Video and slides synchronized, mp3 and slide download available at URL http://bit.ly/KqpQu2. Jakub Nesetril presents a practical example of prototyping, developing and testing an application using a structured description of its API. Filmed at qconsf.com. Jakub Nesetril is co-founder & CEO of Apiary, helping you make API design and documentation enjoyable. Prior to Apiary Jakub has gathered 10 years of experience leading API products and engineering teams in companies like GoodData and APN.

1. API-Driven Development
for both ends
jakub@apiary.io

2. Watch the video with slide
synchronization on InfoQ.com!
http://www.infoq.com/presentations
/api-driven-development
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3. Presented at QCon San Francisco
www.qconsf.com
Purpose of QCon
- to empower software development by facilitating the spread of
knowledge and innovation
Strategy
- practitioner-driven conference designed for YOU: influencers of
change and innovation in your teams
- speakers and topics driving the evolution and innovation
- connecting and catalyzing the influencers and innovators
Highlights
- attended by more than 12,000 delegates since 2007
- held in 9 cities worldwide

4. Overview
• Why are APIs different?
• Why are APIs bad?
• How to fix that?
* APIs = REST/HTTP APIs

5. #noBackend?
API is the border checkpoint, the DMZ
between frontend and backend

6. Jakub Nesetril
• backend dev
• frontend dev
• founder of Apiary

7. Apiary
• API Design, Documentation & Testing Tools
• Grown from 0 to 35,000 APIs since last year
• Largest API community worldwide

8. What is an API?

11. API is UI to Data

12. API is UI to Data

13. API is UI to Data
User Experience

14. API is UI to Data
Design
User Experience

15. API is UI to Data
Emotions
Design
User Experience

16. API is UI to Data
Emotions
Design
User Experience
Subjective

17. API is UI to Data
Emotions
Design
User Experience
Subjective
Culturally Dependent

18. API is UI to Data
Emotions
Simplicity
Design
User Experience
Subjective
Culturally Dependent

19. API is UI to Data
Emotions
Simplicity
Design
Productivity
User Experience
Subjective
Culturally Dependent

20. API is UI to Data
Emotions
Conversion Rates
Simplicity
Design
Productivity
User Experience
Subjective
Culturally Dependent

21. API is UI to Data
Emotions
Conversion Rates
Simplicity
Design
Productivity
User Experience
Usability Studies
Subjective
Culturally Dependent

22. API is UI to Data
Emotions
Conversion Rates
Simplicity
Design
Productivity
User Experience
Hackathons
Subjective
Culturally Dependent

23. Great! Make good design!

24. No dev thinks HIS design sucks!

27. Provider
Consumer

28. Backend
Frontend

29. Java
Backend
Rails
Scala
Erlang
Frontend

30. Validation
Uptime
Java
Maintenance
Backend
Caching Rails
Scala
Security
Versioning
Erlang
Frontend

31. Validation
Uptime
Java
Maintenance
Backend
Caching Rails
Scala
Security
jQuery
Frontend
ObjC
Versioning
Erlang
Hoodie

32. Latency
Validation
Uptime
Java
Maintenance
Backend
Caching Rails
Scala
Security
Versioning
Erlang
Can It Be Done?
TTFHW
jQuery
Frontend
Debugging
ObjC
Hoodie
Example
Support

33. So?

34. Traditional API Development

38. Design
Implementation
Customer

39. Design
Implementation
Customer

40. 3-6 weeks
Design
3-6 months
Implementation
Customer

41. Problem: API providers don't
understand API consumers
(and vice versa)

42. Want good APIs?
!
Empower the Frontend

43. Let's turn that on it's head

44. Design
Implementation
Customer

45. Design
Customer
Implementation

46. Design
Customer
Implementation

47. Frontend developer
designs an API

48. Frontend developer builds
#noBackend app

49. Backend developers get
implementation specs
(in form of tests)

50. API Blueprint
• human-readable & human-writable
• based on Markdown, you already know it
• structured reasoning about APIs

52. demo

53. What did we just see?

54. Concurrent Development
Frontend
Contract
Backend

55. Concurrent Development
Frontend
mocks
Contract
Backend

56. Concurrent Development
Frontend
mocks
Contract
tests
Backend

57. What happens when you're
offline?

58. demo

59. Summary

60. Involve the frontend

61. Collaborate

62. Source Code
Format: https://github.com/apiaryio/api-blueprint
Testing: https://github.com/apiaryio/dredd
JS SDK: https://github.com/apiaryio/apiblueprint-sdk

63. Thank You
@apiaryio
http://apiary.io/
!
@jakubnesetril

64. Watch the video with slide synchronization on
InfoQ.com!
http://www.infoq.com/presentations/apidriven-development