REST API

After reading tones of API success stories,many business & enterprises have started building their own API. While this sounds good, it also create problems in future if the design of the API is not well thought of. This blog throws light on the API design specifically for a business process.However, if you are very new to API and willing to start from level zero, then understand core principle of REST API before reading any further.

Resource is a central part of the API. Resource identifier, Resource representations, API operations everything are built around the resource. Anything is a part of a business can be seen as a resource.Virtual entities such as customer or vendor, non-virtual entities such as subscriptions or orders, business process such a employee on-boarding can be seen a resource.

Getting started with example

For the explanation point of view, lets select a employee on-boarding as a business process. We consider 4 different activities what business perform while on-boarding a employee.

• Creating employee
• Assigning a pay manager
• Creating a user account
• Create a email Inbox

All the above activities are performed in a sequence and are interrelated. For instance email inbox cannot be created without creating a user account.

When it comes to development time, API first approach will take more time to build a product. With the intention to get the product faster to the market, every entrepreneur ask them-self  the question in the title of this blog.Even though answer is know to be YES in the corner of our mind, there is a natural curiosity to understand more about it before convincing our-self.

I have gone through this stage of flickering mind and have found convincing answers and explanations. This blog  discuss about being API from day one and making our own product a client of that API.

Let’s split the question in two and discuss them separately.

Should I build a API early ?

With the decrease in mobile device cost and internet, most business find their customer engaging more with mobile apps than desktop sites.With this shift, it is clear that business need API from day one. However not all products needs to be over mobile – at-least at the beginning . Even with this scenario , I would suggest to go API first. Private API have proved to have ROI and value addition for business.

Many business in past have  demonstrated their API success.On the other hand, I have also seen failure of API. The lesson learnt from these observations are worthy.If a business have intelligent API strategy then it move towards success else it get back to the point where they are at beginning.

Business has to ask them-self : Private or Public or Partner ? All of them expose company’s data asset in varying levels. Company’s long term business strategy must  guide to find  answer to this question. This blog post throw some light on practical business possibilities with all of them.

Private API

Business starts it’s API journey with private API.

• They help to facilitate integration of the different application and system used in the company.
• They improve the internal operation
• Reduce the cost
• Make business decisions based on real-time data

Read my another blog post to understand Top 5 business benefits of private API

Many business today have discovered different revenue channels through collaboration with their partners and 3rd party services.Such collaboration is made possible by opening up company’s data asset via API.

While partner API is essential for growth of the company, building them needs efficient planning and good start. One such good start is building a private API first.

Companies have turned towards API first approach with a vision to build strong revenue stream after few years.Hence one may feel API is not worth investing from way beginning.But the reality is on the other side.This blogs share few thoughts on immediate benefits of private API.

Also read: A drive into the core principle of REST API 

The latest trend in software architecture design is to implement REST API. This is a first step to make the “internet of things” possible. If you wonder what is internet of things then give a thought to your imaginations.

“Say you are coming back from your client meeting in a cab and you are hungry. You visit the restaurant website from your Smartphone and place the order. Your bank paid the restaurant on your consent. Mean while, you get an e-mail from your client and you need a print-out of it. So you send a request to your office printer to get it printed. Now you reached the office and pay the driver via your bank with single tap and then head towards your cubical and see both the print out and food is ready on your table “. Wow! That’s a great experience.

You had this wonderful experience because everything – your printer, bank account, and restaurant is online. They can speak to each other! This is called internet of things. You can connect the between devices, services and more seamlessly.

Now, do want your app to be part of “Internet of Things”? If your answer is YES in a corner of your mind then your app must be built on REST API. Technically REST API is a one of the means to achieve it. Using REST API, restaurant can speak to your bank and your smart phone can speak to the printer at your office.

Today I got a chance to talk in one of the PHP Meet up . My presentation was about “REST API Best Practices & Implementing it in codeigniter”. Below is the presentation and few pictures of the same.