API-First, alternatively termed API-Driven Development, signifies a strategic methodology in software engineering wherein Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are conceptualized and crafted ahead of the actual software build process. This technique is commonly employed in microservices architecture and other "as-a-service" paradigms, such as Software as a Service (SaaS), predicated on the necessity for varied components to interact within the same system seamlessly.
The underpinning rationale for the API-First approach is that by prioritizing the design of the APIs, the software can be subsequently engineered to align with these interfaces. This, in turn, ensures harmonious interaction between different system components, thereby enhancing interoperability and simplifying integration.
The API-First Process
1. Design
Preceding the initiation of code writing, the team delineates the functional capabilities of the API and the associated data structure it will return. This phase may encompass the creation of documentation or leveraging an API description language, such as OpenAPI, to outline the architectural structure of the API.
For instance, a team developing a social media application may define an API for retrieving a user's profile information, outlining the specific endpoints, request parameters, and response format in the design phase.
2. Build and Test
After achieving consensus on the API design, developers construct the API. Concurrently, other team members may commence building software (e.g., front-end interfaces, additional services) contingent on this API, using the API specification as an explicit contract. This parallel development methodology promotes efficient utilization of time and resources. The API must be tested, testing entails verifying that the API functions as anticipated, and does not allow improper access to sensitive information. Tools like Aptori can be used to autonomously test APIs to ensure that they function as specified and do not give improper access to sensitive information.
Continuing the social media application example, while one part of the team develops the 'user profile' API, another can start developing the front-end interface using the agreed-upon 'user profile' API specification.
3. Iterate
Should the API necessitate modifications, it reverts to the design phase, repeating the process. This iterative model facilitates flexibility, accommodating changes and ensuring the final product meets the required specifications.
4. Deployment and Use
Upon successful API testing the API can be deployed in a production environment.
The API-First approach affords several benefits, such as accelerated development, enhanced collaboration between front-end and back-end teams, improved scalability, and adaptability to change. It exhibits particular value in developing web applications, mobile apps, and microservices, where a meticulously defined API is integral to the efficacious communication between distinct system components.
Enterprises can save costs by adopting an API development methodology with proactive software quality that leads to inherently secure APIs. Get your free copy of Secure API Development.
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
