Api-first architecture

As explained in Platform Engineering on Kubernetes

A software development approach in which an API is designed as the primary interface for accessing a service before client implementations are built.

API-first architecture makes an API the primary interface for accessing a service. The API exposes available resources, configuration parameters, deployment regions, and service functionality before client implementations are built. section 1.1.3

Effective API-first platforms make the interface an operational contract:

• Assign a team to define, own, evolve, and limit the API’s responsibilities. section 1.1.3
• Support dashboards, CLIs, and SDKs as client layers over the API, while recognizing that SDKs can create language and provider dependencies. section 1.1.3
• Use early API-only releases to let users experiment, test, and provide feedback before official service announcements. section 1.1.3
• Treat APIs as platform contracts that support automated production workflows and resource provisioning. section 1.1.5

Figure 1.4 Cloud providers’ SDKs, CLIs, and Dashboard clients

Compare SDKs, CLIs, and dashboard clients as different ways to consume the same cloud-provider capabilities. section 1.1.3

How Platform Engineering on Kubernetes covers it

How deep it goes

Defines exposed capabilities, ownership, lifecycle, and client tradeoffs, but stops short of prescribing cross-provider API standards.

Examples

Uses cloud-provider resources, configuration parameters, deployment regions, beta APIs, SDKs, CLIs, and dashboards as examples.

What you can do after

Evaluate/understand cloud platforms by inspecting their APIs, client layers, ownership model, and automation capabilities.

How it connects

Connects APIs with SDKs, CLIs, dashboards, platform engineering, production workflows, and Kubernetes.

liveBookmanning.com

Read Platform Engineering on Kubernetes on liveBook Get the book at manning.com

Also explained in

• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Effective Platform EngineeringAPI-first architecture designs an API as the primary interface of a capability before building user interfaces or other tools on top of it.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Secure APIsAPI design first is an approach that defines an API before implementing its producer or consumer.

Compare how 3 books explain api-first architecture →

Related concepts

• FastAPIused by · FastAPI is a Python web framework for building APIs, with type-annotation-based request handling, validation, and automatic OpenAPI documentation.
• contractuses · An API contract is a specification of the operations, data, and behavioral expectations that govern interactions between software components.
• self-serviceproduces · Self-service is a mode in which users independently obtain resources or perform supported tasks without requiring an intermediary for each request.
• design-first approachcontrasts with · A specification-first approach defines and validates an interface or behavioral contract before implementing the system that conforms to it.
• secure by designuses · Secure by design is an engineering approach that incorporates security requirements and protections throughout a system’s design, development, and lifecycle.

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of Platform Engineering on Kubernetes. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.