Data APIs Explained

You can code API in any language of your choice. Here are the steps to create an API:

• Define the purpose and target users for the API.
• Decide the architecture for the API, like SOAP or REST, depending on your requirements. The API should be secure, scalable, and easy to integrate and test. If you want high performance and speed, REST would be a good choice, but if security is more important, you can go for SOAP.
• Write the API. Start with the basic functionality and iterate to add more features gradually. Handle exceptions properly, define all the HTTP response codes, and build an endpoint for the API to receive the requests.
• Check for the API performance. Implement pagination and caching if needed by the application.
• Write clear documentation - for example, endpoint, supported request and response, exceptions, classes, interfaces, and methods. There are several tools to do this for you.
• If you’re building a public API, then at some point, you may want to expand its features. In this case, it's a good practice to add a version.
• Test your API. It’s important to understand the load and whether the API is able to handle the traffic. Use real-world data to check for performance and load testing.
• Publish your API using the API gateway and monitor the performance.