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Consumer - Discover

Discovery means enabling API consumers to find exactly the right API they need for their application or integration. It also means giving consumers everything they will need to onboard with an API. ng Consumers need to assess the overall quality and reliability of the API, then get to work integrating it into their use case, no matter what language they are using.

Elements

  • Search - Consumers should be able to search for APIs on the interfaces they are already using, allowing for the discovery of API information in a manner relevant to their work.

  • APIs - The contracts and other artifacts that define the surface area of an API, including authentication and authorization, should be discoverable as part of regular operations.

  • Documentation - Up-to-date and accurate documentation for all APIs should be easily discoverable by teams, with human-readable details describing what is possible with each API.

  • Tests - Contract, performance, integration, and user acceptance tests should be made searchable by consumers.

  • Workspaces - Alongside Git repositories, you should include private, partner, and public workspaces as part of discovery, indexing the places where all work occurs for each API.

  • Teams - The teams behind APIs, and any partner or public contributors, should be made discoverable alongside documentation and other data, encouraging engagement.

  • Workflows - Common workflows using APIs should be made discoverable, helping business and technical stakeholders implement those they need.

  • Changes - Multiple versions of each API should be made discoverable, indexing each API release and the communications surrounding it to help consumers easily get up to speed.

Every moment consumers spend looking for an API, trying to find the latest version, and understanding what it does restricts the forward motion of a team, domain, and organization. Clearly, consumer discovery is an API priority to invest in.

Discovery entails a number of challenges for enterprises. As with other types of content and media, API consumers are unlikely to spend much time looking for APIs before they go elsewhere, or begin building what they need themselves. It is essential to view the concept of API discovery from the perspective of your consumers.