Mind warp
- Austin Block (Deactivated)
From the blog (and book) API-as-a-Product. Study and apply this type of thinking and you’re on your way to becoming an API Ninja:
What is an API Solution?
An API solution consists of one or several APIs that solve an integration problem. More specifically, an API solution is an integration solution between computer systems to enable inter-communication.
In the beginning of an API journey, API solutions are the most popular breeds. If designed well, they may provide a simple layer of abstraction that can be used by engineers without profound domain knowledge. E.g., an organisation may have various systems with customer info. An API solution may provide one single endpoint that consolidates this info.
How can you spot an API solution? Typically, IT architects and business analyst work on API solutions. The computer systems are known during the API design phase. The reuse of an API solution is often limited due to its design dedicated to the involved computer systems.
What is an API Product?
An API product consists of one or several APIs that provide an interface to a value proposition. In other words, an API product consists of value proposition interfaces or rather VPIs. In contrast, API solutions consists of API, which don’t provide an interface to a value proposition. The value proposition of API solutions is creating the communication link between computer systems.