Importance Of API: The Apigee Example

Apigee (see previous CloudAve coverage), formerly known as Sonoa Systems, today announced that there are 16 Billion API calls flowing through their technology every month. This is a clear indication of massive growth of APIs in this increasingly cloudy world. Stephen O’ Grady of Redmonk also highlights this large scale proliferation of cloud APIs. As the cloud marketplace moves towards an increasingly PaaSy future, APIs are getting even more important.

There are two trends that resulted in this large scale API proliferation: Cloud and Mobile. This is only going to increase as we enter 2011 with tablets gaining mainstream adoption and smartphones expected overtaking traditional mobile phones in 2015. Some of the reasons quoted by API providers for releasing APIs are:

• Fostering third party innovation
• Supporting more and more mobile devices
• Data portability
• Driving social media efforts

These are not the only advantages. APIs also offer other advantages like

• Simplifying the access to application functionality for developers
• Agile development
• Integration and Interoperability
• Better management of platform security
• Easy analytics options

These are some examples of how APIs gained importance. In fact, in the current market not having an API strategy might doom the providers. Even though the concerns regarding large scale API proliferations are valid, I see it as an opportunity for a cottage industry to spring up solving the cloud proliferation problem. Whether we like it or not, APIs are here to stay and the question now becomes “how do we mitigate the problems arising out of such large scale API proliferation”. Dear Entrepreneurs reading this blog, do you want to solve this problem?

Related articles

• Survey Indicates Key API Trends (cloudave.com)
• Api, Api, Api, Api, Api, Api (cloudave.com)
• Apigee Launches API Consoles for LinkedIn, PayPal, Foursquare, Twilio and SoundCloud APIs (geardiary.com)
• API consoles launched (i-programmer.info)
• Apigee Launches Twilio API Console (twilio.com)
• Apigee Add-on for Twitter Public Beta (heroku.com)
• 5 Predictions for APIs in 2011 (nytimes.com)