Understanding APIs: A Complete Guide

Much like living beings, APIs also have their lifecycle. There’s no real consensus on how many stages are involved, as it varies among authors. However, the central idea remains the same. In this article, we’ll consider seven stages:

• Planning: This stage is vital for the entire API lifecycle. It’s advisable to think about different use cases to ensure it aligns with development standards, defining resources, operations, security standards, among other topics. Well-executed planning reduces the chances of issues, changes, or setbacks.
• Design or Project: At this phase, an API interface is created. This involves documenting parameters, resources, authentication, authorization, code, error handling, and other details. Clearly describing documentation is crucial at this stage.
• API Development: API designers prototype the API based on the code defined in the previous stage. Once this prototype is tested, developers can customize it according to internal specifications
• Testing: API testing is similar to software development testing. The primary goal is to prevent bugs and defects, and testing tools can be used to test the API’s resilience against external attacks. Tools like Postman, for example, can be used for these tests.
• API Publication: After undergoing rigorous testing, the API is finally ready to be published. Here, a secure and scalable production environment is configured to host the API. Additionally, it’s essential to review and update documentation to reflect the final version of the API.
• Monitoring: Once the API is published, continuous monitoring of the technology is crucial. This makes it easier to identify any problems that may occur and implement improvements as needed, among other activities. Regular observation is necessary to ensure all security and audit requirements are met.
• API Discontinuation: At some point, discontinuing an API may be necessary. This is a common process; however, it’s important to note that there’s no set timeframe within this cycle. It may occur due to a change in business needs, technology becoming obsolete over time, among other reasons. Regardless, when your API reaches this stage, creating a discontinuity plan is important, informing users of its termination.