This is a session given by Bill Doerrfeld at Nordic APIs 2016 Platform Summit on October 25th, in Stockholm Sweden. Description: At Nordic APIs, our goal is to help businesses make smart tech decisions using APIs. To that end, via events and content Nordic APIs has treaded the business and technical sides to consider holistic best practices for providing an API. In this introductory Summit keynote talk, I’ll introduce what we’ve learned in the form of 6 core tenants of API practice which we’ve also designed this conference to address. Together they define a functional and evolving API: Platformification: Becoming an API-first company means undergoing a platformification process. This represents a global trend that many argue needs to be adopted to keep your business competitive within the digital economy. Strategy: Even before development begins, it’s important to consider your core API strategy. This is a defensible position that aligns your tech with platform goals, strategically exposing internal assets catered to an industry niche. Business Models: APIs have the power to improve efficiency, reduce overhead cost, open up complementary revenue streams, extend R&D, or even alter an existing business model entirely. Thus, you’ll want to determine the right monetization method that improves overall business and leads to end profitability. Security: With new major data breaches reaching the public ear every month, the importance of digital security can never be underestimated. For APIs, much of that lies in monitoring usage, access management, and identity control. Design: No developer wants to use an API with an ugly developer portal, unintuitive URL structures, outdated technology, or terrible lag time. In order to keep your developer consumer happy, paint the API portal and overall developer experience with an aesthetic brush. Marketing: In order to spark adoption, you need to have more than awesome functionality. I’ll review evangelism and discovery techniques you can use to get an API in the hands of more developer users. We’ll look at specific successful implementations of these philosophies in the wild, and mention examples from our blog and eBook content that have brought in industry experts to share their insights. I’ll initiate dialogue and open the conference up to see where we’re heading. What you can get out of embracing the core tenants of API practice?

1. Nordic APIs
2016 Platform Summit
Welcome!
Architect and design your APIs on the scale of decades

2. • Workshops: what was learned?
• Trajectory for the next two days
• Business vs technical tracks
• 6 Insights
• Nordic APIs mission
Welcome to this year's event

3. • Platforms are being formed everywhere
• Shifting our society
• APIs are the enabler of this transformation
• API Platforms are business critical
• Platforms are a long-term play
Why a "platform" summit?

4. Thank you!

5. Produced by

6. Spread the word!
@nordicapis
#nordicapis

7. Introduction to the
Art of API Practice
2016 Platform Summit
Stockholm, Sweden
Bill Doerrfeld @DoerrfeldBill
Slides available: Slideshare.com/NordicAPIs

8. "REST is software design on the scale of decades:
every detail is intended to promote software
longevity and independent evolution. Many of the
constraints are directly opposed to short-term
efficiency. "
-Roy Fielding
Inspiration:

9. Why Build for Decades?
➢ APIs will prevail
➢ Coding "just enough" rarely stands the test of
time
➢ Helps focus on entire system needs
➢ Avoid inadaptability as technology evolves
➢ "Agile" shouldn't negate future planning
➢ But most importantly...

10. API Practice is an Art

11. The 6 Insights

12. Insight #1 Platform
• Onboarding: why become
API-first?
• Validation: Successful model API
Platforms
• Momentum: Tracking disruption,
large industry movement
• Leadership: "Convincing the
Architect," intrapreneurship.

13. An API Platform is when...
➢ The API enables access to the organization’s core
value proposition
➢ Is technically and non-technically scalable
➢ Enables consumers to create shared value
➢ Is instrumental in securing the organization’s
position as a market leader
➢ Is seen by top management as business critical

14. Onboarding: Why be API-fied?
• It’s strategic for most companies to have an API
• APIs enable business to become more niche
• APIs affect all industries
• APIs empower entrepreneurs
• An economy has formed

15. Validation: Great API stories
● Consolidation of content
streaming pipeline
● Disrupted entertainment
industry
● Heightened brand
awareness
● Profit generation
● Facilitated move to server
provider
● Advertising benefits
● Competitive edge
● Embeddable service

16. Momentum: Industry at Large
● 16,000+ APIs
● Composable
● Impacted sectors:
○ IT, DevOps, IoT,
consumer
experiences, mobile,
data analytics, AI, &
many more...

17. Leadership: The API Intrapreneur
• "Convincing the Architect" : (Perhaps we're beyond this)
• Disseminating best practices
• Fostering internal culture
• Security
• Agility
• Style Guide

18. Insight #2 Strategy
• Valuation: Determine the
value of digital assets
• Niche: Carve out unique
value
• Provisioning: Decide who
sees what
• Forecast: Respond to tech
evolution

19. Valuation: Asset Valuation
• Types of APIs
• Data: GET User data, profile data,
• Ex. Financial data
• Functionality: Processing.
• Ex. Payment API
• Infrastructure: What internal processes could
others benefit from?
• Ex. Github's Hubot

20. Niche: Create Unique Value

21. Provisioning: Release in tiers
Private PublicPartner

22. ➢ How will industries
that rely on APIs
evolve?
○ IoT
○ B2B
○ FinTech
○ Healthcare
○ Marketing
○ Utilities
○ Green tech
○ AI
Forecast: Engage with Evolution

23. Insight #3 Business Models
• Monetization: Monetize as own
product
• Premium: Package as upsell
• Indirect ROI: content
distribution, R&D, ...
• Economy: Companies whose
business is APIs
● John Musser 20+ Business Models
● Rob Zazueta 5 Monetization Models
Resources:

24. Monetization: How to monetize?
• Free
• Freemium
• Help developers grow
• Ex. Affectiva offers free SDK & API for small
businesses
• Direct Charge
• Per call
• subscription
● How to Grow and Profit Using a
Freemium API Monetization Model
Resources:

25. Premium: Package as upsell
• Increase
integration
capability
• Customization
• Ex. Safety Culture

26. Indirect ROI: Other benefits?
• R&D
• Ex. Tweetie acquired by Twitter
• Advertising
• Private API:
• Operational efficiency
• Supply chain management
• Business intelligence
• & more...

27. Economy: Analyze the Market
• FinTech, Open banking
movement
• AI
• IPOs; Twilio
• Sectors for exploitation with
APIs
• Novel companies
● Ten New Breeds of API Businesses...
● CMA Will Save Open Banking APIs...
Resources:

28. Insight #4 Design
• Style: API behavior, best
practices
• Development: Tools for
construction
• Reference: Ways to present
an API to machines & humans
• Testing: Testing throughout
API lifecycle

29. Style: Industry best practices
• Type: REST / SOAP. GraphQL
• Data formats: JSON, YAML,
• Style considerations:
● API Handyman’s API Stylebook
Resources:
# of Endpoints Asynchronicity Filtering Pagination
Data Format Error Handling HTTP Methods Caching
Hypermedia and More...

30. Development: Editors
• API Design Editors, many open source
• Design —> documentation publishing,
hosting, management, or more. Examples:
● Industry Guide on API Design, Kin
Lane
Resources:

31. Reference: Documentation
• API Definitions:
• Machine vs Human readable
● What is the Difference Between API
Documentation, Specification, and Definition?
Resources:

32. Testing: Continuously watching
• API Testing
• API Monitoring
• Analytics
• Virtualization
Postman API Fortress
Runscope

33. "the effort required to design something is
inversely proportional to the simplicity of the
result. "
-Roy Fielding
Inspiration:

34. Insight #5 Security
• Identity: Tracking consumer identity
• Access: Protecting resources
• Vulnerabilities: Common hacking methods
and ways to prevent
• Debugging: To prevent exploits or major
system failures

35. Insight #6 Marketing
• Discovery: How is your API
found?
• Dev Portal: docs, SDK, code
samples,
• Advocacy: Support for
customers; DevRel
• Promotion: How to actively
evangelize an API?

36. Discovery: How find API?
• SEO: Google
• Optimize API banding, copy, keyword frequency
• separate homepages for each API
• List in Directories:
• Services Discovery Automation
● Tips to Improve Discoverability of
your API
Resources:

37. Dev Portal: 7 Ingredients for a
Superb Dev Center
● 7 Ingredients That Make Up a Superb
Developer Center
Resources:
Getting Started Guide Authentication Guide
API Documentation Testing Console
Dev Resources
(code sample, SDK, libraries)
Support Channels
Platform Policy

38. Advocacy: Developer Relations
• Dev outreach
increases:
• Awareness
• Understanding
• Vision
• Ways to form a
community:
• Email, chat, forum,
conferences, Knowledge base,
blog, content, demos, use cases
● DevRel: How to Offer Unparalleled
Developer Outreach
Resources:

39. Promotion: How evangelize an
API?
• Press Releases
• API Blogs & Digests
• Social channels
• Hackernews, Product Hunt, Beta
List, Stackshare.io, Reddit.
● Utilizing Product Hunt to Launch Your
API
Resources:

40. "The Web is now philosophical engineering.
Physics and the Web are both about the
relationship between the small and the large."
-Tim Berners-Lee
Inspiration:

41. A Balanced Release

42. “Building on the scale of decades must inherently
consider all aspects of API practice, including
things like dev relations and business acumen, as
this will inform technical development.”
-Me :)
Final Thought:

43. • Architect and Design APIs
on the Scale of Decades
• Assemble knowledge
from conference
• Contributed posts from
speakers & blog team
• Release: Q1 2017
• Follow progress: Leanpub
The Art of API Practice [eBook]

44. Nordic APIs Knowledge Center
Marketing Strategy Business Security Platforms
• 10 eBooks for free download. Examples:

45. Thanks!

46. Keep in touch!
• Follow us on Twitter: @NordicAPIs
• Sign up for our Newsletter: nordicapis.com/newsletter
• Follow our blog: nordicapis.com/blog
• Contributions are welcome!

47. Thank you!
Produced by: