Mastering API Architecture

Preface

Why Did We Write This Book?

In early 2020 we attended O’Reilly Software Architecture in New York, where Jim and Matt gave a workshop on APIs and a presentation on API gateways. Jim and Daniel know each other from the London Java Community, and like at many architecture events, we got together to talk about our thoughts and understanding around API architectures. As we were talking on the hallway track, several conference delegates came up to us and chatted about their experiences with APIs. People were asking for our thoughts and guidance on their API journey. It was at this point that we thought writing a book on the topic of APIs would help share our discussions from conferences with other architects.

Why Should You Read This Book?

This book has been designed to provide a complete picture on designing, operating, and evolving an API architecture. We have shared our experience and advice through both our writing and an accompanying case study that mimics a real-life event-management conference system that enables attendees to view and book presentation sessions. The case study runs throughout the book, with the goal of you exploring how abstract concepts sometimes translate into practical application. If you want a high-level overview of the evolution of the case study, you can find this in Chapter 10.

We also believe in allowing you to make your own decisions. To support this, we will:

• Be clear when we have a strong recommendation or guidance.

• Highlight areas ...