The API-first development is one of the hottest technical topics nowadays, since many companies started to realize that API serves as a multiplicator to their opportunities—but it also amplifies the design mistakes as well.

This book is dedicated to designing APIs: how to build the architecture properly, from a high-level planning down to final interfaces, and to extend API in a backwards-compatible manner.

You might download ‘The API’ in PDF, EPUB, or read it online.

Table of Contents

• Introduction

  • Chapter 1. On the Structure of This Book
  • Chapter 2. The API Definition
  • Chapter 3. API Quality Criteria
  • Chapter 4. Backwards Compatibility
  • Chapter 5. On Versioning
  • Chapter 6. Terms and Notation Keys

• Section I. The API Design

  • Chapter 7. The API Contexts Pyramid
  • Chapter 8. Defining an Application Field
  • Chapter 9. Separating Abstraction Levels
  • Chapter 10. Isolating Responsibility Areas
  • Chapter 11. Describing Final Interfaces
  • Chapter 12. Annex to Section I. Generic API Example

• Section II. The Backwards Compatibility

  • Chapter 13. The Backwards Compatibility Problem Statement
  • Chapter 14. On the Iceberg's Waterline
  • Chapter 15. Extending through Abstracting
  • Chapter 16. Strong Coupling and Related Problems
  • Chapter 17. Weak Coupling
  • Chapter 18. Interfaces as a Universal Pattern
  • Chapter 19. The Serenity Notepad

• Section III. The API Product

  • Chapter 20. API as a Product
  • Chapter 21. API Business Models
  • Chapter 22. Developing a Product Vision
  • Chapter 23. Communicating with Developers
  • Chapter 24. Communicating with Business Owners
  • Chapter 25. API Services Range
  • Chapter 26. API Key Performance Indicators
  • Chapter 27. Identifying Users and Preventing Fraud
  • Chapter 28. IT-security
  • Chapter 29. Supporting API users
  • Chapter 30. Documentation
  • Chapter 31. Testing Environment
  • Chapter 32. Managing Expectations

This book is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence.

Source code available at github.com/twirl/The-API-Book

Illustration & inspiration: art.mari.ka.

Книгу «API» можно читать по-русски.