Esther Schindler’s Post

Many applications rely on a series of API calls — sometimes to various API providers. Here are some tips on linking these requests and subsequent responses together.

A solid foundation for an API strategy.

Have you heard of Opinionated Defaults ? In the realm of API design, the principle of "Conventions over Configuration" paves the way for a powerful concept: Opinionated Defaults. As Shoutrange, we are proud to share that we are one of few, if not the first, that came up with and defined the idea in the context of API Design. What does “Opinionated Defaults” mean ? In the context of API Design, we define "Opinionated Defaults" as the practice of decreasing the number of required input fields and adjusting endpoint behavior based on the most common use cases of the real world integrators. This can be thought of the API equivalent of usage of default values and flows in UI design, but it is simplifying factor is much more bigger and important since APIs are by nature more complex than UIs. This approach aims to simplify the developer, and by extension user experience by offering sensible defaults that work well for most use cases right out of the box, thus reducing the initial complexity and decision-making required from the developers integrating with the API. Using this approach you can reduce the Time to First Call (TTFC) or Time to First Hello World (TTFHW) metric, which is a critical indicator of API quality. We re-define this metric a little differently, as Time to First Live Integration (TTFLI), which will delve into later in more detail with another post. Here is a real world example: Lets say you have to design an API endpoint. Business teams provided you with a backend API and that API has a complex body that requires the following fields and all the fields in it are required. { "sourceAccount": "DE97500105170000000001", "targetAccount": "GB90NWBK00000000000001", "amount": 500.00, "currency": "USD", "transactionMethod": "EFT" } Lets assume that your backend supports various transaction methods and currencies but you know from your previous data that almost all of your transactions are made using EFT and are between USD accounts. “Opinionated Defaults” design culture principle says that we should make “currency” and “transactionMethod” fields not required and use the most common values as default if any of these fields are not provided. So that the request input API can be as simple as this: { "sourceAccount": "DE97500105170000000001", "targetAccount": "GB90NWBK00000000000001", "amount": 500.00 } Now lets discuss, what benefits this approach brings... Please read more at https://lnkd.in/dSDW4S6b and subscribe to our newsletter to get more content like this. #apis #apiarchitecture #apidesign #apiculture

In Part 2 in our two-part blog series about CloudBees Composer, we will dive more deeply into preconfigured actions within the CloudBees platform. Preconfigured actions are actions with already defined values, such as access tokens, URLs, and settings. They come ready with the necessary configurations for use. Any action can be preconfigured to protect sensitive information, simplify ease of use, and allow for straightforward integration into workflows. This is a boon for developers, as it means simpler and faster action set-up - which means more time to code. By creating preconfigured actions with necessary credentials and settings, developers can also seamlessly utilize these actions without directly handling sensitive information, like secrets or tokens. This setup ensures that only the administrator needs to manage these details, significantly enhancing security and compliance by limiting access to sensitive data within the software delivery process. Read the blog - then sign up for the CloudBees platform FREE: https://cloudbees.io #CloudBeesPlatform #CoolDevT https://lnkd.in/gKK8mv37

Have you heard of "Opinionated Defaults" ? Check our latest blog post about "Opinionated Defaults in API Design". https://lnkd.in/dxx-xfsn

Have you heard of Opinionated Defaults? Subscribe to Shoutrange API Insights newsletter to get more content on APIs. #apis #apidesign #apiculture #apiconsulting

Need to keep your saw sharp. This is a quick read and a great example of developing quality software in this fast-paced business. #api #apisecurity #apidesign #serverlessarchitecture #timsware #ono

In this article, I talk about how you can adopt best practices with API gateways while deploying your APIs. https://lnkd.in/g4AqExyE

This is a quick read on an important distinction for auth mechanisms 🔒

v3 of AsyncAPI promises to deliver valuable enhancements in how API providers can describe their message-based APIs. Here Chris Wood provides an overview of the big-ticket changes.