APIs are an amazing introduction to the digital world, they make the communication between two software, applications, or platforms and the collaboration between them possible. Furthermore, they allow the smooth functioning of different digital products together in tandem. And the same function is seamless.
The classification of the APIs is as follows-
- Private or Internal APIs– These are the APIs that are used within the organization. Generally, only the developers in the organization get to work with them and use them. This is the reason why they are rarely mentioned in publicly accessible documents.
- Partner APIs– These are the APIs that are used to share the data with your partners by creating the much-needed integration to perform the tasks that are unable to be performed single-handedly. They might share data or even functionality with the help of these APIs.
- Public or Open APIs– These APIs are generally found in the log-in section of social media and are available for third-party developers to use. To use them is very simple. It can be done by simply logging in to the portal offering them.
All these types of APIs are available to different users according to the kind of access they have and require. Even the good LMSs provide amazing API integrations. 360 Learning reviews tell that they support API integrations for their customers based on the kind of membership they have.
So, the APIs are important for your business but what factors must be considered before choosing them for your organization and your workspace? Following are a few considerations that can help in the matter-
- Relevance of features-
The features offered by the API must be clearly defined and understood by you. Look out for the features that you need most and choose based on your necessity as well as your budget the ones you can not do without. Look for as many potential options as possible and make sure that they meet your needs and requirements.
- Limitations of its usage-
One API cannot do everything. There is a limit to what one individual API can do and perform. Make sure to understand that before deploying it for your organization. Many API developers offer higher limit API or one with non-existent limits. Look for those options and choose wisely.
- Legal obligation fulfillment-
You might be working in a strict regulatory compliant industry. Thus your APIs must also adhere to the regulations fixed by the industry. Also, you should make sure that your idea and even the case of usage are supported by the API in question. It also makes sense to check if the API supports your plans for the business.
- Documentation support-
The next point of consideration is that of documentation support provided by the API developer. An APIs documentation is text support explaining its content and how it can be integrated with other programs and platforms. Additionally, the said document must be clear with the required examples. Also, the naming conventions should be consistent throughout.
- Friendly interface-
It is imminent for an API to have a friendly interface. If it is not easy to use or requires too many steps to complete a single task it can not achieve the success which it was meant for. The easier the usage of the API, the more popular it is set to be.
- Check for the language support-
Before zeroing upon the API of your choice, it is necessary to check if the said API supports the language your software is written in. If that is not the case then you might need to switch to the supported language, which in turn is a much costlier option and a time-consuming one at that.
- Active community-
This last point of consideration but not the least is that of an active support community. If there is an issue with the API which needs solving, then the community can respond and help solve it as soon as possible. Also, consider the kind of support that is offered by the API developer and how much they take to normally respond to the customer queries.
Thus, API integrations are the present of the digital-based businesses and the trend seems to favor them for the future too.