7 Basics of API Integration

API integration is one of those subject matters that could initially be challenging to absorb.

13:57 16 September 2022

There are times where it can be easy to get trapped by the complexities of the subject matter. However, there are always a few things that, once learned, will stand a person in good stead for future interactions with the subject matter. API integration is one of those subject matters that could initially be challenging to absorb however once learned could be a proper springboard into complex ideals and systems.

 

For the uninformed, API stands for application programming interface, this in its most basic terms is a contract of service between any software that has a distinct function. This contract defines how the two communicate with each other using requests and responses. Now these requests and responses can be structured in ways that make communication seamless between several applications. However, that would come down to the information contained within each application's API documentation and what developers could ascertain from it. Because without proper documentation, an API would remain an unusable piece of code if developers didn’t understand how to work with it. 

 

With regards to API integration, that is the process of creating a means for two or more APIs to share data and communicate with each other. Not only does API integration involve communication between two web tools or applications. It allows companies to automate their systems, enhance the seamless sharing of data, and integrate current applications. Very important. What is even more important, however, is for an interested company to make sure that if they are looking to leverage APIs as their company’s digital transformation enabler, it is considered critical to be able to create a comprehensive API integration plan.

 

That is if a developer wants to customize a company's system integration without dealing with individual application programming. Thus streamlining not only the company's business operations but also the initial development and implementation of API solutions. None of which could be done without first learning about, then going through the basics of API integration. 

 

What Are The Basics of API Integration?

1. Understanding a Company's Goals and Systems - A company's management should understand what operations need improvement and how API integration will provide the solution. If the business does not know this information, system audits and cost analyses can provide reports on how consolidating software can increase operational efficiency. There should be some key performance indicators (KPI) 

 

to consider before and after implementing an API integration project

 

• Time of development
• Uptime
• Speed to market.
• Cost of operations 
• Direct revenue
• Customer churn rates.
• NPS (Net Promoter Score)
• API adoption and retention

 

Companies should know who will be using the API and which of the KPIs should be considered while the APIs are implemented and so on.

 

Research the Integration Options - Once the company has its requirements and expectations, it is time to determine its integration service options. The IT department should research various API elements, such as: What type of API best suits the company's needs? There are three versions of cloud-based APIs- Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Representational State Transfer (REST), and Remote Procedural Call (RPC). Choosing the right one would be essential in the creation of a proper API for a company. Another question that companies should consider is if there is adequate API documentation available. With well-known applications, the chances are there is enough paperwork to program the API adequately. This documentation streamlines software development by advising the developers on the data formation. Without proper paperwork, building any solution would be quite tricky.

 

Analyze The Company's IT Environment - it is highly recommended that a company understand their data architecture. There should be people in place to analyze how information flows and whether everything is in its rightful place before sharing it to their developer group. For an API project to be successful, both the corporate and information technology (IT) teams need to work hand in hand.

 

Create a Data Map - it is advised that a company should consolidate all of its gathered information into a comprehensive data map. This outline will include sources and targets, as well as all of their details. The sources are the names of the established application in which data is being pulled from. The targets are the final version of what the sources will become after information is transmitted.

 

Understand the Company's Ecosystem and Integration Capabilities - Every company needs to analyze what systems need to be connected to their APIs. And identify legacy systems, data and application silos and figure out what methods will work best and what may go wrong while integrating these systems to the APIs. Some of the existing systems may not require to be integrated while some of them may require careful attention as they are exclusive to a particular department.

 

Begin The Development of Software - With this list of goals, developers can begin to build an interface that can integrate all of the organization's systems to meet their needs.

 

Conduct Tests on the New Platform - After the software is built, developers will run multiple tests to ensure there are no bugs within the application or when integrating other services.