This document discusses how to build an API that developers will love. It recommends creating a positive developer experience by understanding user needs, implementing useful and consistent functionality, providing documentation and support, and maintaining the API over time with a long-term mindset. Key aspects include following REST principles, using versioning effectively, publishing tests and documentation, and focusing on reliability, communication and extending functionality over multiple versions. The goal is to build an API that is useful to both developers and the business.

1. How to build an API your developers
will love?
Michael Kuehne

2. Michael Kuehne
Independent Software Engineer
API Specialist

3. Why should you build an API your
developers will love?

4. Your API is a Product

5. Create a Developer Experience
User Scenarios & User Stories
Personas

6. Don‘t forget these Guys

7. Create an overall Experience
with DX Core

8. UXUX Honeycomb

9. Simple Functions and Calls
Useful to me vs. Userful by Design

10. Create value for a business
Service, Data, Audience, ...

11. Long-Term Mindset
Consistency

12. RESTful
Naming
HAL for XML & JSON

13. V1
Versioning

14. Where
What
Who
Example
Path
segment
Data
Twilio
/2015-­‐09-­‐01/...
Path
segment
Number
TwiAer
/1/...
Path
segment
‘v‘
+
Number
LinkedIn
/v1/...
Path
segment
‘v‘
+
Number
Yelp
.../v1/...
Query
string
Number
Google
?v=2
Custom
HTTP
Header
Number
Google
GData-­‐Version:
2
HTTP
Accept
Header
Number
GitHub
ApplicaUon/vnd.github[.version]
Path
segment
Number
Michael
Kuehne
/v2-­‐3/...
Versioning

15. Error Messages

16. Publish your Tests
Provide Stubs

17. SDKs
Dev Dashboard
Sandbox

19. Documentation
Communication

20. HATEOAS
Extend Responses

21. Reliable APIs
Legal Part

22. And what does Apple?

23. „An API is a Journey
Not a destination“
John Musser

24. Thank you
and start creating API your Developers will love!
Michael Kuehne
michael@mkuehne.com
@michikuehne

25. Credits
• Stormtropper with Heart https://flic.kr/p/7CMCXh
• Apple Stormtropper https://flic.kr/p/8pxp41
• Logo Quad Racer https://flic.kr/p/dXan4x
• Business man https://flic.kr/p/9ahi5b
• See in the Mountains https://flic.kr/p/bDg5Ms
• Leathermen https://flic.kr/p/7BMTj9
• Traffic Sign https://flic.kr/p/4uZDqS
• Hello my name is https://flic.kr/p/7NudQf
• LED https://flic.kr/p/eQy2Um
• Toolbox https://flic.kr/p/bkSP2c
• Chocolate https://flic.kr/p/eMKxsK
• Boy Scouts https://flic.kr/p/cdxFkW
• Wheel chair https://flic.kr/p/9g1LDE
• Church https://flic.kr/p/opTHCA
• Kayak https://flic.kr/p/bSaLKB