Application Programming Interfaces, or APIs, are the roadmaps that allow applications and system components to communicate with each other on internal networks and over the Internet. But, frequent use of APIs can quickly create a software system loaded with bugs and failed integrations. 

Each API has a limited number of requests it can process - and when an API is overloaded, your whole system stops, as it can't output any results without processing requests first.

Creating a successful API ensures your organization can avoid many of these problems. So what are the secrets? 

Follow Best Practices 

Following best practices is critical to meeting or exceeding industry standards when developing APIs. Consider the following:

• Who is the target user for this API

• Which of our products/ services do we want them to be working with?

• What are their use cases for integrating with our API?

• What technologies will they be using to integrate with our API?

• What other services will they want our API to interact with?
  
  

Documentation & Storage

Documentation is essential. But more than good documentation is needed. Too many companies don't have a central repository containing a catalog of their current APIs, documentation on how to use them, and reports of versions and changes. 

Development managers should create a procedure for adding new APIs to a centralized, editable system. Stored information should use a standard format that describes the API, consumers, maintainers, its location in the code, and tests that serve as examples.

CRUD-Compliance

The Create, Read, Update, and Delete (CRUD) elements combine to allow developers to create and test new features. 

However, it is common for an API only to require a part of the CRUD structure. For example, a mobile application may depend on the read functionality.

Security

Security is always a given in development, but it needs to be easy to use. Too many developers make it cumbersome to use.

Consider a role-based authorization policy. Authentication proves a person can log in, while permissions indicate which resources they can access. 

Or token-based authentication, where the token is a random hash assigned to the user, and they can reset it at any point if it has been stolen. 

Keep it Simple

The goal is that your API is easy enough for people to use. Someone should be able to get your API up and running by following a basic tutorial within a few minutes. 

Also, consider the following:

• Don't use too many different interfaces.

• Don't do any fancy authentication.

• Don't do some wild custom URL scheme. 

• Don't reinvent the wheel. 

The Bottom Line

To create successful APIs, developers should always follow a set of best practices from design to implementation. At ETHANY, our team of experts works behind the scenes to streamline data and facilitate all the functionality you need to run your business successfully. 

To learn more about how APIs can help your business, call us today to schedule a free strategy session.