6 ms·

This article is junk. There are many reasons for not offering an API to customers. I run a small b2b app between two completely non-technical businesses. There

by jbob2000 7y ago

This article is junk. There are many reasons for not offering an API to customers. I run a small b2b app between two completely non-technical businesses. There is absolutely no need for me to have an API available to them, they’ve never asked for it and have no desire or ability to consume it. Believe it or not, there is also an expense to offering an API! An API is a product offering like anything else, and products need customer support. API products need advanced support because they are technical in nature, you can’t use a call center for this type of support. And I don’t really want random joes signing up for my API and doing god-knows-what with it. I’d much rather create a relationship with you so I know what you’re trying to do (so you don’t bring down my servers in the middle of the night or run up a huge bill because you’re use case is a little beyond what I can support). The other points can just be summarized as “have a perfect API and perfect docs”. Ok. Thanks. Can you show me an example of this in the wild? Didn’t think so. The better suggestion is to analyze your business and decide if offering an API furthers your businesses’ goals.

pc86 7y ago
I didn't downvote you but I do strongly disagree with pretty much everything you've said. > There is absolutely no need for me to have an API available to them, they’ve never asked for it and have no desire or ability to consume it. Whenever I've used "small b2b apps," especially between non-technical businesses, if you don't have it I'm not asking for it. I know how hard it is to be a solo founder or part of a very small team so I'm either going to use your product as-is, or I'm not going to use it. > API[s]...need customer support There are plenty of small, niche APIs where there is out-dated documentation and not much else. I'm saying that's a great experience, but let's not pretend it's illegal to have an API without on-demand live support. > And I don’t really want random joes signing up for my API... The reasons listed here can all be handled via code. There are very few reasons to prevent automated sign-ups. > The better suggestion is to analyze your business and decide if offering an API furthers your businesses’ goals. If you think it can't, you're just not being creative enough. Every single API with more than 2 users is being used in ways its designers hadn't originally thought of. Many brains are better than one brain and you can often get more (and better) ideas from what other people are doing with your tech than you ever could on your own.
- jbob2000 7y ago
  I get what you’re saying but I think you’re not being pragmatic enough (and perhaps being a bit developer-centric, ignoring that there are millions of people out there who run businesses that have 0 need for offering a consumable API). You’re asking for access to the heart and soul of a company and demanding to pay the same price as a customer who asks for much less. I’m having a hard time understanding why I should pursue you as a customer when I can get the same money out of someone who is way less demanding.
  - jschwartzi 7y ago
    Actually if I want to do way more then I’m generally okay paying more for it. Nobody is asking you to do it for free but automation is something I look for frequently when a tool is core to my work. It’s why I avoid most GUI tools and systems unless the GUI is more than text fields and buttons. It’s simply too much work to repeatedly follow a script for a system like that when I have a very clear use pattern for it.
hpoe 7y ago
I would argue the primary benefit of having an API even if not made public is that it will encourage better architecture , design, and development making the product more maintainable over the long run. It also means you can scale if you ever do need to add a customer that wants to make use of an API. Saying not to do an API because customers don't want it is similar to not using source control because you're the only developer.
- jbob2000 7y ago
  An architecture is good if it is serving your business’ needs. My company makes $13 billion a year off of garbage architecture. If we completely re-engineered it to be perfect, we’d probably still make the same amount of money, it would just cost us hundreds of millions of dollars to do it (actually, we tried and wasted about $300mil).
- aldoushuxley001 7y ago
  Is having an unnecessary API really better architecture though? It adds quite a bit of complexity and there are other ways to address separation of concerns.
  - corebit 7y ago
    Depends on how big your team is. If it's just you and you feel like you dont need one then dont. If its 3 teams of 10 then an API is extremely helpful. It's a great way to frame conversations in something beyond personal preference.
vortico 7y ago
Not sure why you're being downvoted. An API is a feature just like any other features your company offers. If 1000 customers/clients ask for feature A and 0 ask for feature B, it's obvious you shouldn't waste your time on B. If B = "an API", and it doesn't change that it's a waste of time in this scenario.
- couchand 7y ago
  That product methodology is sure to fill your roadmap with minor variations of button colors.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]

pc86 7y ago

I didn't downvote you but I do strongly disagree with pretty much everything you've said. > There is absolutely no need for me to have an API available to them, they’ve never asked for it and have no desire or ability to consume it. Whenever I've used "small b2b apps," especially between non-technical businesses, if you don't have it I'm not asking for it. I know how hard it is to be a solo founder or part of a very small team so I'm either going to use your product as-is, or I'm not going to use it. > API[s]...need customer support There are plenty of small, niche APIs where there is out-dated documentation and not much else. I'm saying that's a great experience, but let's not pretend it's illegal to have an API without on-demand live support. > And I don’t really want random joes signing up for my API... The reasons listed here can all be handled via code. There are very few reasons to prevent automated sign-ups. > The better suggestion is to analyze your business and decide if offering an API furthers your businesses’ goals. If you think it can't, you're just not being creative enough. Every single API with more than 2 users is being used in ways its designers hadn't originally thought of. Many brains are better than one brain and you can often get more (and better) ideas from what other people are doing with your tech than you ever could on your own.

jbob2000 7y ago
I get what you’re saying but I think you’re not being pragmatic enough (and perhaps being a bit developer-centric, ignoring that there are millions of people out there who run businesses that have 0 need for offering a consumable API). You’re asking for access to the heart and soul of a company and demanding to pay the same price as a customer who asks for much less. I’m having a hard time understanding why I should pursue you as a customer when I can get the same money out of someone who is way less demanding.
- jschwartzi 7y ago
  Actually if I want to do way more then I’m generally okay paying more for it. Nobody is asking you to do it for free but automation is something I look for frequently when a tool is core to my work. It’s why I avoid most GUI tools and systems unless the GUI is more than text fields and buttons. It’s simply too much work to repeatedly follow a script for a system like that when I have a very clear use pattern for it.

hpoe 7y ago

I would argue the primary benefit of having an API even if not made public is that it will encourage better architecture , design, and development making the product more maintainable over the long run. It also means you can scale if you ever do need to add a customer that wants to make use of an API. Saying not to do an API because customers don't want it is similar to not using source control because you're the only developer.

jbob2000 7y ago
An architecture is good if it is serving your business’ needs. My company makes $13 billion a year off of garbage architecture. If we completely re-engineered it to be perfect, we’d probably still make the same amount of money, it would just cost us hundreds of millions of dollars to do it (actually, we tried and wasted about $300mil).
aldoushuxley001 7y ago
Is having an unnecessary API really better architecture though? It adds quite a bit of complexity and there are other ways to address separation of concerns.
- corebit 7y ago
  Depends on how big your team is. If it's just you and you feel like you dont need one then dont. If its 3 teams of 10 then an API is extremely helpful. It's a great way to frame conversations in something beyond personal preference.

vortico 7y ago

Not sure why you're being downvoted. An API is a feature just like any other features your company offers. If 1000 customers/clients ask for feature A and 0 ask for feature B, it's obvious you shouldn't waste your time on B. If B = "an API", and it doesn't change that it's a waste of time in this scenario.

couchand 7y ago
That product methodology is sure to fill your roadmap with minor variations of button colors.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]