Secrets of a Great API: Core principles for delivering successful APIs

APIs are not new. They’ve served as interfaces that enable
applications to communicate with each other for decades. But
the role of APIs has changed dramatically in the last few years.
Innovative companies have discovered that APIs can be used as an
interface to the business, allowing them to monetize digital assets,
extend their value proposition with partner-delivered capabilities,
and connect to customers across channels and devices.


When you create an API, you are allowing others within or outside
of your organization to make use of your service or product
to create new applications, attract customers, or expand their
business. Internal APIs enhance the productivity of development
teams by maximizing reusability and enforcing consistency in
new applications. Public APIs can add value to your business by
allowing 3rd party developers to enhance your services or bring
their customers to you. As developers find new applications for your
services and data, a network effect occurs, delivering significant
bottom-line business impact. For example, Expedia opened up their
travel booking services to partners through an API to launch the
Expedia Affiliate Network, building a new revenue stream that now
contributes $2B in annual revenue. Salesforce released APIs to
enable partners to extend the capabilities of their platform and now
generates half of their annual revenue through those APIs.

 Digital

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