API delivery must follow a design-first approach with mock servers, contract testing, and schema registries that enable parallel development, allowing consumers to begin integration before implementation is complete and accelerating the overall time from concept to production.
API Delivery Is Fast and Design-First
Policies
API First (Design)
Require that every API begins with a design-first contract, an OpenAPI definition authored and agreed upon before a single line of implementation code is written. I have watched too many teams code...
API Mocking (CI/CD)
Require that every API can be mocked directly from its contract so consumers and downstream teams can build against it before the implementation is finished. I lean on mocking because it is what ma...
Contract Testing (CI/CD)
Require that every API is tested against its own contract in the CI/CD pipeline so the running service can never quietly drift from the OpenAPI it publishes. I insist on contract testing because a ...
Schema Registry (CI/CD)
Require that the schemas an API relies on are published to a shared schema registry and validated against it in CI/CD, so the shapes of our data are versioned, discoverable, and compatible. I want ...
Linting (CI/CD)
Require that every API contract is automatically linted against our design and governance rules on each commit, so standards are enforced by machines rather than by memory and goodwill. I love lint...
Sandbox (Experience)
Require that every API offers a sandbox environment with test credentials and safe, representative data so a developer can experiment fully before touching production. I champion sandboxes because ...
GitHub Actions
Employing actions as a pipeline to make sure that the deliver of each API is a repeatable process.
Experiences
Velocity
Velocity is the experience of how quickly teams can deliver and evolve APIs, and how quickly consumers can build with them. It comes from automation, good tooling, design-first practices, and remov...
Automation
Automating business operations is a primary driver for adopting and governing APIs, enabling organizations to achieve the scale, speed, and quality needed to remain competitive in global markets. A...
Collaboration
APIs are a team sport, and collaboration is the experience of many people working together to produce and consume them. Designers, developers, product owners, technical writers, and consumers all t...
Quality
The quality of HTTP APIs powering an enterprise tends to decline as the number of ungoverned APIs grows across internal, partner, and public landscapes. Low-quality APIs lead to poor downstream exp...
Self-Service
Self-service is the experience of a consumer being able to discover, access, and integrate an API without having to talk to a human. Portals, sign-up flows, documentation, and keys let developers g...
Developer Experience
Developer experience is the sum of every interaction a developer has with an API, from the first time they land on the portal to the hundredth time they call an endpoint in production. It covers do...
