Getting started as an API developer

As we delve deeper into the technological era, we discover more possibilities. This explains the rise of AI and so many other trending technologies and frameworks.

Companies are now looking for technologies to increase their productivity and profit margins. Most of that challenge is solved with APIs (Application Programmable Interfaces). Having API skills allows you to facilitate interaction between various servers and applications.

For that to be possible, you need to embark on the journey of acquiring API-related skills and launch a career in API development. In this article, you will see what skills you need to get started. Drumrolls!

API development skills?

Before getting to the nitty gritty, let's clarify some basic knowledge. An API serves as a messenger between two communicating servers or applications. It takes a request from the sender and sends it to the receiver; after processing the request, the receiver sends a response back to the server.

Having API development skills will enable you to develop these "messengers"—an application or piece of software—that can perform that task.

Slightly confused? Here's a basic example: You can connect your phone to a smartwatch to receive calls and read messages. An API is what makes that possible. It helps connect applications together to exchange information and perform any pre-defined task.

Now that's out of the way, let's get to see some skills.

5 API development skills

Keep in mind that these are not all the skills required, this is just enough to get started. These skillsets are:

1. Language proficiency in coding
   It is advisable for an API developer to have coding skills in a variety of languages. This makes sure you are using the appropriate language for the project you are working on. By all means, feel no pressure; it takes a lot of time to get a proper grasp of one language.
   Protip: Learning the foundations of one language will make it easier to learn others.

2. Designing an API
   Knowing how to design an API is important because the better the design, the more enjoyable the experience of making use of it will be.
   Protip: The better your API design, the more features are possible.

3. Platform Independence
   This skill allows you to build an application that works on diverse platforms with little or no maintenance.
   Protip: Building platform-independent applications helps you narrow your focus, thereby improving productivity.

4. Knowledge of service-oriented architecture (SOA)
   It is all about being able to reuse your components when developing an API and being able to identify when an existing API has the functionality they need in their new API.
   Protip: Reusing components speeds up the development time of new features or versions.

5. Fluency in communication
   Being able to document how your API works is important to ensure understanding for the users. Of course, to avoid answering a bunch of questions you might probably lose track of the answers.
   Protip: Documentation helps present a clear and concise understanding of the API operations to the users.

Bonus: Simple tools you need to know

1. Swagger: an easy-to-use tool that helps you auto-document your API and provide a live interaction.
2. Redoc: similar to swagger, but no live interaction.
3. Databases: helps you store the data sent to your API. There are different types you can make use of, e.g MySQL, Postgres, MongoDB, etc.
4. Postman: makes it easy to test your API.

Cessation

The journey is continuous; do not be afraid to try new things. Continuous improvement is always better than delayed perfection. However, having a good source of information or knowledge will certainly boost your progress.