One of the things about APIs is that they’re subject to change. API changes might be because the API endpoints and methods have been changed. In this case, a good API provider will give its users plenty of warning about API changes. There will also probably be a grace period as the deprecated and new versions of the API operate side-by-side before the switch.
Even if you pay for the API, it’s going to be up to you to make sure the third-party API you depend on is going to ensure continuity of service. But it’s all too easy to find yourself being woken up in the middle of the night because the third-party APIs you depend on are failing. And when it turns out no one bothered to update the calls to work with a changed API? There’s going to be plenty of blame to go around.
Making API Changes Seamless
It’s in everyone’s interest to make sure that API changes are as seamless as possible by giving plenty of notice – and doing something about it. But for a free API, maybe for something minor, it’s far easier for matters to go awry.
A lot of companies use third-party APIs for services like authentication and creating social media posts. Reputable companies like Facebook and Twitter advertise API changes well in advance. But it’s easy to forget about that one little Twitter link built into your app, especially if nobody really uses it.
What Can You Do About API Changes?
APIContext is the perfect tool for making sure that your calls work with all new API changes.
- Make one-off API calls and see from the returned payload exactly what’s coming back.
- Use workflows to simulate the kind of back-to-back business logic that is critical to your organization.
- Deploy test calls to different cloud services and locations to see that everything is working satisfactorily from wherever the API is called.
- Use APIContext Insights CASC score to see if the new API is better than the old one and to determine software service Level Agreements.
APIContext makes prototyping the modified calls a breeze. Using our functionality for alarms, and alerts, including support for WebHooks, you can fix the problem ASAP. You can have everything back to working as it should be – before your users even know something went wrong.
Photo by Hernán Piñera
