Continuous API Management: Making the Right Decisions in an Evolving Landscape

by Mehdi Medjaoui, Erik Wilde, Ronnie Mitra

A lot of work is required to release an API, but the effort doesn't always pay off. Overplanning before an API matures is a wasted investment, while underplanning can lead to disaster. The second edition of this book provides maturity models for individual APIs and multi-API landscapes to help you invest the right human and company resources for the right maturity level at the right time. How do you balance the desire for agility and speed with the need for robust and scalable operations? Four experts from the API Academy show software architects, program directors, and product owners how to maximize the value of their APIs by managing them as products through a continuous lifecycle.

Genres: Programming, Technology, Software, Architecture, Nonfiction, Technical, Computer Science

287 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The framework used for analysing API management helped join together a number of research threads I've been investigating. The content as a whole was useful, but a little high level and took much longer than it needed to when getting to the point. I'd originally hoped for more detailed advice given the calibre of people involved in writing this. You'll need to refer to other sources to get more detailed information about the individual topics (e.g. the pillars, lifecycle stages) you are interested in exploring.

It could also have benefited from some better editing to reduce duplication across sections and tighten up the linkages across chapters.

[Dhwaneet Bhatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being in the software industry for 10 years as majorly a programmer and manager of teams, this book does not introduce anything ground breaking but rather just tries to formalize few practices that are hyper relevant to API management.

The language used throughout the book is consistent but they could have explained a few concepts through better examples. The lack of examples and case studies makes the content very hard to read and makes it difficult to cruise through the book without getting bored.

The first few foundational chapters felt very familiar to everyday programming practices in the company but the last 3 chapters around API landscape were very thought through and shed light on managing API programs at scale. I see myself coming back to these as and when required in my professional journey.

This book is intended mainly for business people and non tech leaders associated with API tech companies and wanting to navigate through this complexity. They would gain immense value through this book.

[kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book provides a useful framework for implementing an api marketplace within the organization, particularly in large organization where we are the central team to decide how different teams come together to build apis to support the larger ecosystem. There is less value for those interested more in individual api design.

The conclusion is actually the best chapter and is worth a read if you can before deciding it is suitable. A lot of materials are not unique (like product mindset, automation, etc.) and often recasted in an api context, but there is still some level of value for someone like myself, whom I consider having fairly broad knowledge.

[Daniel Wellner · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book felt like it could easilly have been 3 times shorter without losing any valuable content whatsover. In my option, If you are already quite familiar with managing modern software development in an agile way, and you are looking for a book with actionable ideas on how to improve on your API management, this book is not for you. However if you come to API management from a non-software background, the book might be worth the effort.

[Wolfgang · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tries too pack in too much, and is superficial as a result, IMHO. Reiterates common software engineering practices as ideas on how to manage and evolve APIs without giving much actionable advice. Might be interesting if you're new to the space, but then it might leave you with the vague feeling of managing APIs as a herculean effort.

Maybe it was just me expecting it to be less management and more engineering heavy, though.

[ChevalierBayard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beaucoup de répétitions peut-être expliquées par une écriture à plusieurs mains, ou la volonté de vraiment ne pas louper l'essentiel. Finalement pas grand chose que je ne connaissais déjà. Mais néanmoins je trouve du coup que c'est un très bon aide-mémoire à garder à portée et consulter de temps en temps ; juste pour vérifier qu'on ne loupe pas quelque chose. Du coup, je conseille !

[Jorge Gaona · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has good information pieces and techniques regarding API Management techniques at different levels, including how to manage scale. However, it is extremely repetitive, specially starting the second half. Wether that's good or bad is up to your learning style.

[Matthew Reinbold · Rating 3 out of 5]

A high level overview that collects together a number of introductory topics. However, what it has in breadth it lacks in depth; how to translate tidy, enumerated bullet lists into actual actions in the face of cultural change remains elusive.

[Daniil Saiko · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit verbose at times an lacks examples or applications.
Could be a tad repetetive but overall good abstract view of APIs. Does not prescribe tooling or what to do, rather how to approach API landscape problems

[Alexander Holbreich · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's all not wrong. But for whom?
When you don't have long time IT experince, then much of the topics will be not undestood well.
For experienced people the book is very boring to read. For me it felt like compilation of bality.

[Jevgenij · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has 0 substance, yet, it's very long, and the language is unnecessarily complex. Well, it's actually necessary, because otherwise the complete absence of any useful information becomes obvious.

[Frank-Mich L'Heureux · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard review. I really enjoyed about the first half (4 to 5 stars) and found the second half less interesting. (2-3 stars). Given this, I don't recommend reading it from cover to cover, I'd say it's best to pick the key chapters.

[David Robillard · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is well structured, taking you from a single API to an ever-growing landscape of APIs. I felt there was too much repetition. Still, if you do manage APIs, then it's a good read.

[Ahmed · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very boring book could have been written in a blog article.

[Ivan Koma · Rating 2 out of 5]

nope. too many empty words