Data analytics is changing the direction of the application development industry. TechTarget points out that Hadoop data mining and analytics technology is critical to the foundation of application development in 2020.
When it comes to launching an application programming interface, or API, having an excellent product is just one part of the equation. A truly successful API launch depends not only on the API’s design, testing, and initial integration. Data analytics is especially important for the testing phase, but it is also invaluable to other parts of the process.
It is anchored just as strongly on the business’s API strategy, or its overall roadmap for implementing and maintaining the API. This is the secret to profiting off the API in the present, as well as keeping it viable for the company in the future. Data analytics can help forecast future opportunities, so the API can be developed to be resilient in the face of future market challenges.
What’s the importance of an API strategy, and what are some tips that companies can use to assemble one for themselves? This article will teach any business handling an API to make the best out of the technology, which must combine elements of data science. Read on for some valuable info on crafting an API strategy of your own.
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Why It’s Important to Craft Your Own API Strategy
Before anything, it’s worth noting how crucial a well-thought-out API strategy is and why big data technology must be embedded in this strategy. Woefully enough, many companies don’t have a roadmap for what will happen beyond the API’s acquisition. They also lack the big data infrastructure to handle it This lack of foresight can result in any of the following:
- The company won’t see the full revenue-generating potential of the API
- The API’s implementation and turnover could be very choppy
- There won’t be enough follow-through on important new updates and subsequent versions of the API
- Users may come away with a less-than-satisfactory experience with the API
- Companies will have lower overall satisfaction with the API product
Launching an API without a plan is like cooking unfamiliar ingredients without a recipe. Of course, there’s a chance that you can get things right simply by eyeballing it. But it’s more likely that you won’t, and you’ll spend more time picking up after your mistakes as a result. You could save a lot of frustration by using more complex data technology to operate it more efficiently.
The best approach is to plan ahead, do things with accuracy and precision, and align the end-product with your developers’ and customers’ expectations. In terms of API business strategy, this translates to the following steps:
- Putting your API strategy on paper
- Using a complete API toolkit for teams and enterprise
- Following up constantly on how well the API is working for the business
- Making it easy for developers to work with the API
- Giving the API’s end-users a seamless and pleasant experience
Hadoop and other big data technology is vital for all of these aspects.
Tips on Implementing an API Strategy That Will Benefit Your Business
With these principles in mind, here are some specific tips that you can use when formulating your own API strategy.
Use Your Own Business Objectives as the Foundation
APIs are not made to be blanket solutions for every kind of enterprise out there. The best product will fulfill a particular need for a particular business. In order to see how well your API is working out for your business, base its performance according to your own business objectives. This should be your standard right after the API’s adoption and in the months or years following that.
Invest in API-Related Technologies
As with other product types, great APIs are built through the use of great tools. Hosted toolsets, in particular, make it extremely fun and easy to design APIs for enterprise. If you haven’t considered investing in technologies like these, now is a good time to do so. Those who are doing design and testing work on your business’s API will thank you for it.
Track Your Success with API Metrics
Another thing that should inform your API strategy is the API’s metrics for performance. These should give you an exact idea of how well your API is performing for its given task. Even if you’re not directly in charge of analyzing them, you should have a grasp on API metrics like uptime, latency, and requests per minute. You can also find out who’s been using your API, how often it’s been used, and how good its retention rate is.
Make Sure Your API Security Plans are Airtight
Security should be an essential part of your API strategy. Anyone using your business’s API, from its early stages to its latest versions, will want a guarantee that their data is safe. Be sure to address the API’s security policies, and how to uphold them, in your API implementation plan.
Strive to Keep API Documentation
API documentation, or “docs” for short, is meant to be a guide on how to use the API. It contains information on the API’s endpoints, calls, unique features, updates, and versions. These docs are key to understanding what the API is capable of, as well as what changes it’s undergone to become a better product. Keeping updated, comprehensive, and easy-to-read documentation should be part of your API strategy. It is one of the things that will make developer experience—and ultimately, end-user experience—of the positive variety during consumption of your API.
Now that you’re better equipped to make an API strategy, it’s time to put everything in writing. Best of luck in your implementation, and may the API reward your business long after its launch!
Data Analytics is Essential for API Development
Big data is becoming even more important in the API development process than it was a few years ago. New advances in data analytics must be utilized to their full capacity to make the most of an API strategy.
