Streamlining API Product Delivery Through Automation

As API providers expand their API portfolio, the increase in manual tasks related to API reviews and deployment can become a significant bottleneck, often presenting a false dilemma between the speed of delivery and the quality of the API. However, there is a better way. In my presentation, I explore the comprehensive automation of API workflows, aiming to empower teams to deliver high-value API products more efficiently and with higher quality. I cover strategies for ensuring API consistency, methods for detecting breaking changes, ensuring API definition conformance, and automatic code generation and API configuration deployment techniques. Additionally, I delve into the importance of tracking API product metrics to inform continuous improvement. This discussion provides actionable insights into overcoming common API development challenges, facilitating a smoother, faster, and more reliable API product delivery process.

Transcript

1. 1 Streamlining API Product Delivery Through Automation Connect 2024 – The Benelux API & Integration Conference Presented by: Ikenna Nwaiwu May 22, 2024
2. 2 Ikenna Nwaiwu API Consultant at Ikenna Consulting SPECIALIST IN AUTOMATING API GOVERNANCE About Me
3. 3 Agenda ü Quick survey: How is your API governance? ü The problem of scaling API development ü Foundations § API-as-a-product § API Governance § API Architecture § Platform Engineering § API Platform Function ü Automating your API workflow to improve outcomes § Map out the workflow § Have an internal API registry § Automate your API style guide § Automated breaking change checks § Automate API drift control ü Summary ü Q&A
4. 4 Slido Code #3259 441 Quick survey: How is your API governance? www.slido.com
5. 5 Slido for Q&A # 3949 090 Slido Code
6. 6 Problem of Scaling API Development
7. 7 Acme’s API-First Approach is meant to ü Create new revenue opportunities ü Improve API adoption ü Improve operational efficiency ü Accelerate innovation
8. 8 But Acme is facing Challenges ü Poor internal API discovery ü Inconsistent APIs ü APIs insecure by design ü Frequent breaking changes ü API drift
9. 9 Foundations
10. 10 ü These concepts are ü API-as-a-product ü API governance ü API architecture ü Platform engineering Foundation Concepts
11. 11 Managing an API-as-a-product API-as- a- product Defined consumer Capabilities Usage and Pricing Plans Developer journey Document- ation & support Product KPIs Assigned product manager
12. 12 API Architecture ü API design ü API security and privacy ü API authentication and authorisation ü API testing ü Amount of coupling between API services ü Error handling ü Performance and scalability ü Monitoring and observability ü API deployment
13. 13 API Governance API Governance Discover- able Compreh ensively docume nted Consistent Confor- mant Reusable Secure Common -data model Easy to use Versioned
14. 14 Platform Engineering A platform includes: ü Software and infra capabilities ü Web portals ü APIs ü CLIs ü Protocol definitions ü Documentation ü Standards ü Golden path templates
15. 15 An API platform “....embodies the strategic orchestration of technology and governance assets to expedite and enhance the work of internal API stakeholders” —Jordi Fernandez Moledo, Kong
16. 16 API Platform Function ü Responsible for designing and managing the API platform ü Customers § Internal developers § External developers
17. 17 API Platform Function Operating Model People Process/Capabilities Platform Team (PM, PO, Devs, QAs) Support common API libraries & tooling Maintain API Management Platforms API Gateway Platform Identity Provider API Architects API Architecture API Design Governance (API Reviews) API Portfolio Governance Common, Self Service and Governance tooling API Review Group Developer Relations Support Federated API Deployment Support Federated API Documentation Publishing API Community of Practice API Security Platform API Monitoring & Analytic Documentarians/Tech Writers Maintain Documentation Style Guide Maintain API style Guide Developer Advocacy Internal API Registry/ Catalog Consumer Developer Portal Technology API Platform Function
18. 18 API Platform Collaboration Model Domain modeling Sales/Marketing/ Customer Experience (Including Dev Rel) API Platform Function LOB LOB LOB Enterprise Architecture CTO/Strategy Security Compliance/ Legal Support API documentation Support SDKs, API sandbox, Consumer dev portal Feature Team <Platform access < Self-service documentation < API style guide < Developer support < API training and onboarding <Platform usage feedback <API standard proposals <Strategy & North Star Metrics <KPI /OKRs <API threat modelling <Security standards <Audits <Governance & control reviews Architectural Requirements, Decisions and alignment Business capability modeling Feature Team Feature Team Federated API gateway Self-service automated API Governance tooling
19. 19 API Platform Function Outcomes Improvements in the API delivery process should lead to ü Reduced API design lead time ü Reduced API review lead time ü Reduced API consistency (linting) defects ü Reduced design-time API security vulnerabilities ü Reduced API misconfiguration defects ü Reduced API documentation defects ü Lower the required number of API reviewers & API testers ü Faster TTFHW for API consumers ü Reduced API integration defects ü Higher API adoption
20. 20 API Platform Maturity Models ü “API Platform Engineering Maturity Model” by Jordi Fernandez Moledo (Kong) https://konghq.com/blog/enterprise/api-platform-engineering-maturity-model ü “The API platform maturity model” by Budhaditya Bhattacharya and Richard Johnston (Tyk) https://tyk.io/blog/the-tyk-api-platform-maturity-model
21. 21 Automating Your API Workflow To Improve Outcomes
22. 22 4 Things You Can Do To Automate Your Workflow And Improve Your Outcomes 1. Map out your API delivery workflow 2. Automate API style guide consistency 3. Automate breaking change controls 4. Automate API drift controls
23. 23 1. Map out the API delivery workflow Jira Swagger hub Readme.io Dev Portal Design API Engineers Test API conformance Engineers Review the API Governance team Publish docs to Dev portal Tech Writers TT: 1 day LT: 2 days 1 engineer - Ten tickets Two tickets Two tickets TT: 1 day LT: 10 days 4 engineer %CA: 50% TT: 1 day LT: 4 days 1 engineer %CA: 70% TT: 0.5 day LT: 2 days 1 engineer %CA: 70% Total TT: 3.5 day Total LT: 18 days Rolled %CA: 37.5%
24. 24 2. Have An Internal API Registry ü Store your API definitions in three places: § In source control § API registry / catalogue § Consumer developer portal
25. 25 2. Have an internal API registry Source repository Build Definition file ü Bundle definitions ü Process definition ü Run linting ü Generate SDKs ü Generate alternative formats API dev teams Non-prod Deployment and testing ü Deploy API configuration ü API conformance testing Prod deployment ü Deploy API configuration External artifact publishing ü Publish API docs and SDKs to developer portal ü Publish API definitions to external API marketplace Postman workspace ü Generated postman collections API registry ü Processed OpenAPI definitions Artifact repository ü Client SDKs Internal applications API Artifact Store API mocking tool 1 3 2 Continuous Integration Continuous delivery
26. 26 3. Automate API Style Guide Consistency (Linting) Tips with API linting: ü Integrate the API linter in IDEs and CI/CD ü Key features of linter: speed and good validation messages ü Use OWASP API Top 10 ruleset e.g. https://github.com/stoplightio/spectral-owasp-ruleset ü Start with a small set of rules
27. 27 4. Automate breaking change checks Tips: 1. Run breaking change controls in CI/CD
28. 28 5. Automate API drift controls Tips on API drift control: ü Generate server stubs from your API definition ü Generating API definition from code ü Use schema tests ü Validate API definitions in your API gateway
29. 29 Summary ü Execution gap with scaling APIs ü Mature API platform function required to address this ü Four API platform function themes: API-as-a-product thinking, API architecture, API governance and platform engineering. ü Map API delivery workflow. Create API registry. Automate API consistency, breaking change, and API drift controls
30. 30 Let’s keep connected Let’s connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ikenna Get 45% off my book by using discount code inconn45 Order at https://mng.bz/lMwd
31. 31 Q&A # 3949 090 Slido Code