Steve Sfartz, VP Engineering of Restlet shares our experience in building a web API via DIY (Do It Yourself) approach or via PaaS approach (APISpark). Introduction to both open source Restlet Framework and public beta of APISpark.
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APIdays Paris - How to Build Your Web API
1. BUILD, HOST AND MANAGE
YOUR CUSTOM API IN LESS THAN AN HOUR
All-in-one platform for Web APIs
http://apispark.com
Stève SFARTZ
ssfartz@restlet.com
VP of Engineering
December 5, 2013
2. BIO
Steve SFARTZ
VP of Engineering @ Restlet
APISpark devs & ops teams
Restlet Framework dev teams
Scalable & interoperable architectures
Keeping in touch
ssfartz@restlet.com
Twitter : @SteveSfartz
Blog : Think big … mais pas trop !
3. WEB API PROJECT
TYPICAL LIFE CYCLE
1) Do It Yourself (DIY)
long, risky, expensive but highly flexible
Create
Host
Manage
Use
2) Platform as a Service (PaaS)
integrated, fast, cost effective
Promote
5. RESTLET FRAMEWORK
OPEN SOURCE PROJECT STARTED IN 2005
Create (and consume) Web APIs
in a REST style
Editions for
ANDROID
GAE
GWT
JAVA
SE
JAVA
EE
OSGI
16. DIY APPROACH
Select a database technology
that scales
Specify the schema
tables / sets, keys / queries, indexes
Setup the database
On premise or in the Cloud
Ensure security, high availability and
performances
From days to weeks
19. DIY APPROACH
Select an API framework that
Lets you be productive and gets you on the way
Leverages your skills
Ensures your web API will scale and be secure
Write the code
Code, debug, unit tests
Read, write, update your data
Package the code
From days to weeks
22. DIY APPROACH
Choose a deployment target
Private hosting with firewall / DMZ
Public hosting : Cloud / Dedicated
Select an API management solution
Build your own from Open source, third
party products
Leverage an API management service :
plug it in tasks and side effects
Guaranty your SLA
Test, QA, iterate, benchmark…
From days to weeks to get started
25. DIY APPROACH
Write your API documentation
Annotated your API code and generate ?
Use HTML tooling ?
Maintenance costs (versions sync)
Provide client SDKs
Write first SDKs
Pray for community contributions for others ?
Test, QA, iterate, etc.
From days to weeks to get started
28. DIY VERSUS PAAS
SUMMARY
From weeks to months
Web API manager
Current practice:
• Team of engineers
• Heterogeneous stack
• Complex & expensive
to develop and
to operate
From minutes to hours
Web API definition
Custom code
Web API framework
Hosting
Generic PaaS
API Spark
• creation
• hosting
• management
• usage
All-in-one PaaS
29. HOW MANY APIS ?
TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN
Browser
HTTP
Connected
devices
Pages + API
Smart
environment
Web Site
Business
Partners
Internal IT
30. FINAL THOUGHTS
How to build 1 million API in 2017 ?
– with radically simpler PaaS for Web APIs
– truly democratize Web APIs !
Source: Wired / June 2013