Our Top API Articles of 2018
Apigee experts published over 50 editorials in 2018 — including dozens here in APIs and Digital Transformation — to help developers, IT architects, and business leaders understand how to maximize the value of APIs and keep pace with constant technological change.
With literally quadrillions of daily API calls connecting apps, data, and systems throughout the world, 2018 saw APIs reassert their position at the center of almost every digital use case. Though APIs are not a new concept, the ways in which organizations leverage them continue to expand, from APIs used within the enterprise to manage microservices and enable faster and more agile development methodologies to monetized APIs used to open new business models and expand an enterprise’s digital capabilities to new partners.
Here are some of our top articles from 2018, organized by some of the year’s biggest themes. Thank you to all of our readers, and stay tuned for more in 2019!
Security
APIs are crucial to the automated connecting of data, applications, and systems — and when companies make automation easier for partners and customers, they often inadvertently make it easier for bad actors, too. Several organizations and their customers suffered through high-profile data breaches in 2018 thanks to API security lapses — which is why we dedicated several articles to helping enterprises make their APIs more secure. Some of our top security articles include:
- Best Practices for Building Secure APIs by Rakesh Talanki and Vidheer Gadikota in APIs and Digital Transformation
- With APIs, Dealing with Bad Bots is the Cost of Success by Sridhar Rajagopalan in RT Insights
Managing APIs as products
2018 saw more enterprise leaders recognize that APIs are not just an integration technology but also software products that help developers to more quickly and easily leverage and reuse digital assets. Enterprises should apply full lifecycle management and a customer-centric mindset to their API efforts. Some of the articles we wrote to help include:
- The API (R)Evolution by Ed Anuff in APIs and Digital Transformation
- Outside-In IT Drives Modern Business by John Rethans in Forbes
- Moving Faster with a Product Mindset by John Rethans and Michael Endler in APIs and Digital Transformation
- APIs are Products — and Products Need a Store by Gitesh Koli in APIs and Digital Transformation
Digital transformation, IT modernization, and digital ecosystem best practices
The digital economy moves faster than many legacy businesses are used to — and the constant change has meant that to compete, enterprises that lack API expertise have had to get up to speed quickly. From exploring why both external-facing and internal-facing APIs should be managed as products to detailing how to plan effective ecosystem participation and API monetization, we looked at many aspects of the digital transformation puzzle:
- Your Demand Chain is Dying by Michael Endler in APIs and Digital Transformation
- Three Golden Rules for Winning in Software-Driven Ecosystems by Anant Jhingran and Prashanth Subrahmanyam in CIO
- Riding the Wave of Digital Disruption: 5 Tips to Help Legacy Businesses Operate Like Startups by David Feuer in ProgrammableWeb
- So You Want to Monetize Your APIs? By John Rethans and Michael Endler in APIs and Digital Transformation
- How to Use APIs to Help Navigate Corporate Mergers by David Feuer in RT Insights
- Understand the Power of Internal APIs by Brian Pagano in InformationWeek
Microservices
Because of the speed, scale, and agility they promise, microservices-based architectures continued in 2018 to be one of enterprise IT’s hottest topics. But despite the enthusiasm, microservices remain complicated to manage. To understand why APIs are an important part of the mix, check out Demystifying Microservices by Ruth Gantly in APIs and Digital Transformation.
APIs and banking
With new open banking requirements unrolling across many regions and fintech startups gaining traction around the world, 2018 was a disruptive year for bankers. From satisfying regulations to innovating faster and adding new ecosystem partners, APIs play vital roles in helping financial institutions to debut and iterate new services and helping legacy banks to compete in an increasingly fast-moving market. Some of our top banking articles from 2018 include:
- When Will Banks Self-Disrupt? by David Andrzejek in BankNews
- Will Branches Survive the Shift to Digital? By David Andrzejek in The Financial Brand
- Banking 2.0: Navigating the Chaos by Rob Parker-Cole in APIs and Digital Transformation
[Interested in more tips for managing APIs and driving digital business? See Apigee’s new ebook, “The API Product Mindset.”]
