Have you ever worked on API development? If so, did you follow best practices at all times or were there times when you didn’t? Well, your reputation might have been jeopardized because of that. If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will eventually because using best practices at all times is vital to the success of your project. In this article, we present API development practices.
1) API Should Operate Within the Regulations of Your Country and Industry
Most countries have regulations regarding user data collection and retention, which means that you must make sure your API will be compliant before going live. Most industry organizations also require compliance with regulations and best practices, so take a look at any guidelines they’ve set before launching your API. Don’t launch before being sure that your service is within legal requirements.
2) Minimize the Number of Network Calls to Reduce Latency
When you’re building an application that uses APIs, it can sometimes be tempting to make a lot of network calls. However, making too many network calls with your application could drastically slow down your site because each call will take time and resources. If you’re working on a multi-page site, we recommend only loading content from one page at a time as opposed to loading everything at once. That way you’ll minimize the number of total calls made per user session and reduce latency in your code. Hire API developer at low cost.
3) The More the Integrations, the Better
If you’re building an app that can be integrated with another program, you’ll want to make sure that people can connect your app with as many other applications as possible. That way, your software won’t just be sitting on a shelf gathering dust—and it might get taken up in some circles of users who wouldn’t otherwise have even heard of it.
4) Make Sure Your APIs Can Scale
It’s common sense that if you’re going to open your APIs up to external developers, they should be able to handle a certain amount of traffic. And while it may not seem like something big at first, there are subtle ways in which your API can go south in terms of scalability without you realizing it.
5) The API Must be Secure
An application programming interface (API) is just as much a piece of software as any web app or site. Therefore, it should be treated with appropriate security practices and concerns. First, consider whether you should use SSL for your API at all. If you do decide to use SSL, ensure that your key is unique and make sure that you encrypt everything in transit.
Conclusion
I hope you have found value in these Top 5 Best Practices to Follow for your API Development. As always, please reach out and let me know what you think! If you have any questions about any of my posts or topics I haven’t covered yet, just ask. I would love to hear from you! In case of any doubt, get in touch with a top software consulting company.
