Technical input: Marcin Bednarski

In today’s digital landscape, the ability to seamlessly share and exchange data between software systems has become essential. This is where Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) play a critical role, and one particular type of them – open API has gained significant popularity in recent years. Let’s explore how it can change the way we build software, and the potential challenges it may bring.

An open API is an interface that gives developers access to a service, platform, or software application’s specific data or features. The rise of Open APIs has ushered in a new era of innovation, collaboration, and integration across industries. Companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter, Zoom, just to name a few, have opened up their APIs to allow third-party developers to integrate with their platforms.

Open API provides a competitive edge

By opening the API, your team invites outside developers to build on existing services, creating an ecosystem that fosters a collaborative environment. It is an efficient way to provide valuable information about anything a company wants to share, like schedules, calendars, and other relevant data, allowing external developers to seamlessly integrate this functionality into their applications. While it still takes time and effort to develop and implement innovations, Open API can significantly speed up the process. With an open API implementation, the work of deploying new functionality only needs to be done once, and the functionality itself is likely to be implemented faster across multiple partners. This can give your company a significant competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Easier scalability comes with potential downsides

Open APIs provide a standardized interface that simplifies the process of connecting and scaling applications. When companies need to expand their operations or integrate with new systems, Open APIs provide a streamlined approach that eliminates the need for complex custom integrations. In addition, Open APIs enable greater adaptability to market needs. By designing APIs with flexibility in mind, organizations can quickly modify and update their existing interfaces to meet evolving needs. However, it’s important to note that there is a potential downside. Any change made to the API can have a far-reaching impact on all integrated systems. While having a single interface to modify provides convenience, it also requires careful attention to potential problems. If a change is not adequately prepared, or if there are compatibility errors, it can disrupt integrations across the board. It is critical to plan and test changes thoroughly to minimize the risk of compatibility issues and ensure a smooth integration experience for all partners involved.

Standardization & flexibility – major pros

With an Open API, you establish your own standardized data model and approach, eliminating the need to navigate through the various complex approaches used by systems of your business partners. This allows you to tailor the API to your specific needs and level of expertise. By defining a consistent and standardized API model, you create a unified framework that simplifies integration and communication between disparate systems.
Open APIs also provide flexibility when it comes to sharing new information. If there is a need to introduce additional data or functionality, it can be easily implemented and made available to all users of the API. The work done once remains a valuable resource that can be used by multiple companies or partners. This benefit of reusability provides a significant advantage over one-off integrations, as the same effort can be leveraged multiple times. By investing the time and resources to develop a robust open API, you pave the way for future collaborations.

Documentation is a must

Documentation is an essential element of any API, but Open APIs especially enforce the importance of comprehensive documentation. Developing and maintaining quality documentation can require a significant investment of time and resources. However, this commitment provides a distinct advantage: the ability to keep everything in order and under control. With proper instructions, developers have clear guidelines and references to understand and effectively use the API. It ensures that everyone is on the same page and reduces the likelihood of misunderstandings or errors during integration. Taking the time to create accurate and error-free documentation pays off by providing a reliable resource that helps developers stay organized and keep things running smoothly. In some projects at Clurgo we have even experimented with the process and reversed it – it turns out that taking time to explain the code and write the documentation prior to the development phase may save a tremendous amount of time and energy.

Fertile ground for developers to thrive

There is another huge but not so obvious benefit of Open API, especially if you are struggling to keep your team motivated – working in such a project provides a fertile ground for developers to thrive, offering opportunities for experimentation, testing, and innovation. Being part of a team working with Open APIs can be very appealing to developers because it means a dynamic and vibrant environment where exciting things are always happening. The variety of topics and areas to explore within the Open APIs space allows developers to broaden their horizons and expand their knowledge. By engaging with Open APIs, developers have the opportunity to delve into different areas, gain diverse experiences, and discover new opportunities, ultimately furthering their professional development.

Open API: do you need it and why the answer is: probably yes

Open APIs have proven to be beneficial for a wide range of sales systems and management platforms, including those used in manufacturing, logistics, and warehouse management. By exposing an API, you can establish a smooth communication channel, allowing other systems to interact with yours instead of building separate solutions for each and every partner. Especially, if you have many partners and you want to exchange information with all of them – an open API is a huge advantage as you only need to get the job done once: expose one open API and from there, your partners can handle the further processing on their end. So, could your business benefit from opening its API? The answer is yes if you want to make sure that your team does not do repetitive jobs to integrate with your partners.

Do you have a business need related to Open API and need a hand? Contact our experts!