This presentation was delivered at an API meetup hosted by Mashery and VerticalResponse in August 2014 by Nivi Kumar and Joe Takeuchi. The presentation covers VR's journey from a SOAP API to their new REST API, with challenges faced and lessons learned.

1. VerticalResponse API
Journey from SOAP to REST & Lessons Learned

2. Agenda
● About VR
● Early VR API
● SOAP to REST
● Lessons Learned
● Road Ahead

3. VerticalResponse helps small business grow and connect
with their customers wherever they are. Our full suite of
online tools lets SMB’s do all marketing – email, social
media, mobile and more – easily from one account.

4. VR Features
● Founded in 2001.
● Released new product in March 2014
● Email and Social marketing platform
● Responsive, professional-looking templates
● Drag and drop email editor
● Robust list management capabilities
● Powerful analytics for email and social campaigns
● REST API
● Integrations Marketplace

5. Early API
● Inspired from Salesforce’s AppExchange
● Built to give partners and resellers more control
● REST was still nascent , lack of organization support
● Not built with scalability in mind.
● No clear design processes were followed.
● Shift to REST was not easy.

6. Enter REST

7. New Platform, New Methodology

8. Operation Developer Love.

9. API’s not an afterthought

10. API as a Product
● Build relevant API
● Create Smart Integrations
● Create Integrations Marketplace
● Develop a rich developer community
● Marketing and Support

11. Design

12. REST API Design
HATEOAS based Design
○ Hypermedia as the engine of
application state
○ Consistent API Design
○ Easy for Client Applications
○ Know one object, know them
all
○ Growing pains
{
"url": "https://vrapi.verticalresponse.com/api/v1/contacts/8796094885659",
"attributes": {
"id": 8796094885659,
"first_name": Lily,
"last_name": Evans,
"email": "everyone@social.networks",
"optin_status": "optin",
"messageable": false,
"status": "blocked"
},
"links": {
"up": {
"url": "https://vrapi.verticalresponse.com/api/v1/contacts"
},
"lists": {
"url": "https://vrapi.verticalresponse.
com/api/v1/contacts/8796094885659/lists"
},
"messages": {
"url": "https://vrapi.verticalresponse.
com/api/v1/contacts/8796094885659/messages"
},
"stats": {
"url": "https://vrapi.verticalresponse.
com/api/v1/contacts/8796094885659/stats"
}
}
}

13. Challenges

14. Challenges
● Mindset Change - API as a Product
● Demonstrate Value Proposition to Business
● API Management - Build vs Partner
● Design First, Implement later
● Document design guidelines
● Adhere to design

15. Lessons Learned

16. Build an API Program, not just API’s

17. Create a Roadmap and implement against it

18. Measure Success, Identify KPI’s

19. There is no substitute for good design

20. Set up design guidelines and adhere to it

21. Code Reviews should check against design
guidelines

22. Market and Support your API’s

23. Build support plan and process

24. Lessons from API Support
● Solid documentation is essential
● Self-service onboarding
● Support tickets vs. Web Forum
● “Dualing APIs”
● Sunset and Migration

25. Road Ahead

26. Future of the VR API
● Work with developers to build third party integrations.
● Create strategic integrations with partners.
● Building a robust marketplace
● Actively participate in developer events

27. Useful Links
● VR Developer Portal
https://developer.verticalresponse.com
● Support Group
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/vertical-response-rest-api-group
● Blog
http://www.verticalresponse.com/blog/product/

28. Q and A