Presentation: "What the Heck is an API Platform Anyway?"
Track:
Web APIs
Time: Thursday 12:05 - 13:05
Location: City
Abstract: Implementing an API is a lot like implementing a web application -- or is it?
Superficially, APIs have a lot in common with web sites but there is a lot more to consider. APIs are accessed by applications on computers, not by people at browsers, so issues like data formats, URL organization, and versioning take on a different and greater importance. They will be accessed by a variety of 3rd party applications on everything from smartphones to servers, so the ability to scale and to throttle or reject excessive traffic is essential. They will be accessed by devices of different sizes and capabilities, and one style of API does not necessarily make sense for them all.
In this talk, we will outline the parts of an API platform, from the servers that host the API to the load balancers and everything in between. We'll talk about the implementation challenges behind things like OAuth authentication, rate limits, and caching. We'll also talk about the use of various types of technologies, including load balancers, XML appliances, and API gateways and draw from our own experiences with Apigee and its customers.
Superficially, APIs have a lot in common with web sites but there is a lot more to consider. APIs are accessed by applications on computers, not by people at browsers, so issues like data formats, URL organization, and versioning take on a different and greater importance. They will be accessed by a variety of 3rd party applications on everything from smartphones to servers, so the ability to scale and to throttle or reject excessive traffic is essential. They will be accessed by devices of different sizes and capabilities, and one style of API does not necessarily make sense for them all.
In this talk, we will outline the parts of an API platform, from the servers that host the API to the load balancers and everything in between. We'll talk about the implementation challenges behind things like OAuth authentication, rate limits, and caching. We'll also talk about the use of various types of technologies, including load balancers, XML appliances, and API gateways and draw from our own experiences with Apigee and its customers.