Designing Web APIs

Chapter 8. Building a Developer Ecosystem Strategy

Building a scalable, well-designed API is a great start, but if you want developers to use the API, you need to do much more than just release it. “If you build it, they will come” is a common misconception, as evidenced by the many companies that release APIs but do not understand why developers are not rushing to use them.

The profession of building a developer and partner ecosystem is called developer relations. Let’s define what an ecosystem is in the context of a developer platform or an API.

Very much like an ecosystem in nature, a developer ecosystem is a virtual system of members that are collaborating, depending, and sometimes competing on the same platform, technology, or API.

There are many examples of developer ecosystems, and some of the best ones are self-organizing—Google and Android have an amazing developer ecosystem and community; iOS developers flock to meetups and collaborate together; and Microsoft has a strong, multifaceted developer and partner ecosystem.

Expert Advice

Developer platforms and APIs have become ubiquitous. They enable developers to be more efficient, leverage existing infrastructure, and future-proof their products and services. As the API economy continues to mature, providing an API is no longer enough: companies must offer a truly great developer experience and keep pace with developers’ needs.

Romain Huet, head of developer relations at Stripe

In this chapter, we discuss what composes ...