The API of the API (with intelligence on top)

One of the big challenges in building an API is predicting how it’s going to evolve. How will we handle big breaking changes? And how do we share a model layer without code duplication? This talk will demonstrate the JSON API approach (http://jsonapi.org). JSON API is not only the missing standard you can rely on to settle endless arguments in how the JSON API should be structured. It also a standard for creating self explaining JSON APIs, also called hypermedia APIs. This will be demonstrated through a JavaScript library we have created at Confetti called YAYSON for communicating between our apps through JSON API. We aim to separate logic in lots of smaller services, there JSON API has proven to be an important tool to boost productivity.

Audience Learnings

Self explaining API, unversioned API, shared model layer

Structure

• Introduction
• Challenges in API design
• HTTP
• JSON API approach
• Linked data
• Presistance
• Demo!
• Summary

Prerequisites

Basic understanding of HTTP and API design.