API Design

For me, API Design is the process by which different things and aspects are brought together in such a way that they are perceived by the user as something special and beautiful and are characterised by ease of use.

Just as this applies to architecture or interior design, it also applies to the development of an API. A good API is not just a purely formal specification. It is characterised by the fact that it is straightforward to use, understandable, and fulfils its business purpose. It should also be maintainable for us, who provide this API, with little effort through support requests, error, and operational efforts. It is precisely APIs like this that are needed when it comes to establishing API-based business models. It doesn’t matter whether they are used purely internally or made available to customers and partners.

The better an API covers all these aspects, the higher its acceptance and the lower the costs for us who provide and maintain an API.

In this section, I have therefore summarised some important thoughts and aspects that should be taken into account from the very beginning when designing an API.