All APIs must have defined business models that articulate the value exchange between producer and consumer, including pricing tiers, plan features, rate limits, and metrics, ensuring that APIs are sustainable products with clear revenue or cost reduction value.
APIs Have Clear Business Models
Policies
Plans
Plans are all about being explicit and transparent with all of the access for an API, breaking down the tiers, rate limits, features, and pricing that is available for API consumers, standardizing ...
Elements
Offering other elements or features of an API that are included or not included within a plan to help API consumers understand scope of what is available.
Metrics
Providing details regarding the metrics available for each plan, outlining how the usage of digital resources and capabilities are being measured.
Rate Limits
Providing details of rate limits being applied as part of each plan, and what is available to consumers as part of their application usage.
Time Frame
Break down usage for for consumers based upon second, minutes, days, weeks, months, or other relevant time-frame for them to understand their usage.
Regions
Providing regional details available for access API resources and capabilities in different geographical regions as part of API plan usage.
Use Cases
The who, what, how, and why of producing an API, making sure all of the known use cases are accurately described and kept up to date, then used to ensure each API is delivering what is expected wit...
Who Will Be Using API
Who is using an API, focusing on the people who will be putting an API to work in their applications.
What Will Be Done With API
What will consumers be building with the resources and capabilities being made available via APIs.
How Will API Be Used
How will consumers be putting API resources and capabilities, getting into the details of programming languages and frameworks.
Why Will API Be Used
What are the reasons an API consumer will be putting APIs to work in their applications and integrations as part of their business.
Experiences
Money
Money is the experience of the business model behind an API, whether the currency is dollars from external customers or budget allocated to internal teams. Plans, pricing, rate limits, and billing ...
Alignment
Achieving alignment between teams producing APIs and their consumers is a persistent challenge in API operations. Effective collaboration between business and technical stakeholders requires ongoin...
Onboarding
Transitioning from API discovery to integration as a consumer requires a well-defined and streamlined API onboarding process. Onboarding begins with discovery and relies heavily on clear documentat...
Access
Gaining the necessary access to effectively use an API is often more challenging than it appears. Intentional and unintentional barriers can create friction in discovering and onboarding with an AP...
Products
APIs should be designed to solve business problems, not just technical ones. Over time, API products should become increasingly standardized and include feedback loops with consumers to continuousl...
