Continuous API Management, 2nd Edition

Chapter 2. API Governance

Hey, a rule is a rule, and let’s face it, without rules there’s chaos.

Cosmo Kramer

Governance isn’t the kind of thing people get excited about. It’s also a topic that carries a bit of emotional baggage. After all, few people want to be governed, and most people have had bad experiences with poorly designed governance policies and nonsensical rules. Bad governance (like bad design) makes life harder. But in our experience, it’s difficult to talk about API management without addressing it.

In fact, we’ll go as far as saying that it’s impossible to manage your APIs without governing them.

Sometimes, API governance happens in a company, but the term governance is never used. That’s perfectly fine. Names matter, and in some organizations, governance implies a desire to be highly centralized and authoritative. That can run counter to a culture that embraces decentralization and worker empowerment, so it makes sense that governance is a bad word in those kinds of places. No matter what it’s called, some form of decision governance is always taking place.

The question “Should you govern your APIs?” isn’t very interesting, because in our opinion, the answer is always yes. Instead, ask yourself: “Which decisions need to be governed?” and “Where should that governance happen?” Deciding on the answers to these types of questions is the work of designing a governance system. Different styles of governance can produce vastly different working cultures, productivity ...