apidays LIVE Jakarta 2021 - Accelerating Digitisation February 24, 2021 Better API DX with a CLI Phil Nash, Developer Evangelist at Twilio

1. Better API DX
with a CLI
@philnash

2. Phil Nash
@philnash
https://philna.sh
philnash@twilio.com

3. Better API DX
with a CLI
@philnash

4. Better API DX with a CLI
Application Programming Interface
Developer eXperience
Command Line Interface
@philnash

5. Developer
experience
@philnash

6. We built a CLI
@philnash

7. $ twilio
@philnash

8. We built a CLI
Node.js
oclif
npm & brew
@philnash

9. Know your audience
Not everyone will want to use a CLI
Hypothesis: developers prefer the
command line to the console
Hypothesis: developers would like to
automate Twilio actions
@philnash

10. Not all CLIs are
created equal
@philnash

11. Building a CLI for an API -
3 questions
What's the minimum a CLI can do to be
useful?
What can you add to a CLI to make it a
better experience?
What can your users add to the CLI?
@philnash

12. Minimum Viable
CLI
@philnash

13. Minimum Viable CLI
Commands for your API endpoints
Documentation
You probably want to generate these
commands
@philnash

14. Minimum Viable CLI
Commands for your API endpoints
Documentation
Secure credential storage
@philnash

15. Better built in
experience
@philnash

16. Better built in experience
$ twilio api
$ twilio --help
@philnash

17. Better built in experience
Autocomplete
Shortcuts
Extra APIs
Feedback
Extra capabilities for specific APIs
@philnash

18. Who else can
contribute to the
experience?
@philnash

19. $ twilio plugins
@philnash

20. Building a CLI for an API -
3 questions
What's the minimum a CLI can do to be
useful?
What can you add to a CLI to make it a
better experience?
What can your users add to the CLI?
@philnash

21. Links
https://github.com/twilio/twilio-cli
https://www.twilio.com/blog/five-twilio-cli-features-you-should-know-about
@philnash

22. Build great CLIs!
@philnash

23. Thanks!
@philnash
https://philna.sh
philnash@twilio.com