Chapter 1. What makes an API irresistible?
This chapter covers
- Defining a web API and what it can do
- Ensuring a great developer experience
- Avoiding common pitfalls
An API is an interface into a computer system—an application programming interface. Historically APIs started out as highly coupled interfaces between computer systems. Web APIs, which are much freer and less tied together, have been evolving for quite some time, but recently developers have seen a huge explosion in the web APIs available to them. Many of these APIs were developed without the end user (in this case, a developer using the API) in mind, resulting in a frustrating developer experience and a less successful web API.
An irresistible API is straightforward to use, well documented, and well supported, and the supported use cases are communicated and demonstrated well. Using your API should be a joyful and engaging experience, not a slog through a frustrating and never-ending series of challenges.
This book will help you understand how to create web APIs that are loved by developers, that are engaging and purposeful, and that will experience success. It also discusses the factors you should consider to determine whether you should have a platform at all. The guidelines included in this book are meaningful for any kind of web API, no matter the technology or audience.