Archive note: This roundup was originally published on July 25, 2016. It is retained as a historical resource; third-party links, statistics, product details, and recommendations may have changed since publication.
Articles in this archived roundup
API Digest is back with a curated round-up of interesting and useful API news, articles, and insights from across the API community. In this issue you'll find a brief overview of the following themes: why developers don't like writing documentation, how APIs fuel a cultural shift in businesses, a major shift happening in SaaS, reasons to thoroughly test your API, the role of APIs for startups, and more.
As software proliferates into every corner of a business, IT teams are being crushed by project demands from business users who expect applications and data to be always available and always connected. As a result, IT can no longer keep up simply by running faster on the hamster wheel. But don't panic — Ross Mason has a way to make sense of it. Check out his article A modern-day Renaissance: APIs fuel a cultural shift in businesses for the full picture. This cultural shift is still playing out today, as more businesses lean on APIs and AI-driven tools to run core operations without needing a developer for every task.
Writing good documentation is important, and most developers know it — yet many still avoid doing it. Nik Wakelin discusses why this happens and what can be done about it, along with practical ways to improve the documentation process.
The evolution of software as a service from displacer to disruptor is the next big shift in SaaS. Disruptive companies change the way a buyer thinks about solving their problem, argues Tomasz Tunguz.
Business is increasingly relying on APIs. Yet, unlike most mission-critical business applications, API delivery is rarely industrialized to the same degree as modern software delivery. Reliable, well-structured API delivery — including things like consistent store connectivity across different eCommerce platforms — remains a differentiator rather than the norm.
APIs need to be robust. They must be flexible enough to adapt to change and resilient enough to withstand the malicious schemes hackers use to disrupt core systems. So how does a provider consistently maintain security across an API platform? Check out Bill C. Doerrfeld's article, where he walks through APIware's Sapience API security validation tool.
"What is the API for YOUR startup?" asks Alex Iskold. He suggests thinking about your business as an API, since this framing brings clarity about what your business actually does and why. It's a mindset that also applies to building practical tools around an API, such as a multi-channel product listing tool that ties several platforms together through a single integration layer.
For more API news and insights, read API Developer Weekly #120 and #121 by Keith Casey and James Higginbotham.
P.S.: If you're interested in API2Cart and have any questions, schedule a consultation with our representative or test how it works. Got an interesting API story to tell or a link to share? Feel free to send your suggestions to our email. Have a great week! 🙂
