years ago, I started a page to track my giving. I also contributed to Zeynep Tufekci's Doctors Without Borders campaign in December. Those doing essential, life-saving work wouldn't divert precious time and energy to fundraise in an ideal world. However, until we build the world we need, we must maintain the one we got. If you are in a position where you've benefitted from the technology industry's relative affluence, please consider giving - both for the recipient's sake, as well as your own.
Now, onto the notes.
Net API Notes is a regular, hand-curated digest of impactful news and analysis for busy API practitioners. Are you reading this and not subscribed yet? Sign up today and be the first to get ad-free, actionable info delivered directly to your inbox.
NOTES
WEB3, NFTS, AND APIS
STRAT / DESIGN / DOC / DEV & TEST / DEPLOY / SECURITY / MONITOR / DISCOVERY
Over the last year, NFTs (or Non-Fungible Tokens) have come to dominate the speculative software space. They aren't without controversy. The flame wars around NFTs and their role as part of a larger web3 "movement" could practically warm a household this past winter.
But, as is so often the case, strong emotion on both sides usually meant participants talked past each other. What is it like to create a web3 application, and does it meet the lofty claims of its proponents? Moxie Marlinspike created a thoughtful and detailed write-up of the experience to answer those questions.
What does this have to do with APIs? Well, actually quite a lot:
"As it happens, companies have emerged that sell API access to an ethereum node they run as a service, along with providing analytics, enhanced APIs they’ve built on top of the default ethereum APIs, and access to historical transactions."
Moxie's point is that interacting with the underlying technologies can be difficult. As a result, power has consolidated in a handful of platforms that abstract away the rough edges behind developer-friendly APIs. While that is a story we've seen repeatedly play out in API ecosystems, it isn't the fully distributed, gatekeeper-free future that web3 touts, either.
If you're interested in learning more, I highly recommend Moxie's article.
HOW BAD MODELS RUIN AN API
STRAT / DESIGN / DOC / DEV & TEST / DEPLOY / SECURITY / MONITOR / DISCOVERY
Models are essential, and success requires several of them. After all, as author Mike Amundsen says, your data model is not your object model is not your resource model is not your affordance model. Jose Haro Peralta adds to that wisdom by suggesting that a bad model will ruin an API.
I appreciated several things about the piece. In particular, Jose's illustrating of the "schemaless-schema" trap is very good (in a prior role, we used to call these "key-value blobs". While articulating objects in such a way might provide maximum flexibility for the API producer, it is a breaking change waiting to happen for the consumer.
FLICKR AND ADDING OBSERVABILITY (O11Y) TO AN EXISTING API CODEBASE
STRAT / DESIGN / DOC / DEV & TEST / DEPLOY / SECURITY / MONITOR / DISCOVERY
Over on the Flickr blog, Nick Scheiblauer, a Senior Engineering Manager, describes how to add observability to an existing API codebase.
Lots of IT shops have tools in place that allow them to monitor the current state of their API ecosystem. Observability goes a step further and enables teams to debug their system actively. Unlike monitoring, observability is based on exploring properties and patterns not defined in advance.
Nick describes getting Akita working with a REST-ish, rather than a REST-ful, interface in the piece's heart. It is an excellent reference given the number of folks in a similar position with similar needs.
MILESTONES
- In the note about the Oracle v Google resolution, do you remember that the Supreme Court effectively dodged the question of whether or not an API could be copyrighted? Well, it didn't take long for companies to notice that wrinkle. SAS Institute, Inc. v. World Programming Ltd is currently being heard in the Federal Circuit. Yee-haw.
- Twitter's former CEO, Jack Dorsey, mentioned closing its API for external users was the "worst thing they did". In other news, the water is wet and the sky is blue. One omission isn't likely to change the gradual move away from "open" API platforms we've seen for the last half-decade. However, as someone there for "web2", it is a little validation.
- Since we've talked about web2 and web3, Tim Hwang is starting a Web 2.0 book club. Over this year, they'll be reading FREE CULTURE (Lessig, 2004), THE LONG TAIL (Anderson, 2006), HERE COMES EVERYBODY (Shirky, 2008), and ALONE TOGETHER (Turkle, 2011). Ain't no party like a geeky book club party, as the song goes.
- Last week, on the Postman blog, I shared how to improve API governance with shareable OpenAPI templates. I'm excited to hear how others leverage this work.
WRAPPING UP
Two quick shout outs:
- The LinkedIn API and Web Services Professional Group is a great way to brighten your timeline. Check out what 3000 other API professionals have already discovered.
- NetAPI.events could use some more events. Who has got some? Let me know.
Finally, my gratitude goes to this newsletter's Patrons. Their support not only earns them an exclusive, members-only podcast; it also helps ensure that this newsletter remains ad-free, with no info selling and outside of paywalls for the benefit of all. Thank you!
Till next time,
Matthew @libel_vox and matthewreinbold.com
While I work at Postman, an aesthetically pleasing mechanical keyboard in a world of mushy plastic keypresses, the opinions presented above are mine.