About
_API Lifecycle - Design_
This is the stage where the API is created, starting with an outside-in perspective. This is done by creating the interface/ contract of the API. The “user interface” is created through a “design-first” approach by determining how the API looks and behaves through the API contract1. This follows a deliberate API design lifecycle, which is human-readable, to optimise for the best experience, so the developers can easily digest it.
Design Steps
The following steps are part of the Design stage:
Design
Identify process, and business requirements, create a logical data model, translate into a logical service, API groupings. Business requirements are translated into logical implementations by using service modeling languages such as RAML
Simulate
Model API resources, model API operations/ methods, model request/ response payloads/ codes
Feedback
Mock-up the API, publish interactive console, create notebook use cases, receive developer feedback
Validate
Modify API design as appropriate based on developer feedback, continue to validate
Characteristics of a well-designed API
A well-designed API must be repeatable across other APIs. Repeatable patterns can be discovered and shared by developers as they go about the design process.
Some of the best practices can be:
- Structural level - nouns resources
- Method level - verbs
Anki
Links
References
MuleSoft. “API Lifecycle Design”. Available at: https://www.mulesoft.com/api/management/what-is-full-lifecycle-api-management . (Accessed: ). ↩︎