The API Revolution

THE API REVOLUTION There's an app for everything today: call a cab, order pizza, share photos, or track a flight. But to do all of this, your phone needs to be able to connect to other programs and servers. All of this is possible thanks to web APIS. WHAT IS AN API? Application Programming Interface The API is a set of functions or procedures used by computer programs to access services from the operating system, software libraries, or other systems These commands allow a program to COMMON EXAMPLES interact and communicate with systems and files beyond the limitations of the program f social media plugins for sites e.g. when you save a file, the program needs to know the directory under which to save it-this requires an API video embedding dynamic content APIS are growing exponentially per year 10K TODAY Estimated well over 11,000 different Public APIS registered at programmableweb.com 5K Number rises quickly because companies create API to interface with their website or patch existing APIS to create apps 2011 2012 2013 2014 TYPES OF API Simple Object Access Protocol boolean string SOAP More widely used WDSL Defines number of times an element can Every operation and structure is defined appear, whether it is required or optional, and dictates order the elements Every input parameter is also defined: an integer, a string, or some other complex object Not required; though makes interfacing much more difficult REpresentational State Transfer Architectural style, not standard protocol Follows the object-oriented programming order of noun–verb REST Metadata is structured hierarchically and represented in the URI WHAT ARE WEB APISs? Creating publicly available APIS, has allowed for sharing of content and data openly between communities and applications Content that is created in one place can be posted and updated in multiple locations on the web in real time Notable Web APIS Online Popularity Rank #1 #2 # 3 #4 You Tube Places Twitter YouTube Flickr f 31 Answers Facebook Books Calendar PRIVATE APIS C++ Java In order to access the API, you must be part of a small group of developers Not widely available; documentation is not publicly Provides a language–independent interface released Estimated to be 10s of thousands * 100 APIS Top Uses Medical field is huge user of private APIS Credit card companies use APIS for in-house information sharing Used to document and share medical records THE RISE OF THIRD-PARTY APIS One API can be used across many other apps FourSquare April 2013, 40,000 apps used FourSquare's location and venue API 75 MILLION Companies like Instagram, Evernote, Waze, Path and Vine access it per day SalesForce Expedia $1.5 $1.8 salesforce BILLION BILLION made from selling APIS made from selling APIS Medical fields – Electronic Health Records 2008 2013 9% 80% Can synchronize patient records, track payments, and validate insurance of hospitals had are in the process information some form of EHRS of getting EHRS API SECURITY Several steps for API security 21 AUTHENTICATION AUTHORIZATION ENCRYPTION SIGNATURES Making sure the user is who they say they Making sure user has access to information Making it impossible Insures information for someone not integrity are involved to skim info Vulnerabilities Network / OS / Driver – e.g. – DDOS attacks Application layer – e.g. session hijacking or message paring DDOS API / component - injection attacks If security fails, results can be bad PlayStation Network hacked in 2013; exposed 77 million user accounts To prevent. Know what kind of security you Make sure programmers can need implement necessary security measures Test security early in your project and often Monitor for any suspicious behavior FUTURE OF APIS With the rise in Social Media, APIS will continue to climb Facebook and Twitter integration causes need for more APIS Companies like 3Scale specialize in making custom APIS Last year, they received $4.2 million in funding Competitors: Apigee, Layer 7, and Mashery Companies like Oracle and Google are also large players in API integration Seek to increase software ORACLE integration into every facet of life APIS influence how we interact with the internet in many different ways. And even though they're growing at an alarming pace, developers still need to make sure the information transmitted through APIS is secure now and in the future SOURCES * SMARTBEAR http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2011/07/40-useful-apis–for-web-designers-and-developers/ blog.programmableweb.com/2012/08/23/7000-apis-twice-as-many-as-this-time-last-year/ 3scale.net/2013/12/api-predictions-2014/ venturebeat.com/2013/09/09/api-economy-growth-leads–to-tough-new-questions/ readwrite.com/2013/11/29/company-without-api–computer–without-internet#awesm=~ouWdYBrYthgRO en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_programming_interface forbes.com/sites/mckinsey/2014/01/07/ready-for-apis-three-steps-to-unlock-the-data-economys–most-promising-channel/ forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2013/04/12/why-foursquares–growth–story–is–better-than–you-think/ http://www.programmableweb.com/apis/directory/1?sort=mashups http://www.soapui.org/The-World-Of-API–Testing/the-golden-age-of-apis.html http://www.layer7tech.com/blogs/index.php/behind-closed-doors-the-world-of-private-apis/ http://blog.programmableweb.com/2011/11/03/private-api/ PUBLIC APIS REGISTERED PRIVATE APIS ** **