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http://gigaom.com/2013/10/12/armed-with-apis-developers-will...
SUMMARY: The rise of APIs as a source for web services and data means that developers don’t have to reinvent the wheel on every feature — they can source it from an API. This trend brings about the composable enterprise.
I agree with the premise. However, what happens to Lob when paper and mail get replaced by digital transactions? Netflix was able to pivot from sending physical DVDs to streaming digital movies. Will Lob be able to pivot from printing and mailing physical checks to sending digital money, or will they be cut out of the market? In general, it seems risky to build an API around something that's going to disappear.
If given a choice between building a platform or API with equal likelihood of success--go with the platform every time. APIs sit in the background and are rarely the star. Brands have value, and it's very hard to build a brand if you are just the glue.
This is incredibly interesting. According to some people we're looking at unprecedented growth in the space. Right now there's roughly 9k public APIs. By 2019 that number could be over 100,000. The question becomes though who does the integrations? Not everyone is a developer. The world needs plumbers for toilets and electricians for lights. I think the future of web development looks a lot like these industries. If…
You shouldn't have to be a dev to take advantage of the API universe. You'll just need tools that are able to reason about the data available.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> In general, it seems risky to build an API around something that's going to disappear. Why? They can clearly profit while there's a need for the service they offer.
I meant in the context of trying to build a long-term business. Netflix would be dead in a few more years if they hadn't started doing digital streaming.
A dearth of API's is particularly bad in computer security.
Vendors: We have this great new device to monitor ___ and alert on it!
Customers: We'd like to integrate that with our other devices, and this Hadoop cluster...
Vendors: We integrate with all kinds of stuff!
Customers: Can you show me?
Vendors: You just go to our shitty web front end and click "export." You can get an Excel file or .csv. It's THAT simple! Or I think in the next version we can export to syslog. Larry? Do you know about the syslog thing? Yeah, it's going to do that. We have our engineer working on it.
Customers: Can I query the data directly?
Vendors: Sure! Just go to the web front end and arrange your Boolean logic operations with this impossibly obtuse drag-and-drop graphical programming hack we came up with. Focus groups LOVE it, because you don't have to type to use it.
Customers: What if I want the machines to talk together and query each other without me having to type in a password and click the shitty web front end?
Vendors: crickets ... So how many do you want to buy?
Are you listening, potential YC candidates?
By the way, when you write software, write the API first, then write your cool UI using the API. Yeah, it's a little more difficult at first, but you'll save untold amounts of time in the long run and the product will be better for it.
Edit: In case this wasn't clear, I'm talking to you, you HN-reading recent college-grad who wants to start a company but needs a good idea that doesn't involve social networking. Make network security products with great API's and sell them to companies. Forget about the cheesy front-end, make it easy to get data into and out of. Your target audience is techies who aren't baffled by databases and are willing to spend a month hacking on a system if it helps them query huge amounts of data quickly. Also, you want to charge less than the cost of these techies making the system themselves. Go.
Armed with APIs, developers will drive the composable enterprise http://gigaom.com/2013/10/12/armed-with-apis-developers-will... SUMMARY: The rise of APIs as a source for web services and data means that developers don’t have to reinvent the wheel on every feature — they can source it from an API. This trend brings about the composable enterprise.
For consumers, "there's an app for that". For businesses, "there's an API for that".
I'd follow that with: For tech businesses, "there's an API for that". For 90% of the other businesses, "what's an API?" There's a vast amount of value to be captured by adding pleasant and easily used interfaces over otherwise boring APIs.
Agree that good API UIs (I realize that's two "interfaces") has a great future ahead.
If only this were more true. API's for most things are...lacking. A dearth of API's is particularly bad in computer security. Vendors: We have this great new device to monitor ___ and alert on it! Customers: We'd like to integrate that with our other devices, and this Hadoop cluster... Vendors: We integrate with all kinds of stuff! Customers: Can you show me? Vendors: You just go to our shitty web front end and click…
If only this were more true. API's for most things are...lacking. A dearth of API's is particularly bad in computer security. Vendors: We have this great new device to monitor ___ and alert on it! Customers: We'd like to integrate that with our other devices, and this Hadoop cluster... Vendors: We integrate with all kinds of stuff! Customers: Can you show me? Vendors: You just go to our shitty web front end and click…