API Development Best Practices to Follow in 2022
How to Optimize API Development in 2022
API is a set of rules that defines the user-friendliness of applications or devices. It is a software intermediary that enables applications to interact. It can be a web-based system, database system, etc.
The tech giants like Netflix, Facebook, and Github are the leaders on this show. They hire API developers to leverage their app’s data with APIs and provide users with the best possible experience.
However, API development is not an easy task. It requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and careful planning. Many companies fail to handle this task efficiently due to the lack of effective ways to manage APIs.
There are some best practices that developers should always follow. Here, I’ve listed some of the best API development practices that will help you maintain and use APIs effectively. So, have a look at them once.
1. API Should Operate Within the Regulations of Your Country and Industry
Laws and regulations vary across countries and industries. Your API development team must ensure that your business follows the rules of your target country/industry. If your API doesn’t follow regulations, you might end up paying a hefty fine or facing jail time for creating a faulty app.
For example, medical APIs would fall under regulations such as HIPAA (US) or IEC 62304 (International). Please make sure you’re aware of these regulations and that your APIs are compliant with them.
2. Minimize the Number of Network Calls to Reduce Latency
APIs are used to transfer data between software services, devices, etc. Minimizing the number of calls reduces Latency, resulting in a better user experience.
For example, if your API lists users, call “getAll” with all the necessary data as arguments. It will minimize network calls if done correctly.
3. The More the Integrations, the Better
Integrate your APIs with other third-party technologies/APIs so they can work together if needed. It will enable your API to do more and help you create a more robust platform. You can hire API developers for your project.
For example, integrations via open-source libraries or enterprise service buses- i.e., Apache Camel, MuleSoft, etc.- would enable ease of integration and reduce time-to-market.
4. The API Should Respond to the Needs of the Consumers
APIs aim to serve the consumers, not you. Be sure that your APIs are flexible enough to allow future changes if necessary. It’s also better to ensure your APIs can be integrated with other technologies/APIs without difficulty.
When you decide to change the structure of your database or implement a new kind of technology, do not be afraid to break compatibility and improve your APIs. For example- Your API retrieves data from a database. If you provide the ability for consumers to query your database, allow them to use standard query clauses such as “where.”
5. Make Sure Your APIs Can Scale
Be sure to have a well-thought-out load balancing and scaling plan, so your APIs don’t go down when too many consumers target them at once. It is a common problem amongst API developers, as they do not think about how their APIs might be targeted from external sources.
For example- Let’s say your API provides data for consumers, so you let them query the database. You have no way to know how many external sources will hit your API at once. It would be good to implement some load balancing technology/methods so your API won’t go down when suddenly targeted by too many external resources.
6. The API Must be Secure
Security is a top priority in most industries, and APIs should follow the same concept. It’s best practice to authenticate and authorize your consumers so they can only access what they’re allowed to access and encrypt any data transferred over the internet.
APIs transfer data from one resource to another with utmost security. It makes sure that your API key is encrypted and stored securely for all integrations, as well as any other data needed by the API consumer.
For example- Let’s say you have a consumer application that needs to provide some data to the consumer through your API. The application would require an encrypted API key so that when they call your API, it will decrypt the key.
7. Have Extensive Testing Done Before Launching
Testing done after you’ve implemented your APIs won’t help; it needs to be done beforehand. The more tests, the better, as this will allow for extensive results that can be analyzed and improved upon if necessary.
For example- Let’s say you want to improve upon your API, but you can’t because you’re stuck in the development phase. There are no tests done before pushing to production, which means nobody knows if it works or not. Make sure testing is done beforehand to avoid getting into this situation.
8. API Should Not be Monolithic
Monolithic is “One whole block” when referring to API development.
Developing APIs is a bad idea because it makes them seem challenging to comprehend or use and inflexible.
For example, an API requiring consumers to make one request for all the possible data is monolithic, making it very difficult for the consumer to use. Instead, break up your APIs into smaller request methods that allow the consumers to access what they want and nothing more easily.
9. Keep Versioning Simple
Versioning is adding new features to an API while still maintaining backward compatibility.
API versioning is similar to any other type of software; it should be kept simple so consumers don’t get confused or lost when using specific versions. It also applies to different data types, leading to confusion if not implemented properly. Keep the consumer experience in mind when defining what kind of data should be used for each version.
For example- Versions 2 and 3 will have different data types, so the consumer needs to know this before using it. It is an elementary example but shows how important it is to keep the consumer in mind when developing APIs.
10. API Documentation is Vital
Documentation is probably the essential part of any API.
It means that every method, parameter, input, and output needs to be documented so developers can understand how your APIs work. When writing, it’s best to use a machine-readable format instead of human-readable formats because this will allow easier integration with programs/software.
For example- When documenting a method, you would use a machine-readable format instead of a human-readable one because the software can interpret it better.
11. Design API for High Performance & Availability
You should create your APIs as performant as possible, which is usually achieved by keeping the number of requests low. You also need to make sure they are highly available, which is achieved by making them distributed and fault-tolerant. These are both important factors when designing APIs with high traffic or usage.
For example- Let’s say your API isn’t performant, and a consumer calls it thousands of times in a concise amount of time. If you design your APIs with performance and high availability in mind, this situation should be avoided. It will lead to the API being down, leading to a bad experience for the consumers.
12. APIs Must Use Industry Standards
Industry standards are the best way to go when designing APIs. You can use the most prevalent standards available, RESTful APIs, JSON, XML, etc. These are the standards that most developers are familiar with, so this makes it easy for consumers to work with your APIs.
For example- Let’s say you design another standard of API usage that won’t be as popular or widely used. There will be a lack of documentation because fewer people know how to use them, and consumers might get frustrated because they don’t know how to work with the APIs. Using industry standards means that documentation and other materials will be widely available, making it easy for consumers to use them.
13. Keep Service Boundaries Well Defined
Service boundaries define the limits to which a service can be used or accessed.
It ensures that your APIs are designed to be reusable and modular. A right analogy of this would be if you were building cars- You wouldn’t create one big vehicle with all the same parts because it would make it less efficient. Instead, you would design smaller vehicles that are all different but can be used together.
Consumers need to know what service boundaries are to work with them properly. If they’re not defined as two different services, both would have to be done simultaneously to work correctly. For example- Let’s say you have two APIs, one for driving and the other for steering.
14. SEO is Essential Always
Search engine optimization (SEO) is vital for any website or API to rank well. It’s not just about having a good product- SEO is essential for getting the word out there and making your APIs known to consumers. Make sure your documentation is SEO optimized to get ranking through search engines easier.
For example, if you change the design of your documentation too much without optimizing your SEO, it will be harder for consumers to find them, making it less likely to use them. Keep your SEO optimized to rank better and get the word out about the APIs.
15. API Design Should be User-friendly
API design should be user-friendly and intuitive. If consumers can’t figure out how the APIs work by themselves, they might get frustrated and stop using them. It results in a lower rate of adoption for your APIs, making it harder to get the word out about them — keeping your documentation and the actual design user-friendly increases the chances of consumers using them.
For example, if your APIs aren’t intuitive, the consumer will need to spend more time learning how they work instead of just trying them out and seeing if they work for what they need. Therefore, consumers need to determine whether or not an API is functional in a short amount of time so that they’re not wasting their time.
Final Words
APIs should be designed with high availability, performance, standards, well-defined service boundaries, SEO optimization, user-friendly design, and reusability. Following these best practices will ensure APIs are designed to meet business requirements and consumer needs, increasing the chances of adoption.
For better assistance, you can also consider hiring an IT consulting company. They hold special expertise and deliver the best results.
