3 Developer-Friendly APIs With Great DX

An API with great developer experience (DX) will result in a stronger, better end-user experience. In a previous article, we discussed the key features of a developer-friendly API: Documentation, Responsiveness, and Interactivity.

Here are three examples of developer-friendly APIs that you can follow.

Heroku — Great Documentation

Heroku is a very communicative API, with clear, up to date documentation. Everything is organized and split into sections with increasing complexity. You can start with the basics and move forward to more complex topics as you go.

Heroku offers an excellent “Getting Started” section with pieces of code, explanations, and suggestions.

Heroku’s great documentation make’s it a very developer-friendly API for the eager to learn developer.

Zalando — Great Responsiveness

Zalando is extremely responsive.

Zalando doesn’t need to create custom HTTP error responses: instead, it uses a standardized methodology. Every error is immediately understandable. There’s no need to check the reference material because the API describes its own errors.

Zalando is a perfect example of a developer-friendly API for the enthusiastic developer that wants to try new things and is used to dealing with errors.

Marvel — Great Interaction

Marvel is a fantastic API with a very powerful interactive panel. Everything from the API can be tested directly from this panel.

When a test call is made, the API provides a set of parameters, a listing of errors, a set of implementation notes, and a response class model and model schema. Not many APIs have this level of interactivity.

Marvel’s interaction improves considerably the developer experience and makes for an awesome developer-friendly API.

Also read: The Key Features of a Developer-Friendly API

Originally published on Intelligems Blog