Increasingly, improvement groups are adopting an API-first method to software program improvement, by which APIs are the constructing blocks of software program and every part else is constructed round them. That is in distinction to code-first, the place the complete software — together with the API, UI, and different elements — is deliberate out collectively on the identical time.
In keeping with Postman’s 2024 State of the API report, 74% of respondents adopted the API-first method in 2024, in comparison with 66% final 12 months. “APIs are now not an afterthought however the basis of improvement, with between 26 and 50 APIs powering the typical software,” Postman wrote within the report.
The advantages of this technique embody sooner API manufacturing and sooner restoration from failures. This 12 months, 63% of respondents have been in a position to produce an API inside one week (up from 47% final 12 months). Moreover, organizations following this method can usually recuperate from API failures in underneath an hour.
“By prioritizing API design, governance, and safety, groups can unlock new alternatives, ship APIs sooner, and guarantee their APIs are protected and optimized for the long run,” Postman stated.
Whereas there are numerous advantages to API-first, it doesn’t totally remove the challenges API builders face, reminiscent of poor documentation and lack of correct collaboration.
Thirty-nine p.c of respondents declare inconsistent documentation is the largest roadblock to API improvement. Forty-four p.c learn by supply code to know their APIs, however over half collaborate with individuals who don’t perceive the code, like product managers, high quality assurance, and designers. Forty-three p.c additionally battle with getting info from different builders who could also be working asynchronously in numerous time zones.
The report additionally discovered that one third of respondents are utilizing a number of gateways for his or her APIs, signaling that “the standard single-gateway mannequin is changing into out of date.”
One other optimistic discovering is that 62% of respondents are producing revenue from their APIs, and 33% report that APIs make up over 50% of their whole income.
“APIs are now not simply technical enablers—they’re revenue-generating merchandise … This indicators the rise of the API-as-a-product mannequin, the place APIs are designed, developed, and marketed as strategic belongings,” the report acknowledged.
And at last AI is leading to elevated API utilization as properly, with AI-related visitors on Postman’s platform growing by 73% within the final 12 months. Corporations at the moment are having to create APIs not only for people, however for interfacing with AI techniques as properly.
“The age of AI is powered by APIs. The fast adoption of chatbots like ChatGPT has confirmed that AI bots are going to advance the state of human-computer interplay. Till now, we have now primarily been designing APIs for people, however designing APIs for machines will turn into an more and more necessary space… and AI alone gained’t increase productiveness—you want high quality APIs to remain forward in trendy software program,” the report concluded.
For its survey, Postman surveyed greater than 5,600 builders and API professionals, and made observations based mostly on the exercise of the 35 million+ customers on its platform.