What’s your API’s “Time To 200”?

#1

Post by edent » Fri, May 21, 2021, 11:04 AM UTC

What’s your API’s “Time To 200”?
shkspr.mobi

Re: What’s your API’s “Time To 200”?

#2

Post by dinkleberg » Sat, May 22, 2021, 4:27 PM UTC

It always boggles my mind when I try to use a new API and I have to jump through a hundred hurdles to start using it.

Let me use your service and start paying you!

In the ocean of bad APIs out there I'll pick yours if you can offer:

1. An easy process to onboard

2. Good documentation

3. Usage based pricing

Re: What’s your API’s “Time To 200”?

#3

Post by dexterdog » Sat, May 22, 2021, 4:38 PM UTC

dinkleberg wrote: post #2

It always boggles my mind when I try to use a new API and I have to jump through a hundred hurdles to start using it. Let me use your service and start paying you! In the ocean of bad APIs out there I'll pick yours if you can offer: 1. An easy process to onboard 2. Good documentation 3. Usage based pricing

If you have some kind of pricing model I understand the basic email validation and possibly getting a payment method up-front. It's too easy to program around a simple usage cap.

Re: What’s your API’s “Time To 200”?

#4

Post by dna_polymerase » Sat, May 22, 2021, 4:38 PM UTC

dinkleberg wrote: post #2

It always boggles my mind when I try to use a new API and I have to jump through a hundred hurdles to start using it. Let me use your service and start paying you! In the ocean of bad APIs out there I'll pick yours if you can offer: 1. An easy process to onboard 2. Good documentation 3. Usage based pricing

Maybe we should collect some good and bad examples here. Personally I dislike the onboarding situation at Twilio, their documentation is good though. Mailjet has good documentation and decent onboarding.

Re: What’s your API’s “Time To 200”?

#5

Post by matsemann » Sat, May 22, 2021, 4:42 PM UTC

dexterdog wrote: post #3

dinkleberg wrote: post #2

It always boggles my mind when I try to use a new API and I have to jump through a hundred hurdles to start using it. Let me use your service and start paying you! In the ocean of bad APIs out there I'll pick yours if you can offer: 1. An easy process to onboard 2. Good documentation 3. Usage based pricing

If you have some kind of pricing model I understand the basic email validation and possibly getting a payment method up-front. It's too easy to program around a simple usage cap.

Having a fake/temporary/nonpersistent/whatever-makes-sense instance one can quickly test in swagger or similar tools just to get a feel would be nice, though.

Re: What’s your API’s “Time To 200”?

#6

Post by e-clinton » Sat, May 22, 2021, 4:42 PM UTC

“Time to 200”? Why not “Zero to 200”? Feels closer to the car simile

Re: What’s your API’s “Time To 200”?

#7

Post by edent » Sat, May 22, 2021, 4:46 PM UTC

e-clinton wrote: post #6

“Time to 200”? Why not “Zero to 200”? Feels closer to the car simile

Lots of people don't drive cars. I figured most programmers would be familiar with "Time To Live" (TTL).

Re: What’s your API’s “Time To 200”?

#8

Post by thecodemonkey » Sat, May 22, 2021, 4:54 PM UTC

I like to think that we’re doing okay with geocod.io, but I would seriously love some feedback. Should we automatically generate your first API key? Make docs more prominent? Anything else?

Re: What’s your API’s “Time To 200”?

#9

Post by catlifeonmars » Sat, May 22, 2021, 5:01 PM UTC

edent wrote: post #7

e-clinton wrote: post #6

“Time to 200”? Why not “Zero to 200”? Feels closer to the car simile

Lots of people don't drive cars. I figured most programmers would be familiar with "Time To Live" (TTL).

I thought it was a reference to “Time to Interactive”. https://web.dev/interactive/

Re: What’s your API’s “Time To 200”?

#10

Post by Scene_Cast2 » Sat, May 22, 2021, 5:01 PM UTC

edent wrote: post #7

e-clinton wrote: post #6

“Time to 200”? Why not “Zero to 200”? Feels closer to the car simile

Lots of people don't drive cars. I figured most programmers would be familiar with "Time To Live" (TTL).

0-100, as a concept, maps closer to your idea. I knew about TTL, but didn't make the connection until you pointed it out.