Graham King

Solvitas perambulum

Shaun Inman – "10 reasons why you need to build an API"

futureofwebapps software
Summary
Shaun Inman, creator of Mint, presented at the Future of Web Apps conference, emphasizing the importance of APIs. He argued that an API can significantly enhance an application by increasing brand awareness, allowing users to own their data, fostering goodwill with developers, and providing excuses for building a community. APIs also improve code quality, simplify data reuse internally, enable external extensions, offer alternative input mechanisms, open pathways for unexpected data applications, and transform a program into a platform. Initially, Mint only supported Firefox and Safari to simplify support by targeting technical users.

Shaun Inman is the creator of Mint. He gave a presentation at the Future Of Web Apps (futureofwebapps) conference, held in London on Wednesday 8th February. It was a short presentation with little elaboration of the 10 reasons, followed by a lengthy Q&A session.

An API takes a good thing and makes it better. API must not change.

API allows external extension of your application. A plugin architecture allows internal extension.

The 10 reasons are:

  • Increase brand awareness

  • Allow users to own their data

  • Build goodwill with developers

  • A perfect excuse for a community

  • Solving programming problems with an API in mind can improve code quality

  • Simplify internal reuse of data

  • Allow others to extend the functionality of your application

  • Alternate input mechanisms

  • Unanticipated applications of your data

  • Turn your program into a platform

    The initial Mint release only supported Firefox and Safari (not IE), to cut down on the support calls by only having technical users.

    See also Larsz’s mind map.