In this presentation, I compare two API's created for two leading MOBA games. I show why one of them is user-friendly and one of them is not. I also try to answer a question what features good API has.

1. versus
Ireneusz Skrobiś
Lead Developer @ Selleo

4. • Launched: Oct 27, 2009
• Number of players: 67 million a month
• Developer: Riot Games
• Launched: July 9, 2013
• Number of players: 8 million a month
• Developer: Valve Corporation

5. Good API
• documentation
• easy to use
• intuitive
• reliable

6. Documentation

12. Easy to use?

13. What I need?
• get player info for sign up
• get player stats
• get matches info
• get match info

14. What I need?
five last matches
with win/lose info

15. • find summoner by name and region
=> you get summoner_id

16. • find summoner by name and region
=> you get summoner_id
• hit games endpoint with summoner_id
=> you get list of games with win/lose info

17. • find player by name and region
=> you get player_id

18. • find player by name and region
=> you get player_id
• hit matches endpoint with player_id
=> you get list of games without(!) win/lose info
=> you take match_ids for five last matches

19. • find player by name and region
=> you get player_id
• hit matches endpoint with player_id
=> you get list of games without(!) win/lose info
=> you take match_ids for five last matches
• you hit match endpoint 5 times to get win/lose info

20. Intuitive?

21. What I need?
player id

22. • hit summoner endpoint with region and username
=> you get summoner_id

23. • hit summoner endpoint with region and username
=> you get summoner_id
• it works because username is unique for region

24. • to get player info you have to
hit STEAM profile endpoint

25. • to get player info you have to
hit STEAM profile endpoint
• username is not unique
user can easily change it

27. • you have steamID (STEAM_0:1:123456)

28. • you have steamID (STEAM_0:1:123456)
• you have to use some library that will calculate a
proper profile id (76561198059906731)

29. • you have steamID (STEAM_0:1:123456)
• you have to use some library that will calculate a
proper profile id (76561198059906731)
• 76561198059906731 -

30. • you have steamID (STEAM_0:1:123456)
• you have to use some library that will calculate a
proper profile id (76561198059906731)
• 76561198059906731 - 76561197960265728

31. • you have steamID (STEAM_0:1:123456)
• you have to use some library that will calculate a
proper profile id (76561198059906731)
• 76561198059906731 - 76561197960265728
• now you get dota2_account_id: 99641003

32. WTF?

33. Reliable?

34. it is reliable

35. it is NOT reliable

37. Thank You!
Live Long And Prosper :)
Ireneusz Skrobiś
Lead Developer @ Selleo