From API-First to SDK-First
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The document discusses the importance of adopting an SDK-first approach for API integrations to enhance developer experience and reduce time to deployment. It highlights the typical challenges faced during API adoption and presents SDKs as a solution to streamline integration processes, eliminate errors, and improve documentation. Finally, it outlines a strategy for building effective SDKs that are consistent, secure, and user-friendly.
From API-First to SDK-First
- 1. SDK-first: the new API-first? Nordic APIs - 18/10/2023
- 2. Nolan Di Mare Sullivan Head of developer relations at Speakeasy, working to bring a first-class DevEx to every company’s API. Previously led product for LiveRamp’s API Platform.
- 3. Here’s a pattern… - Company launches an API initiative as part of a platformization effort - Makes important parts of their API available publicly Initiative starts with excitement Then you run into problems - Adoption has been slower than hoped - Integration takes a long time: months, quarters. What’s going on?? - Company launches an API initiative as part of a platformization effort - Makes important parts of their API available publicly - Adoption has been slower than hoped - Integration takes a long time: months, quarters.
- 4. Now Imagine… A restaurant with fantastic food that doesn’t have a front door. Instead, potential customers climb through the front window…
- 5. Today: API Integrations = entering through the window Read API Docs 1 Identify the relevant endpoints 2 Curl API in sequence to check it works 3 Write auth & networking boilerplate 4 Write production API calls 5 Expand API usage for new use cases 10 Add retries, pagination & rate limiting 9 Write code for error handling. 8 Test & debug 7 Parse & use Response data 6
- 7. API Integrations via SDK = A beautiful front door Install the Package 1 Copy & paste relevant code snippets 2 Adjust snippet for your use case 3 Test & debug 4 Expand to new use cases 5
- 8. Some Social Proof While everyone was busy becoming API-first, Stripe became SDK-first…
- 9. How SDKs Help API Users 1. Reduce users time to ‘200’ 2. Remove room for error 3. Supercharge your documentation
- 10. Faster Time to 200? Provide the Boilerplate - SDKs handle the tedious aspects of building API integrations for your users: - Authentication - Networking Client Code - They can also handle the features that support enterprise use cases: - Retries - Pagination - Rate Limiting
- 11. Eliminate Errors? Type Safety - Type safety is the single best tool you can give to your users - In IDE hints make life 10x better - You’ll prevent runtime errors - SDKs make Co-Pilot even more powerful
- 12. Unhelpful Docs? Add Usage Snippets - If you build it, they will come doesn’t work for API Docs - There’s nothing more tedious than having to meander through technical references to find relevant API Details. - Usage snippets are great, developers love to copy & paste, then adjust as needed. - Fetch commands are fine, but usage Snippets are even more powerful when they’re linked with an official SDK.
- 13. How SDKs Help API Builders For Internal Developers, SDKs are a great communication interface. - Share types natively between teams. - Package relevant APIs into custom team-dependent generations. - Track exact versions of an API for client and server at time of deployment.
- 14. How to Build an SDK Strategy
- 15. Consistent Idempotent Backward Compatible Documented Versioned Secure Stable Generalizable S i m p l e Start with an API Strategy Idiomatic
- 16. Layer 1 SDKs (HTTP Client) - HTTP clients are a great first step in your SDK strategy: - They alleviate the pain of writing boilerplate code. - They dramatically reduce errors - They enhance usage with enterprise features - They enrich your docs Layer 2 SDKs (API Client) - Level 2 SDKs add in business logic that lives outside the API itself. - You chain together API primitives into methods that are tailored to a specific use case They’re called layer 2 because they sit on top of your HTTP client. - Don’t build this until you’ve found PMF with your API. Generate your SDKs!
- 17. Thank You! Email: nolan@speakeasyapi.dev Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-dm-sullivan-010/ Phone: +44 7795-371694 Meet me outside!
- 18. Resources Why SDKs ? - Ebook: Supercharge your API adoption - Speakeasy feature week Speakeasy v OpenAPI Generator: - Typescript - Go - Python