October 22, 2019Have you ever heard the word API and wondered what is actually is? Do you have an unclear idea, but want to know more about what you might do with an API, and how to design it? In this API guidelines tutorial we will show you what an API is and how you can design an awesome API.

API Guidelines for a Successful API Product – Content:

1. General principles of a good API
2. Maintaining realistic expectations
3. Implementation should not affect API
4. Minimize access
5. Names are important
6. Documentation is important
7. The API design influences the performance
8. API and platform must harmonize
9. Summary

General Principles of a Good API

Basically, a good API should do one thing and do it as well as possible. The functionality should be easy to explain. The API should be as small as possible, but not smaller. This means that the API should meet the desired requirements. (As little as possible, as much as necessary) If you’re unsure about something, don t use it. You can always add something later, but never just remove it.

Maintaining Realistic Expectations

For the success of an API it is fundamentally important to design this general. This means that the development is not designed for a specific customer, but for the largest possible customer group. It will happen that you make mistakes. However, this is quite normal and should not discourage you.

Implementation should not affect API

Implementing an API is important for success, but details should not be included in the API. It is important not to over-specify.

Minimize Access

Since the API has direct access to your backend, it is important to keep everything as encrypted as possible. That’s why you should keep the access privat. Public classes should not have public fields. You should try to hide any information as much as possible and avoid any coupling.

Names Are Important

It doesn’t sound important, but names are a success factor of good APIs. Therefore, the name of your API should explain at a glance what the API does exactly. You should always use the same name types. This means, for example, that you choose “Charge” or “Charging” and then stick with one name type. The names should also be chosen so that the code is easy to read. We want to make it as easy as possible for the developer.

Documentation Is Important

Besides the name, the documentation is decisive for the success of the API. You should document every class, method, constructor, parameter, and exception. It is important to document the state range very carefully. But it is not only important what has to be written down, but also how to presented and provided it. When presenting the documentation, it is recommended that a specially designed software is used. In addition, the documentation could be provided via an API management tool or a website.

The API Design Influences the Performance

Poor API design decisions can have an impact on performance. Bad decisions can reduce the performance of the API. Such bad decisions are for example that data can be changed, the use of constructors instead of static classes or no interfaces are used. All these decisions can lead to lower performance.

API and Platform must Harmonize

It is important for the success of the API that it coexists peacefully next to your platform. To achieve this, you should simply do what is usual. This means that you should use standardized naming conventions. It is also important to avoid obsolete parameters and return types. Try to imitate the platform and the core APIS. It helps to use API friendly features like generics, varags, enums or default arguments. API errors like finalizer or public static final arrays should be avoided at all costs.

“API Guidelines for a Successful Blockchain API Product” – Summary:

It takes a lot to develop a good Blockchain API. You should keep realistic expectations, the implementation should not affect the API, and it is important to keep accessibility as low as possible. Many developers don’t care much about the name of the API, but it is an essential factor for the success of the API. In addition to the name, documentation is also an essential part and should not be neglected. Finally, the API should harmonize with your platform, and with these measures you will be able to improve the perform

If you want to be informed about the latest updates, follow us on Facebook, Pinterest and Steemit.