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Cohort

As explained in Automating API Delivery

A cohort is a group of users classified by the date of their first API request.

A cohort is a group of API users classified by the date of their first request. Tracking each cohort's later requests reveals retention and API stickiness over time. section 11.1.3

Use cohorts to measure repeat API usage:

  • Record each user's first API request date and assign the user to the corresponding cohort. section 11.1.3
  • Track the percentage of users in each cohort who make requests on each day after joining. section 11.1.3
  • Compare seven-day or thirty-day retention and interpret declining repeat use as possible churn. section 11.1.3

Retention window

Group users whose first requests occurred on the same date, then calculate what percentage of that group requests the API on each of the next seven or thirty days. section 11.1.3

How Automating API Delivery covers it

How deep it goes
Defines cohort membership and retention windows, but does not specify implementation tooling or storage design.
Examples
Uses seven-day and thirty-day windows to track daily requests from users sharing a first-request date.
What it assumes
Requires identifying users and recording the date of each user's first API request.
What you can do after
Evaluate API stickiness by measuring repeat-request percentages for successive user cohorts.
How it connects
Connects cohorts with user retention, churn, recurring usage, and API product metrics.
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Related concepts

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