In this article, I will be walking you through some of the best practices for scaling API products. Before we delve deep, let's go down memory lane, looking into the history of API.
The term API can mean many different things. Sometimes it means hardware API, Java API or various other technical epitomes. Right now when you hear the term API, it probably means web API or an API built using REST, running on the same infrastructure the World Wide Web runs on.
Web APIs first appeared in the wild with the introduction of Salesforce on February 7th, when the company officially launched its API at the IDG Demo 2000 conference. Salesforce was an enterprise-class, web-based, sales force automation as an "Internet as a service", with XML APIs being part of Salesforce.com from day one. Later in the year, on November 20, 2000, eBay launched the eBay Application Program Interface (API), along with the eBay Developers Program--which was originally rolled out to only a select number of licensed eBay partners and developers. Later on, Amazon joined in, all in the commerce space.
The modern Web API movement was kicked off. But for some reason it didn't gain the momentum we see today, whether it was due to the "dotcom" bubble bursting or other things weren't quite ready- web APIs wouldn't get traction until things got social. We saw social platforms take the light. Mobile, cloud computing and so on. To read more on the history of API, check out this article on API history by the API Evangelist.
What is API?
We can't continue without touching on what API is. So, what exactly is an Application Programming Interface (API)? An API is a set of programming codes that enables data transmission between one software product and another. They allow two unrelated applications to “communicate” with each other. To go over the basics of API and how it works, look up this article by Idris Olubisi.
What are API Products?
An API product is an API offering made available to a target market to satisfy a customer's need.
Now, to the main reason we have gathered here. Amen? Amen.
Scaling API products:
So, when we say API scaling, what do we really mean? In simple terms, it is accounting for production experiences and use cases. Anything that would ensure that your API product is secure, can withstand hefty traffic and is optimized for optimal performance all-round. There are a lot of ways to scale API products but I will be highlighting a few in the article.
Use a database that can handle high levels of read and write traffic, and consider using a NoSQL database for large amounts of unstructured data.
Use a globally distributed infrastructure to ensure high availability and reduce latency for users in different regions.
Apply service mesh to apply security, traffic management, and observability policies uniformly across the microservices.
Use a service mesh to monitor and trace service-to-service communication and troubleshoot issues, and also understand the service-level health and performance and diagnose issues.
Consider using a microservices architecture to break down the API into smaller, more manageable parts that can be developed and deployed independently.
Use a microservices architecture to break down the API into smaller, more manageable parts that can be developed and deployed independently.
Applying a message queue to handle asynchronous tasks and prevent blocking of the API.
Utilize versioning to ensure that different versions of the API can be used by different clients without breaking existing integrations.
Use a load balancer to distribute traffic among multiple servers and improve reliability.
CDN (Content delivery network) can reduce the latency and increase the availability of the API.
Implement rate limiting to prevent abuse and protect the backend from excessive traffic.
That must be a lot to consume. Make sure to drink water and relax your mind. If you read to this point, this was great having you around.
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Gracias