progress in the api economy - april 2014
DESCRIPTION
Presentation on the progress of the API Economy given at the API Meetup in Seoul Korea 8th April, 2014, Organized by Daum.netTRANSCRIPT
Progress in the API Economy
Steven Willmott 3scale Inc. @njyx, @3scale
3scale is…API
Infrastructure Provider
!Power 350+
APIs !
110,000 Developers writing Apps
!
API Tech Operations API Business Operations Developer Support
(Selection)
3scale.net
Also Check Out…
New service for developers
!Track
Transform Analyze
API Traffic !
http://www.apitools.com
API State of the Ecosystem Decks
See John Musser for definitive updates:
http://www.infoq.com/presentations/Open-APIs-State-of-the-Market
http://www.slideshare.net/jmusser/j-musser-apishotnotgluecon2012
Topics
Numbers
Three Drivers of Adoption
What people are doing and why
Where are we going with the API Economy?
Technology
Conclusions
What do you mean API? & API Economy
Definitions
API: “An interface to a software component that can be invoked at a distance over a communications network using standards based technologies.”
API Economy: “The emerging economic effects enabled by companies, governments, non-profits and individuals using APIs to provide direct programmable access to their systems and processes. ”
Proceed with Caution :)
NumbersProgrammable Web grew 20-30% YoY - less than before
Directories cannot keep up easily
Many APIs are private / semi private
10x (or maybe many more) are out there
11254 (Public) APIs
10x that many
Private APIs?
Numbers: Mobile Apps1 Million IOS Apps (Oct 2013)
1.19 Million Android Apps (Now / AppBrain)
How Many are Calling an API
Backend?
10%? 5%? 20%
Example: Evernote Platform
Evernote “feels” like an App
But it is a platform
Many successful Apps are
Three Drivers of API Adoption
Mobile HTML5 B2B Integration
Mobile
Network Backends for Apps Multi-Platform Hardware (e.g. multi-channel retail, TVs, gadgets)
Mobile
Business Integration
SOA often 1-1, This is 1-n Replacing SOAP and In-house custom Supplier / Provider / Customer Integrations
B2B Integration
HTML5 & Single Page Apps
Bridging Mobile and Web development together
Single Page Apps are new to the game
HTML5
Improvements to Hypermedia Controls
Speeded up development time
Offline Cache
Examples
What People Are Doing with APIs and Why…
Mobile Backend
Customer Ecosystem
Partner Ecosystem
API As a Business
Internal Innovation
Content Distribution
Transaction Distribution
Mobile BackendSupport OS’s: IOS, Android, Windows, Blackberry, HTML5
Auto generated (e.g. Parse, Kinvey)
Often Naked & Security by Obscurity
Business Driver: enables mobile
Mobile Backend
Customer Ecosystem
e.g. Salesforce, Box, Dropbox
Customer gets primary value - boosts product value
Business Driver: drives up-sell & loyalty
Customer Ecosystem
Partner Ecosystem
e.g. Evernote, Twitter, Amazon AWS
Partners add reach and functionality
Business Driver: improves product reach and richness
Partner Ecosystem
Content Distribution
e.g. EPSN, BBC, IGN, Pearson, Xignite, Factual
API Clients are channel partners for content syndication & delivery
Business Driver: syndication fees, reach, user convenience
Content Distribution
Transaction Distribution
e.g. Walgreens, Target, eBay, Expedia, Amazon…
APIs enable Business Transactions on Company Core business model
Business Drier: drive transactions
Transaction Distribution
API As a Business
e.g. Twilio, Paypal, Stripe, Sendgrid…
API is essentially the core business of the company, call the API and activate a function
Business Driver: sell access to API Transactions
API As a Business
Internal Innovation
e.g. Construction companies, retail, banks, …
Rewire internal data pathways, empower developers
Business Drier: make the company more agile
Internal Innovation
Organization API Cycle
New Audience
Market Acceleration
New Building Blocks
API Consumers
The API Economy Cycle
Individual APIs
API Providers
Technology
• API Design • Access Control • Rate Limits • Security • Scaling • Documentation • Lifecycle • Versioning
Technology Individual
!!
Challenges Vendors
Vendors & Open Source Cover Most of the Stack
• Many APIs & Apps - little cohesion • Competing Technology • Competing Design Partners • Directories by no Search • Tight v’s Loose binding • Real time joining the Mix • Ecosystem Instability from some
players • Copyright • API Apocalyse of Client code to be
written
Technology Collective
• REST / SOAP / Hypermedia - Twitter, WS-REST, API-Craft
• General Best Practice: http://apistrategyconference.com
• oAuth: IETF • openID Connect: http://openid.net/
connect/ • Copyright and Service Descriptions:
http://www.apicommons.org/
Challenges Conversations
Vendors & Open Source Still Very Early
Conclusions
Very Exciting Times!
100’s new API Requests /
Month (3scale)
Technology Solidifying
Convergence between Internal
and External Use-Cases
Tools Getting Better
Starting to Look at
Ecosystem Problems
More Smart People Involved
You can make a difference!Technology is not static
APIs are early & experimental
Apps are evolving all the time
Best practice is shifting
(* Photo Credit Alfred Leete)
Get More Informed
APICodex: http://apicodex.3scale.net/
API Academy: http://www.apiacademy.co/
Apigee API Resources: http://www.slideshare.net/apigee
3scale: http://www.3scale.net APItools: http://www.apitools.com
APICodex: http://apicodex.3scale.net