A lot of work is required to release an API, but the effort doesn't always pay off. Overplanning before an API matures is a wasted investment, while underplanning can lead to disaster. The second edition of this book provides maturity models for individual APIs and multi-API landscapes to help you invest the right human and company resources for the right maturity level at the right time.
How do you balance the desire for agility and speed with the need for robust and scalable operations? Four experts show software architects, program directors, and product owners how to maximize the value of their APIs by managing them as products through a continuous lifecycle.
• Learn which API decisions you need to govern
• Design, deploy, and manage APIs using an API-as-a-product (AaaP) approach
• Examine 10 pillars that form the foundation of API product work
• Learn how the continuous improvement model governs changes throughout an API's lifetime
• Explore the five stages of a complete API product lifecycle
• Delve into team roles needed to design, build, and maintain your APIs
• Learn how to manage APIs published by your organization
Author(s): Mehdi Medjaoui, Erik Wilde, Ronnie Mitra, Mike Amundsen
Edition: 2
Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Year: 2021
Language: English
Commentary: Publisher's PDF
Pages: 357
City: Sebastopol, CA
Tags: Management; Product Management; Software Development Life Cycle; Team Management; Business Model; Continuous Improvement; APIs; API Management; API Governance
Cover
Copyright
Table of Contents
Foreword to the First Edition
Preface
Who Should Read This Book
What’s in This Book
The Outline
What’s Not in This Book
Conventions Used in This Book
O’Reilly Online Learning
How to Contact Us
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. The Challenge and Promise of API Management
What Is API Management?
The Business of APIs
What Is an API?
More Than Just the API
API Maturity Stages
More Than a Single API
Why Is API Management Difficult?
Scope
Scale
Standards
Managing the API Landscape
Technology
Teams
Governance
Summary
Chapter 2. API Governance
Understanding API Governance
Decisions
Decision Management
Governing Complex Systems
Governing Decisions
Centralization and Decentralization
The Elements of a Decision
Decision Mapping
Decision Design in Practice
Designing Your Governance System
Governance Pattern #1: Design Authority
Governance Pattern #2: Embedded Centralized Experts
Governance Pattern #3: Influenced Self-Governance
Implementing Governance Patterns
Evolving Your Solution
Observability and Visibility
Operating Models
Develop a Strategy for Standards Management
Summary
Chapter 3. The API as a Product
The Programmable Economy Is API-Led
Price, Promotion, Product, Place → Everywhere
Design Thinking
Match People’s Needs
Viable Business Strategy
The Bezos Mandate
Applying Design Thinking to APIs
Customer Onboarding
Time to Wow!
Onboarding for Your APIs
Developer Experience
Knowing Your Audience
Making It Safe and Easy
Why Are Developers So Important in the API Economy?
Developer Relations for APIs as a Product
API-as-a-Product Monetization and Pricing
Summary
Chapter 4. The Pillars of an API Product
Introducing the Pillars
Strategy
Design
Documentation
Development
Testing
Deployment
Security
Monitoring
Discovery
Change Management
Using the Pillars Together
Applying Pillars When Performing Planning
Using the Pillars for Creation
Using the Pillars to Operate and Run
Summary
Chapter 5. Continuous API Improvement
Managing Change Continuously
Incremental Improvement
API Change Velocity
Changing an API
The API Release Lifecycle
Changing the Interface Model
Changing the Implementation
Changing the Instance
Changing the Supporting Assets
Improving API Changeability
Effort Costs
Opportunity Costs
Coupling Costs
Isn’t All This Just BDUF?
Summary
Chapter 6. API Styles
APIs Are Languages
The Five API Styles
Tunnel Style
Resource Style
Hypermedia Style
Query Style
Event-Based Style
How to Decide on API Style and Technology
Avoid Painting Yourself into a Style Corner
Summary
Chapter 7. The API Product Lifecycle
Measurements and Milestones
OKRs and KPIs
Defining an API Objective
Identifying Measurable Results
The API Product Lifecycle
Stage 1: Create
Stage 2: Publish
Stage 3: Realize
Methodology: Value Proposition Interface Canvas
Stage 4: Maintain
Stage 5: Retire
Applying the Product Lifecycle to the Pillars
Create
Publish
Realize
Maintain
Retire
Summary
Chapter 8. API Teams
API Roles
Business Roles
Technical Roles
API Teams
Teams and API Maturity
Scaling Up Your Teams
Teams and Roles at Spotify
Factors for Your Scaling Approach
Culture and Teams
Recognizing Conway’s Law
Leveraging Dunbar’s Numbers
Enabling Alexander’s Cultural Mosaic
Supporting Experimentation
Summary
Chapter 9. API Landscapes
API Archaeology
API Management at Scale
The Platform Principle
Principles, Protocols, and Patterns
API Landscapes as Language Landscapes
API the APIs
Understanding the Landscape
The Eight Vs of API Landscapes
Variety
Vocabulary
Volume
Velocity
Vulnerability
Visibility
Versioning
Volatility
Summary
Chapter 10. API Landscape Journey
Structuring Guidance in the API Landscape
The Lifecycle of Guidance
The Center for Enablement
C4E Team and Context
Maturity and the Eight Vs
Variety
Vocabulary
Volume
Velocity
Vulnerability
Visibility
Versioning
Volatility
Summary
Chapter 11. Managing the API Lifecycle in an Evolving Landscape
Managing an Evolving Landscape in Practice
Socialize Your “Red Lines”
Platforms Over Projects (Eventually)
Design for Consumers, Producers, and Sponsors
Test, Measure, and Learn
API Products and Lifecycle Pillars
API Landscapes
Decision Points and Maturity
Landscape Aspects and API Lifecycle Pillars
Strategy
Design
Documentation
Development
Testing
Deployment
Security
Monitoring
Discovery
Change Management
Summary
Chapter 12. Continuing the Journey
Continuing to Prepare for the Future
Continue Managing Every Day
Index
About the Authors
Colophon
