API operations is made easier by making common elements like documentation, authentication, SDKs easy to find and available as just a couple of simple steps that API consumers can follow when it comes to onboarding with an API, helping producers simplify the onboarding for their consumers.
Onboarding is Always as Easy as Possible
Policies
Portals
Developer portals bring together documentation, sign-up, getting started, plans, and SDKs in one place. Whether public or private, a dedicated portal is how you make the API experience accessible.
Getting Started
Getting started is the single most important thing you can get right for new API consumers. A simple, plain language walkthrough that covers discovery, onboarding, and first API call makes or break...
Plans
Plans are where the business of APIs becomes explicit. Tiers, rate limits, features, and pricing laid out clearly is how you build a sustainable API program that consumers can understand and trust.
SDKs
SDKs are how you meet developers where they are. Handling authentication, wrapping operations, and supporting multiple programming languages reduces the effort consumers need to get value from your...
Experiences
Communication
I struggle with how little communication happens between the teams producing APIs and the people consuming them. Blogs, changelogs, roadmaps -- these are building blocks that most teams just skip, ...
Consistency
When I look across the API landscape, consistency is one of the biggest challenges I see. Every team does things differently, and the surface area of inconsistency just grows until governance becom...
Discovery
Discovery is the dark matter of the API landscape. Teams build APIs that already exist somewhere else, and consumers can't find the APIs they need. Without a catalog and proper metadata, you're jus...
Onboarding
I see teams dealing with massive friction during onboarding. If a consumer can't get from zero to their first successful API call in minutes, you've already lost them. Getting started guides, sandb...
Self-Service
Self-service is the goal I keep pushing teams toward. If a consumer can't find your API, sign up, get keys, and make their first call without emailing someone, you've created a bottleneck that will...
Simplicity
I am a big believer that the best APIs are the simple ones. When I see overly complex API designs, I know someone was thinking about their internal architecture instead of the consumer. Keep the su...