API Providers Guide - API Management · technology. If an API employs oAuth, make sure and take extra special attention to provide clear instructions on how to use, as well as language

API Providers Guide - API ManagementPrepared By Kin Lane

July 2014

API Providers Guide - API Management

Table of ContentsOverview API ManagementBuilding BlocksDIY API ManagementAPI Management ProvidersNo Matter Which Path You Choose

Overview API ManagementAPI management was not born out of any particular group or standard, it was defined by the early API pioneers likeSalesForce, Amazon and Ebay, and iterated upon by other newcomers like Twilio, SendGrid and others.

As a standard offering, the first startup to offer API management as a service was Mashery in 2006, who helped set acommon approach to providing API portals and coined the term business of APIs.

In 2014 there are over 20 API management service providers providing a wide range of services from accessmanagement and analytics to complete API gateway services to help you deploy and manage hundreds or thousandsof APIs from internal resources.

I've always lumped everything about providing APIs into a bucket called API management. I'm slowly pulling out theseparate pieces like design, deployment, monetization and evanelism, leaving API management as the technology,business and politics of managing multiple APIs for your company, or as a business.

There are two main paths that API providers take, either DIY approach where you have the resources and launchyour own portal, and cobble together various tools and services to make it all work. The second path is talking toseveral of the API management providers and discovering which one will best help you with your goals.

Whichever path is taken, the goal of this paper is to provide you with the building blocks and overall knowledge youwill need to be successful. I have studied the tools and services offered by the API management service providers, butmore importantly I have looked at all the public APIs available today, and tried to reflect the best practices they'veestablished through operations.

API management will include a portal area, where you host the operations of one or many API resources, as well asmultiple public platforms like Stack Exchange and Github. API management involves not just the management of thetechnical API interfaces, but the blog, forums, documentation, support desk and other critical building blocks of APIoperations.

Any company or individual that is new to the game, I highly recomend spending 2 weeks studying the top APIplatforms and understanding how they run their own API management operations. Next I recommend you pick 2­3 ofthe API management service providers and give them a call, have conversations with them about your goals.

API management is not something you read the book on, then execute flawlessly. API management is about ongoing,iterative research and development around your companies data and resources. Your API management strategy willdefine the next phase of your business development.

Building BlocksAt API Evangelist I define things in terms of building blocks, meant to establish, easy to understand modules you canpick and choose from as part of any strategy, including API management.

In 2010 I started API Evangelist as a research project to look at how the top 250 popular APIs were doing business. Ispent the summer of 2010 looking at these API providers and established a list of building blocks I found eachprovider using to manage their API operations.

I've been maintaining this list for 3 years now, looking at over 9,000 APIs and assessing the building blocks used bythe top 2,000 APIs. I've tried to standardize these and establish a potential list that any API provider could considerwhen planning their own API management strategy.

These are the most common examples of API management building blocks.

Onboarding

Best Practices ­ An API delivers access to a business's valuableresources, and no doubt there will a level of conduct that will be expectedof developers while accessing these resources. While a developer isonboarding, this is the best time to provide a plain english introduction to

the best practices around integrating with an API. Best practices should be anintroductory lesson for developers of how to properly integrate with an API, it shouldnot dive into the legaleze and granular detail provided by terms of use. Think of yourbest practices as a more friendlier, and easier to follow version of your terms of use­­setting the proper tone of how a developer will use APIs as they are getting started.

FAQ ­ FAQs are a standard in many online platforms, not just APIs. APIowners will know what the common questions developers ask whenonboarding with an API, or learning advanced concepts. These questions,with relevant answers need to be published where developers can quickly

find them. An FAQ building block is a great way to address these questions in a self­service way­­make sure and keep the page a living document, adding new questionsreceived through other support channels, as well as keeping older questions fresh.

Getting Started ­ API integration. Developer onboarding is dependent onlaying out simple, clear steps for developers on how to register,authenticate, access documentation and code samples, get support andany other details that are essential to API integration. A quality getting

started guide should be easily accessed from the API landing page, and kept simple.Try to only provide what a developer needs to get started with as few possible steps aspossible. The getting started will not just make developer onboarding frictionless, it willspeed up onboarding, increasing the chance a developer’s successful integration.

Self­Service Registration ­ You’ve launched an API to stimulateinnovation around your company's resources. Don’t stand in the way ofdevelopers innovating. Provide self­service registration for developers to

gain access. Even if an API is not meant to be public, there are plenty of ways toprovide self­service access while still securing the API­­such as using invitation codesor limited entry service tiers, that limit access when developers first register. Innovationaround an API will occur around the clock, don’t make developers wait for access.Another area to consider when trying to reduce friction during registration, is allowingdevelopers to register using their existing social network accounts like Twitter,Facebook and Google. When employing this option, make sure and include Github,which is the most logical of social networks for developers to use when registering foran API­­Github allows the API owner to stay in tune with the profile of a developer thatis most relevant to APIs and programming, and not just their everyday social life.

Service Accord ­ Before API consumers commit to using an API theyneed to uderstand best practices for consuming an API, but they alsoneed to understand what level of service they can expect from a provider.Service level agreements (SLA) provide a legal framework managing the

relationships between API consumers, but service accords provide a plain englishexplanation of what they expect from a provider, without the legaleze, in a format theycan understand in five minutes or less, without calling the lawyers.

Documentation

API Explorer ­ API explorers allow users to make calls and explore RESTAPIs using a web interface. The simplicity of REST has contributed to theextreme growth in the number of Web APIs in the last year, and APIexplorers are going to fuel this growth. API explorers put the power of

Web APIs in the hands of non­developers, allowing journalists, students, politicians,and any tech savvy Internet user to access the data and functionality available viaAPIs.

Documentation ­ Quality API documentation is the gateway to asuccessful API. API documentation needs to be complete, yet simple­­avery difficult balance to achieve. This balance takes work and will take thework of more than one individual on an API development team to make

happen. API documentation can be written by developers of the API, but additionaledits should be made by developers who were not responsible for deploying the API.As a developer, it’s easy to overlook parameters and other details that developershave made assumptions about.

Error Response Codes ­ Errors are an inevitable part of API integration,and providing not only a robust set of clear and meaningful API errorresponse codes, but a clear listing of these codes for developers to followand learn from is essential. API errors are directly related to frustration

during developer integration, the more friendlier and meaningful they are, the greaterthe chance a developer will move forward after encountering an error. Put a lot ofconsideration into your error responses and the documentation that educates

developers.

Interactive Documentation ­ There is a new movement in APIdocumentation, one that is moving beyond static, often boringdocumentation and into a new realm where API documentation is live andinteractive. Following in the footsteps of API explorers these new

interactive documentation formats like Swagger and Mashery I/O Docs, allowdevelopers to authenticate, navigate endpoints and make requests with live responsesreturned. In a little over a year, interactive API documentation has gone from a newinnovation of a select few APIs, to being a standard offering among many of theleading APIs in the space. There is no better way to get your developers acquaintedwith an API, than allowing them to interact with your API while reading documentation­­turning API documentation into a hands on experience.

List of Endpoints ­ Before a developer is thrown into the full detail of APIdocumentation, it helps to introduce them to all available API endpoints,getting them acquainted with the resources available. A simple listing of allendpoints provides a quick introduction, that will prime developers for a

deeper dive. After reviewing all API endpoints a developer can start to imagine howtheir application will integrate with an API, further understanding the value the API willbring to their application. Sometimes it's hard to see the 100K view of an API fromregular documentation, start with just listing the API endpoints.

Authentication

Authentication Overview ­ Always provide an overview of what type ofauthentication is provided for an API. Don’t assume developers will knowanything about Basic Auth or oAuth. Walk developers through goalsbehind authentication, with links to tutorials regarding authentication

technology. If an API employs oAuth, make sure and take extra special attention toprovide clear instructions on how to use, as well as language specific code as part ofyour API SDKs. After poor API documentation, oAuth integration is the number onestumbling point for API developers.

Authentication Tester ­ When possible, provide a testing tool forauthentication. From key and Basic Auth to oAuth, allow developers toenter their keys or tokens and validate the credentials they are using, tomake sure they are using the proper credentials. A simple tester can

provide quick validation that they are doing it right or show them where they aremaking a mistake, eliminating serious frustration while programming.

Code

Application Gallery ­ Complete, functioning applications built on an APIis the end goal of any API owner. Make sure and showcase allapplications that are built on an API using an application showcase ordirectory. App showcases are a great way to showcase not just

applications built by the API owner, but also showcase the successful integrations ofecosystem partners and individual developers. Do not hesitate populating anapplication showcase with your own active or starter kit applications. As with all of theAPI code, make sure and provide as liberal licensing as possible to ensure developerscan be successful with use.

Code Libraries ­ Working code samples in all the top programminglanguages are common place in the most successful APIs. Documentationwill describe in a general way, how to use an API, but code samples will

speak in the specific language of developers. Make sure and provide a wide variety ofcode samples, not just what the API development team uses. Consider popular weblanguages like PHP, Python and Ruby as well as lesser languages like ColdFusion andPerl. Make sure and consider enterprise developers with Java, C# and evenVisualBasic. Then consider JavaScript and the popular JS platform NodeJS, which willfeed into later building blocks of a healthy embeddable strategy. Remember yourdevelopers may not speak HTTP and REST, but will speak one of these programminglanguages fluently, so make code samples as inclusive as possible, reaching thewidest possible audience.

Cross Platform Mobile Development Tools ­ One way to address theiOS, Android and HTML5 building blocks all at once is using cross­platform mobile development platforms like PhoneGap and Trigger.io.These platforms provide a suite of mobile development tools that allowdevelopers to build mobile applications that can be deployed as native

apps for iOS and Android while also providing mobile web versions. Providing APIdevelopers with PhoneGap and / or Trigger.io resources, API owners can rapidly growthe number of mobile apps developed on top of an API, with fewer resources.

Github ­ GitHub is a social coding platform allowing developers to publiclyor privately build code repositories and interact with other developersaround these repositories­­providing the ability to download or fork arepository, as well as contribute back, resulting in a collaborativeenvironment for software development. Github provides an excellent

platform for API owners to engage with developers outside of a local API ecosystem.Developers are already actively pushing code and interacting on Github, making it aperfect opportunity for API owners. It is standard practice for API owners to establishGithub repositories for all SDKs, starter projects and Platform Development Kits (PDK),as well as deploy Github Gists for actively displaying all code samples. Beyond usingGithub for pushing code, as stated above in the self­service API registration building

block, Github also provides a preferred account integration for API developers to usethat provides opportunities for healthy social interactions amongst API ecosystemdevelopers.

Open Source ­ An API is inherently an external part of a company. Thedocumention, code samples, SDKs, starter kits, platform development kitsand any code related to an API, should be considered external intellectualproperty and licensed accordingly. Consider open sourcing all of the code

associated with an API. Open source will fuel the innovation that is already present inAPI ecosystems, further reducing the friction experienced by developers in successfullyintegrating their applications and businesses with an API.

Platform Development Kits (PDK) ­ In the era of cloud computing thereare numerous Platforms as a Service (PaaS) that allow developers tointegrate with existing, thriving ecosystems like Facebook or Salesforce.While planning code related building blocks consider these platforms, andthe possibility of providing platform specific development kits. Every API

that deploys will suffer from a lack of developers. Building Platform Development Kits(PDK) can help an API go from zero users to an active community of developers byembracing these existing providers. There are many different incarnations of theseplatforms, such as Facebook, Wordpress, Drupal, Salesforce and Heroku­­spend thetime and get to know which platforms may best suit your API.

Software Development Kits ­ Software Development Kits (SDK) are thenext step in providing code for developers, after basic code samples.SDKs are more complete code libraries that usually include authenticationand production ready objects, that developers can use after they are more

familiar with an API and are ready for integration. Just like with code samples, SDKsshould be provided in as many common programming languages as possible. Codesamples will help developers understand an API, while SDKs will actually facilitate theirintegration of an API into their application. When providing SDKs make sure andconsider a software licensing that gives your developers as much flexibility as possiblein their commercial products.

Starter Projects ­ Many API owners are going beyond just code samplesand generic SDKs for their API ecosystems and providing open­source,private label applications built on top of an API that developers candownload, modify and deploy. These projects go by many names, but are

commonly known as starter kits or projects. Starter kits can act as code samples, andmay contain a version of an SDK, but provide a complete application that reflectscommon integrations with an API. As with samples and SDKs, start kits will speed upintegrations, providing developers with the path of least resistance from registration toactive API integration.

Mobile

Android ­ When it comes to mobile development, Google’s Androidplatform is definitely the number two player in the space, and warrantssimilar attention as the iOS building block. Consider providing Java codesamples and SDKs specifically for the Android mobile platform. Android is

picking up momentum in the space and with new devices being released all the time,API owners can’t ignore the platform as a serious contender.

Appery.io ­ A new breed of mobile development platforms are emerging,and the leader of these is a product called Appery.io, from established

technology company Exadel. Using Appery.io developers and even non­developerscan build cross­platform mobile applications using a GUI building environment.Appery.io provides a suite of API connectors allowing for rapid mobile applicationdevelopment using APIs, with the ability to then deploy as native iOS and Android aswell as web mobile applications. API owners should consider working with Exadel todeploy an API connector for their companies API.

HTML5 ­ While the native app vs. HTML5 app development battle rageson, API owners have to closely pay attention to HTML5 as a viablealternative offering for their API developers, right alongside iOS andAndroid. For many web developers, HTML5 is a natural transition tomobile development­­a factor that may tip the future toward more HTML5

mobile implementations. Big players like Apple, Facebook and Google are investingheavily in the future being HTML5, which sends the signal to API owners, that theyshould do the same.

iOS ­ The trends is clear. Apple is the dominant platform for mobileapplication development. API owners need to have a clear understandingof what iOS developers are needing for both iPhone and iPad applicationdevelopment. When possible, provide iOS specific code samples, SDKsand other resources iOS developers can employ to make their APIintegrations successful.

Self­Service Support

Forum ­ Forums have become an essential building block in APIcommunities for self­service support. A well moderated, active forum canevolve an APIs development area into an actual community. All forumcommunities will require the API owner to engage developers, keeping

conversations active and questions answered, but with the right developers your forumcan become self regulating­­with opportunities for more senior developers to answerthe questions of newer, more junior users, providing potentially free resources for anAPI owner.

Stack Exchange ­ Developers do not always rely on the forum or supportof a single API. They have long established their own communities forsupport across many public APIs, programming languages and platforms.The leading open forum for this developer activity is Stack

Exchange.Stack Exchange provides a community for developers of all types to shareknowledge and answer questions encountered during development of any type. APIowners need to actively monitor and participate in conversations on Stack Exchangeand not expect developers to always engage on their own local API forum. Some APIecosystems like Foursquare and Facebook have even migrated their entire forum to adedicated Stack Exchange forum, in recognition of the value developers put into theStack Exchange.

Direct Support

Calendar ­ An active API will have many events that can be shared withits community, ranging from conferences, hackathons and meetups theAPI provider will be attending, to industry related events that developerscan benefit from. A published calendar is a great way to publicize these

events, while also showing that the API is actively engaged within the API communityand beyond.

Office Hours ­ Open office hours is a great way to provide direct supportfor developers, in a controlled and sustainable format for API owners.Many popular APIs post office hours each week, giving developers anopen time they can engage with support representatives via Skype,

Google Hangouts or sometimes even in person. Consider the possibility of using APIopen office hours to support an API community.

Phone ­ Much like email, a phone number can be a solid choice for APIdeveloper support. Especially if you have a dedicated, partner targetaudience. Phone can be the instant gratification that developers needwhen they hit problems, get their questions answered and move forwardwith their API integration. Not all API providers will have the resources for

phone support, but in some circumstances it will do the trick.

Ticket System ­ Providing developers with a support ticketing tool, usinga custom system, or via a popular platform like Zendesk, can be thehealthy way to support the needs of an API ecosystem. Not all developerswill want to publicly post their problems, and support tickets can be a very

organized way to handle the direct support needs of developers, allowing API ownersto respond quickly to easy questions, but also allowing them to organize larger scopeitems into lists that can be used in API product development, providing a direct link

between developer support and the API roadmap.

Communications

Blog w/ RSS Feeds ­ An active blog can provide a quality SEO presencefor an API, attracting developers and businesses to the API. Secondarily ablog can provide essentials communications for the developer community.While researching this white paper and reviewing 6000+ APIs, a blog is

the number one way I could tell when an API is dead and nobody is supporting thecommunity. A blog can easily provide the communication to keep an API active andgrowing, while also be the barometer of whether developers should steer clear of anAPI. Make sure when deploying a blog, you don't forget the RSS feed!

Email ­ Sometimes your API building blocks are not complex tools ordocumentation. They can be as simple as an email address. Of coursesimply listing an email address as part of your API community is not whereit ends. Don't list an email for developers, partners, or support if nobody

answers it. Make sure and have a plan for any email addresses you use throughoutyour API community. Make them meaningful and route to the right people. Make sureyour email accounts are responsive, otherwise people will immediately go to yourforums with negative feedback. Consider an email account to provide support for yourAPI community.

Email Newsletter ­ An email newsletter is a proven communication toolbeyond APIs, and while many developers will not be open to receivingregular emails about an API, there are some developers who are stillreceptive to this format. As an API owner, there is also a positive effect

from having to gather thoughts each week for an email newsletter that goes beyondjust communicating with the developer community.

Facebook ­ Like LinkedIn, Facebook carries a great deal of social weightwhen it comes to working with developers. Depending on your targetdeveloper audience, Facebook may or may not make sense as part ofyour communication strategy. Facebook is larger than just the individual

social network accounts, and a Facebook Page can be a great way for API owners toattract and engage with developers who are building applications. Consider theFacebook effect when assembling API communication building blocks.

Google+ ­ While Google+ is not as popular as Twitter or Facebook, itdoes have as many active users as LinkedIn these days, and withconsiderable SEO benefits, it is recommended that you consider Google’ssocial network as one of the API communication building blocks. Google+

has a tremendous amount of network effects beyond just the social network andGoogle SEO. Tools like Google Hangouts can be used as part of API open office

hours, and events can be used to coordinate API focused gatherings.

LinkedIn ­ LinkedIn is a powerful business communications platform.While LinkedIn is not the preferred platform of many open API developers,it is the preferred platform of enterprise developers. As an APIcommunications building block, an active presence on LinkedIn is

recommended for API owners, it can add a healthy dimension to your communicationstrategy and reach older, more established developers that may not always beconsidered when deploying public APIs.

Twitter ­ Twitter as a communication platform, much like a blog is a greatway to establish an active presence for an API, providing updates about

API endpoints, build relationships with developers and establish partnerships with otherAPI providers. Also in line with a blog, it can be the communication tool thatdemonstrates your supporting your API, while an out of date Twitter stream can showthat nobody is home to support an API­­sending the signal developers should steerclear of the platform.

Updates

Change Log ­ Knowing the past is a big part of understanding wherethings are in store for the future. A change log should work in sync withthe API roadmap building block, but provide much more detailedinformation about changes that have occurred with an API. Developers will

not always pay attention to announced updates, but can use a change log as a guidefor deciding what changes they need to make in their applications and how they willuse an API. The change log will be another building block to keep developers updated,and reduce overall support resources needed.

Roadmap ­ API owners are asking developers to invest in buildingapplications on their platform. This is asking for a lot of trust, and the bestway an API owner can build this trust with its developers is with atransparent roadmap. API roadmaps are usually a simple, bulleted list,

derived from the APIs own internal roadmap, showing what the future holds for theplatform. Transparency around an APIs roadmap is a tough balance, since you don’twant to give away too much, alerting your competitors, but your developer ecosystemneeds to know what’s next. API owners need to find a balance that works for theircompany, and maintain an active roadmap outlining where the platform is headed.

Status Dashboard ­ API owners are asking developers to invest inbuilding applications on their platform. This is asking for a lot of trust, andthe best way an API owner can build this trust with its developers is with a

transparent roadmap. API roadmaps are usually a simple, bulleted list, derived fromthe APIs own internal roadmap, showing what the future holds for the platform.Transparency around an APIs roadmap is a tough balance, since you don’t want togive away too much, alerting your competitors, but your developer ecosystem needs toknow what’s next. API owners need to find a balance that works for their company, andmaintain an active roadmap outlining where the platform is headed.

Service Levels

Pricing ­ Pricing doesn’t always apply to APIs. It’s very common toprovide API service for free. However, whether or not you charge for anAPI, you should clarify this for developers. Provide a pricing page,outlining what a developer gets for free and provide clear pricing for anyother service levels, so developers will know what to expect as their usage

grows. Even if the API is free, API owners should put thought into the future of theplatform, set realistic expectations of how the platform will generate revenue to say inoperation.

Rate Limits ­ Rate limiting is the industry standard for controlling what adeveloper can do with an API and reducing abuse on the platform. As withservice tiers and pricing, put a considerable amount of thought into APIrate limits. Make sure rate limits are in sync with service tiers, with pricingclearly posted, as well as proper relief valves so developers do not end up

frustrated. Rate limits are meant to prevent abuse, not stifle innovation­­put a lot ofthought into the rate limits, and actively evaluate them to make sure they are achievingthe objectives of the API platform.

Service Tiers ­ A well planned API will have multiple service tiers fordevelopers to take advantage of. Before developers begin integrating theirapplications with an API, they need to have a clear understanding of whatservices are available to them. Successful API owners need to openly

communicate all service tiers available, and provide simple and comprehensivedescriptions of each. With no surprises on services available to them, developers canconfidently build their applications on top of an API, understanding at which levels theywill need to adjust their integration to take advantage of new levels of a platform.

Monetization

Advertising ­ Advertising is a proven monetization tool when building webor mobile advertising. Many popular APIs are deploying their ownadvertising platforms or integrating with existing advertising platforms forweb or mobile devices. Advertising is not relevant for all APIs, but API

owners should consider the opportunities advertising could offer for their APIdevelopers. There are many other monetization models being developed by APIowners, and goes beyond the scope of this paper. Don’t stop with just affiliateprograms and advertising, make sure and look a little deeper.

Affiliate Program ­ Affiliate programs offer business rewards to affiliatesfor each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate's own marketingefforts. Affiliate programs are increasingly being integrated with APIdeveloper ecosystems, sharing API revenue with the developers that build

applications around the API. Revenue sharing opportunities for developers are a greatincentive for them to learn about an API, and build solid applications that consume APIservices.

Resources

Case Studies ­ APIs are all about partners and developers building newapplications and finding innovative ways to integrate. When anyone buildssome notable application on top of an API, develop a case study. Casestudies don’t need to be novels, make them short, concise and showcase

what a partner or individual developers has done. Case studies will stimulate otherdevelopers imaginations, while also showing the API is a viable platform that others arebuilding on top of.

How­to Guides ­ Many developers can get up and running without anyhelp at all. Other developers need a helping hand, showing them how touse the API and put code samples and SDKs to use. How­to guides canprovide the essential resources for developers to get up and going with an

API. Start with common integration scenarios and build how­to guides around them,then as new ways of integrations emerge create fresh how­to guides using these newways of taking advantage of the API.

Webinars ­ Not everyone likes to read how­to guides or case studies.Many developers prefer to have a visual walk through of how to integratewith an API or the case studies of how other developers have built on topof an API. When appropriate, make webinars and videos around your

how­to guides and case studies. If video productions of case studies and how­toguides are standard operating procedure, the work can occur while you produce thecore paper. Youtube and Slideshare are great platforms for distributing webinars andvideos of API resources.

White Papers ­ White papers demonstrate domain and industry expertise.APIs are about exposing valuable business resources and assets of acompany. Producing white papers can actively demonstrate the expertisea company possess and how the API resources the company offers can

solve problems and provide sounds solutions for an industry and business sector.Make white papers a regular part of the API content creation, and when ready, publishto the API area as well as syndicate across the web.

Research & Development

Ideas ­ As an API owner you will have ideas flowing from all directions­­internally, from partners and submissions from the API community.Establishing a revolving door for ideas is important, if they don’t take holdinternally and immediately get used, put them out to the community and

showcase them in an idea forum. Encourage developers to submit their own, vote on,and comment or take ownership of ideas. Idea showcases stimulate developers,planting the seeds of innovation every API owner wants to see thrive in theirecosystems.

Labs ­ A labs environment for an API can be a center of innovation andinspiration for your API ecosystem. A labs environment ususally showcaseexperiemental and non­production projects built around your API. Labscan showcase experiemental and research development by your internaldevelopment and business staff. Encouraging internal staff members totake time and innovate around your API ccan increase their awareness of

real­llife problems faced with integrating with the API. Showcasing the best of projectsby your staff can also boost moral among your staff and introduce a new set of goalsto achieve in their job. You may also considering exending Labs to your APIdevelopment and partner community. You may need to review submissions and onlyshowcase the best of breed. A community lab is a great way to encourage outsideresearch & development, and build community within your API ecosystem. The aremany incarnations of what an API Labs could be, spend some time and take a look atwhat a labs at your company may look like.

Opportunities ­ After you’ve managed developer communities for a whileyou will find developers are very open to suggestion and pointing them inthe right direction. Some API owners are creating sections of their APIcommunities that showcase opportunities for developers to start projects

and build applications. A dedicated opportunities page, bundled with an idea showcaseand a transparent roadmap will help keep developer activity in line with companygoals.

Legal

Branding ­ Along with the other business assets made available via anAPI ecosystem, the API owners brand is also being put on the on the line.Branding Guidelines set the tone for how partners and developers canuse the resources and assets made available via an API. The branding

guidelines will provide a framework for attributing the API owner, how resources can bedisplayed and provide visual assets to support the company brand. As with terms ofuse and privacy policies, branding guidelines need protect the API owner but alsoprovide developers with enough freedom to innovate.

Code License ­ You should make sure al yuor code samples, librariesand SDKs have a default license that helps defines how your code can beused. A license for the cdoe sets the expectations with API consumersregarding how they can use code generated by a cmpany, and also

protect API providers and their partners intellectual property. I recommend taking alook at Github's open source licensing pagefor a nice overview of the options,especially since this is one possible location you will be providing access to your code.

Data License ­ A data license defines how data resources available viaan API can be used. A data license sets the expectations with APIconsumers regarding how they can use data, and also protects APIproviders and their partners intellectual property. I recommend taking a

look at Open Definition for an assortment of data and content licensing.

Deprecation Policy ­ An API deprecation policy sets expectations withAPI consumers about when and how API resources will be deprecatedand shut down. These policies help build trust with API consumers, givingthem an idea of how much they can depend on an API resource, and what

they can expect when it reaches the end of life.

Privacy ­ Privacy policies protect the rights of partners, developers andplatform users while also protecting the API owner from damaging activityvia the API platform. Like API terms of use, privacy policies need to strikea balance and protect everyone involved, but also allow for innovation and

commercial activity.

Service Level Agreement (SLA) ­ A service level agreements (SLA)provides a legal framework for describing what service(s) is being offeredby an API provider, with details about level and quality of service,includingwarranties,disaster recovery, and steps fortermination of

agreement. SLAs may vary based upon multiple levels of access to API resources, anddifferent API user groups.

Terms of Use / Conditions ­ Terms of Use provide a legal framework fordevelopers to operate within. They set the stage for the businessdevelopment relationships that will occur within an API ecosystem. TOSshould protect the API owners company, assets and brand, but should

also provide assurances for developers who are building businesses on top of an API.Make sure an APIs TOS pass insepection with the lawyers, but also strike a healthybalance within the ecosystem and foster innovation.

Embeddable

Buttons ­ Buttons are shareable snippets of code that often share,syndicate or trigger a variety of events that benefit an API platform.Buttons play an important role in social media and social networks.Consider how Twitter’s share button has made Twitter a globalcommunication platform or how the Digg button transformed social news.

Embeddable buttons built on top of an API can significantly extend the reach of APIresources.

Developer Badges ­ Badges are common for displaying content andresources delivered via an API and allow these assets to be embedded onany website or application. API platforms like LinkedIn and Google havesuccessfully employed API driven profile badges allowing any user to take

advantage of the power of an API, and grow a healthy API embeddable strategy.

Widgets ­ Widgets are highly functional, API driven JavaScript tools thatprovide portable applications that can be embedded on any website orapplication. API widgets provide tools any API user can deploy, anddevelopers can reverse engineer, modify and extend to meet their needs.

Widgets really establish an advanced API embeddable strategy and can deliver thevalue of an API across the Internet.

Environment

Production ­ When planning an API, consider if all deployments need tohave access to live data in real­time or there is the need to requiredevelopers to request for separate production access for their APIapplications. In line with the sandbox building block, a separate API

production environment can make for a much healthier API ecosystem.

Sandbox ­ With the sensitive information available via many APIs,providing developers a sandbox environment to develop and test theircode might be wise idea. Sandboxes environments will increase theoverall cost of an API deployment, but can reduce headaches for

developers and can significantly reduce support overhead. Consider the value of asandbox when planning an API.

Developer Account

Account Settings ­ Along with password reset, access to their basicaccount detail and settings is standard operating procedure for anyplatform. Don’t make developers look for their settings, give quick accessto settings and allow for easy updates. If developers do not have access

to change their settings themselves, they will be asking you for assistance requiringadditional resources.

Application Manager ­ Many popular APIs are becoming applicationcentric and provide developers with tools for managing multipleapplications or development projects. API owners should consider howdevelopers will be building applications on top of an API and consider that

many will need multiple access keys for their separate applications or user groups.

Billing History ­ Obviously if an API is entirely free, billing history is notnecessary, but if any tier of API requires paid access, provide clear andeasy access to what a developer has been billed, allowing them to accessand download their billing history. Provide tools for developers to update

their billing and account information easily, as well as support for their billing questions.

Developer Dashboard ­ Much like the landing page for the entire APIplatform, developers should have a single dashboard for getting at all theirtools, metrics and information they need to successfully manage theirusage. Developers should not have to ask, or look around for their

account and access information­­they should have a single place to obtain what theyneed.

Reset Password ­ The need to reset an account password access ispretty standard operations for any online platform. Provide the necessarytools for developers to gain access to their account if they lose theirpassword.

Usage Logs & Analytics ­ Rate limiting will be part of any API platform,without some sort of usage log and analytics showing developers wherethey stand, the rate limits will cause nothing but frustration. Clearly showdevelopers where they are at with daily, weekly or monthly API usage and

provide proper relief valves allowing them to scale their usage properly.

Reciprocity

Automation ­ Providers like Zapier and IFTT are delivering APIautomation services for hundreds of popular APIs, allowing developersand end­users to further automate their operations across multipleplatforms, allowing anyone to better manage their resources using very

simple API driven workflows.

Data Portability ­ Providing users with the ability to get data out of asystem through a bulk download and via an API is essential to reciprocityexisting. Along with other basic web literacy skills that every user shouldpossess, every person should demand that any services they sign up for,

should allow for data portability of all their resources.

oAuth ­ While not a perfect standard, oAuth is the best we have when itcomes to providing an identify and access layer for API driven resource,one that allows for reciprocity to occur within a single API ecosystem, andbetween multiple ecosystems. oAuth gives the platform, developer and

end­users a (potentially) equal role in who has access to API driven resources,governing how reciprocity is realized.

Terms of Service ­ The Terms of Service (TOS) is the central hub whichmakes the API economy work (or not work). TOS is where the protectionsfor platform owners, developers and end­users exists. Restrictive TOScan suffocate the reciprocity of platform, while more sensible ones allow

for the movement, and collaboration around resources that will make a platform thrive.

DIY API ManagementTackling API management on your own is a realistic strategy. There are many companies and even individuals whomanage one or many APIs by designing and deploying their own interfaces and cobbling together a managementplatform using common cloud services and open sources tools.

While a robust, API portal, complete with service composition, billing, analytics and other tools is optimal, a DIYapproach is a cost effective approach that can get you to proof of concept and production without added costs ofsoftware and contracts.

It can be very difficult to anticipate what will happen in the deployment and operations of an API. While you canestablish a base strategy for your API, most iniatives are real­time research and development around business dataand resources, something a DIY approach is well suited for.

API service providers tend to focus on delivering tools for you to secure, manage developers, analytics and billingsolutions. These are all very valuable tools for any API provider, so make sure and consider using one of theproviders alongside a DIY approach. It is not necessarily a DIY vs. API management service provider question.

There are numerous tools and services that can be used to augment your API management. This paper focus on ahandful that are used by existing API providers and augment proven approaches to API management very nicely.

"DIY","API"

DocumentationPoor API documentation is the number of pain point for developers. Out of date, poorly written documentation canmake API on­boarding a nightmare. There are several building blocks that can help you deliver in the area ofdocumentation.

Carte ­ https://github.com/devo­ps/carte

Carte is a simple Jekyll based documentation website for APIs. It is designed as aboilerplate to build your own documentation and is heavily inspired from Swaggerand I/O docs. Fork it, add specifications for your APIs calls and customize thetheme. Go ahead, see if we care.

Flask API ­ http://flaskapi.org/

Flask API is an implementation of the same web browsable APIs that DjangoREST framework provides. It gives you properly content negotiated responsesand smart request parsing.

I/O Docs ­ https://github.com/mashery/iodocs

I/O Docs is a live interactive documentation system for RESTful web APIs. Bydefining APIs at the resource, method and parameter levels in a JSON schema,I/O Docs will generate a JavaScript client interface. API calls can be executed fromthis interface, which are then proxied through the I/O Docs server with payloaddata cleanly formatted (pretty­printed if JSON or XML).

Swagger UI ­ http://swagger.wordnik.com/

Swagger UI is part of Swagger project. The Swagger project allows you to

produce, visualize and consume your OWN RESTful services. No proxy or 3rdparty services required. Do it your own way. Swagger UI is a dependency­freecollection of HTML, Javascript, and CSS assets that dynamically generatebeautiful documentation and sandbox from a Swagger­compliant API. BecauseSwagger UI has no dependencies, you can host it in any server environment, oron your local machine.

CodeThe goal of any API provider to help consumers go from signup to successful integration as fast as possible. Providingcode in as many possible languages, frameworks and formats is the best way any API provider can help theircommunity.

Github ­ http://github.com

GitHub is a web­based hosting service for software development projects that usethe Git revision control system. GitHub offers both paid plans for privaterepositories, and free accounts for open source projects.

Github Gist ­ https://gist.github.com/

Gists are snippets of code. They can be entire applications, or they can justinvolve a single file. Best of all, every gist is a git repository, which means that theycan be forked, cloned, and manipulated in every way.

BlogA well written, active blog with an RSS feed can become the face of an API. Providing much needed stories andresources about API integration, but also providing rich SEO content that will act as a discovery engine on the openweb for an API. In contrast an inactive blog can quickly begin to wrok against you, so make sure if you considerblogging as part of your API management strategy it plays and active role.

Blogger ­ http://blogger.com/

Blogger is a blog publishing platform formerly known as Pyra Labs before Googleacquired it in February 2003. Blogger blogs are mostly hosted internally with the“dot Blogspot” domain but they can also be hosted externally on a user’s ownserver.

Jekyll ­ http://jekyllrb.com/docs/home/

Jekyll is a simple, blog­aware, static site generator. It takes a template directorycontaining raw text files in various formats, runs it through Markdown (or Textile)and Liquid converters, and spits out a complete, ready­to­publish static websitesuitable for serving with your favorite web server. Jekyll also happens to be theengine behind GitHub Pages, which means you can use Jekyll to host yourproject’s page, blog, or website from GitHub’s servers for free.

Tumblr ­ http://tumblr.com

Tumblr, stylized in their logo as tumblr., is a microblogging platform and socialnetworking website, owned and operated by Tumblr, Inc. The service allows usersto post multimedia and other content to a short­form blog. Users can follow otherusers' blogs, as well as make their blogs private. Much of the website's featuresare accessed from the "dashboard" interface, where the option to post contentand posts of followed blogs appear.

Wordpress ­ http://wordpress.org/

WordPress is an open source blog tool and publishing platform powered by PHPand MySQL. It's often customized into a Content Management System (CMS). Ithas many features including a plug­in architecture and a template system.WordPress is used by over 14% of Alexa Internet's "top 1 million" websites and iswidely regard as the most popular CMS on the internet according.

ForumsUser groups and forums have become an essential building block in API communities for self­service support. A wellmoderated, active forum can evolve an APIs development area into an actual community. All forum communities willrequire the API owner to engage developers, keeping conversations active and questions answered, but with the rightdevelopers your forum can become self regulating­­with opportunities for community participation.

Get Satisfaction ­ http://getsatisfaction.com

Get Satisfaction is the community platform that helps companies create engaging customerexperiences by fostering online conversations about their products and services at every stage ofthe lifecycle. Get Satisfaction powers 70,000 active customer communities hosting more than 35million consumers each month. From its inception in 2007, Get Satisfaction has been focused onbuilding an intuitive, easy to use community platform that is designed to bring resolution toconsumers; is highly discoverable by search engines and is implemented quickly and easily.

Google Groups ­ http://groups.google.com/

Google Groups is a free service from Google Inc. that supports discussion groups, including manyUsenet newsgroups, based on common interests.Membership in Google Groups is free of chargeand many groups are anonymous. Users can find discussion groups related to their interests andparticipate in threaded conversations, either through a web interface or by e­mail.

UserVoice ­ https://uservoice.com/

UserVoice creates simple customer engagement tools that help companies understand and interactwith their customers more positively and build customer relationships that last. UserVoice Feedback­ a hosted tool for gathering and prioritizing product ideas directly from a company’s customers.UserVoice Helpdesk ­ a simple­to­use ticketing system that helps companies solve more customerissues in less time. UserVoice Full Service ­ a complete customer service solution that bundlesFeedback and Helpdesk into a single, easy­to­manage environment.

SupportProviding direct and indirect support for an API community will support new and active developers, while also

stimulating word of mouth marketing around an API ecosystem. Support should be kept public as often as you can,but provide ticketing, email and other private support channels as well.

Zendesk ­ http://zendesk.com

Zendesk provides an integrated on­demand helpdesk ­ customer support portalsolution based on the latest Web 2.0 technologies and design philosophies. Theproduct has an elegant, minimalist design implemented in Ruby on Rails andprovides seamless integration of the back­end helpdesk SaaS to a company’sonline customer­facing web presence, including hosted support email­ticketintegration, online forums, RSS and widgets. This is unusual, because mostSaaS helpdesk solutions focus exclusively on the backend helpdesk and treat theWeb as an afterthought.

StatusProviding a status dashboard for an API is critical in building trust and goodwill within an API community. Beyondproviding communication and much needed awarenes amongst users, a status dashboard provides a very public barfor API operations, stability and reliablity. Something that can go a long way in setting an API apart from the growingnumber of API driven resources.

Stashboard ­ http://stashboard.org/

Stashboard is a status dashboard for APIs and software services. It's similar to theAmazon AWS Status Page or the Google Apps Status Page. Stashboard wasoriginally written by Twilio to provide status information on its Voice and SMS APIs.Stashboard is designed to provide a generic status dashboard for any hostedservice or API. The code can be downloaded, customized, and run anywhere.

AnalyticsAPIs are active, real­time research and development departments, so measuring everything is essential. Analytics atall layers of operations is critical for API providers to understand how resources are being used, and delivers insightinto how they can be made better. Analytics also provide API consumers with quality data on how they are usingresources, and opportunities for making applications and usage more efficient.

Graphite ­ http://graphite.wikidot.com/

Graphite is a highly scalable real­time graphing system. As a user, you write anapplication that collects numeric time­series data that you are interested ingraphing, and send it to Graphite's processing backend, carbon, which stores thedata in Graphite's specialized database. The data can then be visualized throughgraphite's web interfaces.

Stats D ­ https://github.com/etsy/statsd

StatsD is a dead simple NodeJS daemon that listens for messages over a UDPport. When a message is received, it parses the messages, and extracts metricsdata. StatsD lets you define what you want to track, throw it at the StatsD over aUDP port, once processed you can schedule it to dump to Graphite for furtherprocessing and visualization.

http://www.3scale.net

http://www.3scale.net/blog/

view­source:http://www.3scale.net/feed/

https://twitter.com/3scale

https://github.com/3scale

http://crunchbase.com/company/3scale

3Scale

3Scale provides plug­and­play as well asenterprise level API management services.3Scale is similar to 3Scale connect is a starterplatform with a freemium model for deliveringyour API. You can deploy at no cost, and pay­as­you­go based upon the volume of calls madeon your API. This model is well suited to thosewho are not sure of their API business model ortarget audience — or are just looking to test thewaters.

http://apimetrics.io

http://apimetrics.io/blog/

http://apimetrics.io/feed/

https://twitter.com/apimetricstats

API Metrics

APImetrics builds on 3 years experience gainedworking on the challenge of API abstraction andmanagement that is critical to every App andWeb Service in use today. By combiningelements gained from API management toolsand authentication technologies, APImetricshave been able to build the first, complete, end­to­end API performance test solution. Thisallows developers, enterprises and APIproviders to model complex API scenarios andprovide them with real time monitoring andalerts when things go wrong.

http://apiaxle.com/

http://blog.apiaxle.com/

APIAxle

ApiAxle is a proxy that sits on your network, infront of your API(s) and manages things thatyou shouldn't have to, like rate limiting,authentication and caching. It's fast, open andeasy to configure. ApiAxle is different to thecloud based services such as Mashery in that

API Management ProvidersWeb API management as a service has been going on for over six years now, and combined with the wealth of SOAexperience amongst the providers you can be pretty sure that the companies who have been in the business for awhile, know what they are doing.

The first wave of API experience comes out of the enterprise, but quickly a new breed of web API focused companiesemerge who redefined the way you manage APis, with an emphasis on open and public.

In 2014, there are over 20 API management providers ranging from the classic enterprise focus, to data to APIsolutions in the cloud. While there are differences between these providers, they all have a great deal of experience inplanning and execution of API management for a wide variety of API resources.

HEYNOW!!

http://blog.apiaxle.com/feed.xml

https://twitter.com/apiaxle

https://github.com/apiaxle

http://crunchbase.com/company/apiaxle

it’s intended to be installed within your LAN andbe managed by you. This means you own yourusers, you own your data and you can moreeasily manage costs. ApiAxle is open­source.This means you can modify it as much as youlike and contribute changes back. Others will dothe same and gradually the system will becomeall the better for it.

http://www.apifydoc.com/

http://www.apifydoc.com/posts/recent.rss

https://twitter.com/api_fy

https://github.com/apify

Apify

Apify is a small and powerful open source librarythat delivers new levels of developer productivityby simplifying the creation of RESTfularchitectures. It helps development teamsdeliver quality web services and applications inreduced amounts of time. Web services are agreat way to extend your application, however,adding a web API to an existing web applicationcan be a tedious and time­consuming task.Apify takes certain common patterns found inmost web services and abstract them so thatyou can quickly write web APIs without having towrite too much code.

https://apigee.com

https://blog.apigee.com/front

https://twitter.com/Apigee

https://github.com/apigee

http://crunchbase.com/company/apigee

Apigee

Apigee is a provider of API technology andservices for enterprises and developers.Providing a range of solutions from entry leveltools for exploring APIs with a console andnavigating OAuth, to enterprise tools formanaging OAuth, Keys and platform for drivingdeveloper adoption while understanding usage,managing traffic and scaling an API platform. Apigee provides solutions for enterprises likeComcast, GameSpy, TransUnion Interactive,Guardian Life and Constant Contact andthousands of developers use Apigee'stechnology.

Apigee provides resources to help youunderstand best practices, avoid commonpitfalls, develop your strategy, and learn to driveyour developer community. Apigee alsoprovides articles, white papers, and otherresources to help you deliver your API.

https://apispark.com/

http://blog.restlet.com/

http://blog.restlet.com/feed/

https://twitter.com/apispark

https://github.com/apispark

http://crunchbase.com/company/restlet

APISpark

APISpark is an cloud API platform that lets youcreate, host, manage and use web APIs. Usingthe Restlet Framework at its core, APISparksimplifies the web API experience, the time tomarket, and the overall cost to get started andto scale you APIs. Restlet is a web API platformvendor, pioneer of RESTful web APIs. APISparkserves our customers around the world,providing software to build web APIs, whichincludes APISpark, the PaaS version of Restlet. APISpark lets you build and deploy your webAPIs, which includes the creation, hosting andmanagement­­all in one solution.

http://azure.microsoft.com/en­us/services/api­

management/

http://azure.microsoft.com/blog/

http://azure.microsoft.com/blog/feed/

https://twitter.com/azure

Azure

Simple and frictionless access for developers iskey to the success of any API program.Minimizing the time it takes for a new developerto complete a transaction with your API iscrucial. API Management generates greatdocumentation and provides an interactiveconsole that rapidly increases developersuccess.

https://twitter.com/

http://www.exiconglobal.com/blog/

http://feeds.feedburner.com/ExiconBlog

https://twitter.com/exicon

http://crunchbase.com/company/exicon

Exicon

Exicon is the AppCycle management companythat simplifies the creation, deployment andmanagement of mobile applications for some ofthe world's biggest companies allowing them toaccelerate their success in mobile.

Through its proprietary AppCycle Managementplatform, Exicon provides the services and toolsto support customers in defining theirapplication needs, finding the best developers,storing all components of the applications,reaching the end users for your application andmeasuring its performance.

Flynn

The product that ops provides to developers.Ops should be a product team, not consultants.

https://flynn.io/

https://flynn.io/blog

https://flynn.io/blog.xml

https://github.com/flynn

Flynn is the single platform that ops can provideto developers to power production, testing, anddevelopment, freeing developers to focus.

http://www­03.ibm.com/software/products/us/en/api­

management/

https://twitter.com/IBM

http://crunchbase.com/company/ibm

IBM

IBM® API Management solution provides acomplete set of web API capabilities to help youextend services from the back­office to newfront­office engagements. It offers flexibledeployment options, including capabilities forcreating, proxying, assembling, securing, andscaling web APIs. IBM API Managementprovides detailed analytics and operationalmetrics to the business owner, as well as acustomized developer portal for socializing theAPIs and managing applications that can beused by developers.

http://www.layer7tech.com/

http://www.layer7tech.com/blogs/

http://www.layer7tech.com/blogs/index.php/feed/

https://twitter.com/layer7

https://github.com/Layer7tech

http://crunchbase.com/company/layer­7­

technologies

Layer 7 Technologies

Layer 7 is a leading provider of API security andgovernance for Service Oriented, Web Orientedand Cloud Oriented integration. Through ouraward winning line of SecureSpan andCloudSpan family of API gateways andmanagement products, Layer 7 is helpingorganizations control how they expose theirdata and applications to outside divisions,partners, mobile developers and cloud services.

Founded in 2003, Layer 7 operates in the US,Canada and Europe. Our customers includeleading insurance, banking, telecom andgovernment organizations. The company isventure backed by leading Canadian and USinvestors.

Mashape

Mashape provides tools that enable developers

http://mashape.com

http://blog.mashape.com/

https://twitter.com/mashape

https://github.com/Mashape

http://crunchbase.com/company/mashape

to quickly deliver and consume APIs and offersa marketplace for listing APIs. Mashapeprovides tools for testing your API, code forgeneration of custom errors, components foruser management and standardized API codelanguage libraries in multiple languages. Onceyour API is ready for prime time Mashapeprovides a marketplace for listing your API,letting developers to easily discover and beginhacking with your API, in a social API communityenvironment.

http://mashery.com

http://www.mashery.com/blog

http://feeds.feedburner.com/MasheryBlog

https://twitter.com/Mashery

https://github.com/mashery

http://crunchbase.com/company/mashery

Mashery

Mashery’s API management tools and strategicservices help companies connect withcustomers and partners in a changing digitalworld by extending reach across devices,markets and the Web. Mashery leads theindustry with a holistic approach for APIinitiatives – from setting platform strategy andmeasuring business objectives to the heavylifting of providing and managing infrastructureto facilitating relationships with our 150,000strong network of Web and mobile applicationdevelopers. Having worked with over 100leading brands to power more than 40,000apps, Mashery’s knowledge, experience andproven strategies enable companies to focus ontheir core business while driving sales, buildingnew revenue channels and realizing faster time­to­market for innovative applications.

http://www.mulesoft.com/

http://blogs.mulesoft.org/

http://feeds.feedburner.com/muleblog

https://twitter.com/MuleSoft

MuleSoft

MuleSoft provides the most widely usedintegration platform for connecting SaaS andenterprise applications in the cloud and on­premise. With the rise of cloud and mobile,enterprises face a choice: get overwhelmed bythe resulting explosion of end points or seize theopportunity to gain competitive advantage.Founded on the idea that connectingapplications should not be hard, MuleSoft lets

organizations harness the power of theirapplications through integration. MuleSoft’sAnypoint™ technology eliminates costly, time­intensive point­to­point integration, enablingbusiness agility. Delivered as a packagedintegration experience, CloudHub™ and MuleESB™ (Enterprise Service Bus) are built onproven open source technology for the fastest,most reliable on­premise and cloud integrationwithout vendor lock­in.

http://www.nevatech.com/

Nevatech Sentinet

Nevatech Sentinet™ is a flexible, lightweightand scalable API management platform thatpromotes integration through the use of SOAstandards. It is designed to connect, mediate,and manage interactions between servicesacross the enterprise or in the cloud. If yourorganization uses internally or externally­facingweb services and APIs, cloud­basedinfrastructure, or service­oriented architecturefor your applications, then you will find Sentinetto be a powerful tool, which can be deployedrapidly, and immediately start delivering tangibleresults.

http://www.oracle.com/us/products/middleware/identity­

management/api­gateway/overview/index.html

https://twitter.com/OracleSOA

Oracle

Secures service­oriented architecture (SOA)deployments on­premise, across domainboundaries, or in the cloud enablingorganizations to securely and rapidly adoptcloud, mobile, and SOA services. Provides alightweight API gateway for securing andmanaging APIs. Connects mobile devices toexisting enterprise systems. Significantlylowers integration costs, decreases total costof ownership, and reduces deployment risks.Offers rich integration with many identity andaccess management platforms. Helpsstreamline regulatory compliance throughauthentication, authorization, and auditcapabilities.

SlashDB

SlashDB connects your internal databases and

http://www.slashdb.com/

http://www.slashdb.com/feed/

http://twitter.com/slash_db

http://crunchbase.com/company/vt­enterprise

constructs a REST/HTTP web service, easilymaking database content accessible by URLsfor getting, updating, inserting and deleting in asecure way. SlashDB provides connectors forMicrosoft SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL,PostGreSQL, IBM DB2 and Sybase­­coveringthe top 5 databases you will find in theenterprise or small to medium businesses.

SlashDB automatically turns databases intoonline resource so their content becomesaccessible to authorized web, mobile andenterprise applications for reading and writingunder standard data formats. Technicallyspeaking, it makes REST APIs out of relationaldatabases.

http://soa.com

http://blog.soa.com/

http://feeds.feedburner.com/SOA/Blog

https://twitter.com/SOASoftwareInc

http://crunchbase.com/company/soa­software

SOA Software

SOA Software, Inc. provides API managementand integrated service­oriented architecture(SOA) governance automation solutions. Itoffers Enterprise API Management; PolicyManager, which provides SOAregistry/repository and SOA policy governancesolutions; Repository Manager, which providessoftware development asset repository, lifecyclemanagement, and metadata federationsolutions; and Portfolio Manager, a planninggovernance product that helps ensure thealignment of SOA programs with strategic ITinvestment and business objectives. Thecompany also provides Service Manager, aSOA management and security product, whichprovides security, routing, mediation,monitoring, and management for SOA and Webservices; and SOLA, which provides agovernable mainframe SOA platform.

http://www.strikeiron.com/Catalog/ProductDetail.aspx?

StrikeIron

StrikeIron is the leader in Data­as­a­Service (DaaS), delivering data qualityand communications solutions via ourcloud platform IronCloud. We provide

pv=1.0.0&pn=Midnight+Trader+Financial+News

http://blog.strikeiron.com

http://blog.strikeiron.com/CMS/UI/Modules/BizBlogger/rss.aspx

https://twitter.com/strikeiron

http://crunchbase.com/company/strikeiron

address verification, email verification,phone validation, phone append, SMStext messaging, and sales tax solutionsto customers in a variety of markets.Our solutions are delivered as Webservices that can be easily integratedinto any application or system.Additionally, our solutions are pre­integrated into leading platforms like:Salesforce.com, Magento, Informatica,Oracle CRM On­Demand, and more.

http://strongloop.com/

http://strongloop.com/strongblog/

http://strongloop.com/feed/

https://twitter.com/StrongLoop

https://github.com/strongloop

StrongLoop

StrongLoop is based in San Mateo, CA andemploys over 30 developers working withNode.js. StrongLoop develops StrongLoopSuite, a leading Mobile API Tier along with beingthe primary code contributor to Node.js.StrongLoop Suite includes an open sourceprivate mBaaS, an operations console and asupported package of Node.js, containingadvanced debugging, clustering and support forprivate npm registries. StrongLoop was foundedby Node core­contributors, Enterprise mobilearchitects and veterans of open source andCould companies. StrongLoop is backed byIgnition Partners and Shasta Ventures andincludes Marten Mickos, CEO of Eucalyptus(previously MySQL) as an advisor.

http://www.swiftiq.com/

http://www.swiftiq.com/blog

http://www.swiftiq.com/blog/rss.xml

https://twitter.com/swiftiq

https://github.com/Storeplacer

http://crunchbase.com/company/swiftiq

SwiftIQ

SwiftIQ provides web­service applicationprogramming interface (API) infrastructure tofacilitate data accessibility and predictiveanalytics through the Swift Access and SwiftPredictions products. Swift Access is an award­winning backend platform to unify and securedisconnected data then deliver and analyze iton­demand to power real­time digital actions.Swift Predictions allows users to apply adaptive,machine learning algorithms to discover insightsfast and make applications smarter. TheCompany was founded in 2011 andheadquartered in Chicago, IL.

https://twitter.com/dnsmadeeasy

http://resources.vordel.com/index.php/category/blog/

http://feeds.feedburner.com/Vordelfeeds?format=xml

https://twitter.com/vordel

http://crunchbase.com/company/vordel

Vordel

Vordel API Gateway is a policy enforcementpoint to authenticate API clients and usersagainst enterprise access managementplatforms. Vordel adds advanced capabilitiessuch as security token mediation for single sign­on and identity federation. Vordel API Gatewayalso integrates with fine­grained authorizationtools to externalize authorization for new andlegacy applications. Vordel offers out­of­the­boxintegration with all the leading identitymanagement platforms to providecomprehensive API Security.

http://wso2.com

http://wso2.com/blogs/thesource/

http://wso2.com/blogs/thesource/feed/

http://twitter.com/wso2

https://github.com/wso2

http://crunchbase.com/company/wso2

WSO2

WSO2 is the lean enterprise middlewarecompany. It delivers the only complete opensource enterprise SOA middleware stackpurpose­built as an integrated platform tosupport today’s heterogeneous enterpriseenvironments internally and in the cloud.WSO2’s service and support team is led bytechnical experts who have proven success indeploying enterprise SOAs and contribute to thetechnology standards that enable them.

No Matter Which Path You ChooseWith API management, it comes down to whether or not you have the skills and resources to tackle managing yourentire operations without the assistance of an API management service provider.

If you are part of a larger enterprise entity, you will most likely have options available to you through your existing ITOperations. But there is still a lot you can learn from the approaches by public API providers, and how they handletheir API management.

For most companies, just learning about the API space, budgets will be tight, and you will have to cobble togetherwhat you need to get to a proof of concept. While just learning, experimenting and iterating, with an API, it can betough to enter into contractual obligations for API management services. While you have to be mindful of costs whilelearning, the API management service providers can bring a wealth of experience to the table and potentially preventserioius mistakes and possibly save you time and money.

No matter which path you choose, the DIY, or service provider, or a hybrid of both, it is highly recommended youmaintain full control over API management across all parts of a business. API management is not just an IT ordeveloper initiative. APIs are something that business and marketing departments need to be deeplky involved withfrom design to management operations.

Appendix A: Curated News and ResourcesTooling and Analytics APIs—What They Are and When to Use Them from feedproxy.google.comon 6/30/2014), full resource available athttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SforceBlog/~3/L7VkqDTEy4g/tooling­analytics­apis­use.htmlWhy you should upgrade to the latest SDK from www.crittercism.com on 6/29/2014), full resourceavailable at https://www.crittercism.com/blog/why­you­should­upgrade­to­the­latest­sdk­2/If Your REST API Is Fine, Can You Get Away Without Having An SDK? | DocuSign fromwww.docusign.com on 6/25/2014), full resource available at https://www.docusign.com/blog/if­your­rest­api­is­fine­can­you­get­away­without­having­an­sdkAmazon AppStream Update ­ New Features and New Docs from feedproxy.google.com on6/25/2014), full resource available athttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AmazonWebServicesBlog/~3/C2lfbCXGKj0/Introducing the Orchestrate Ruby Gem from feedproxy.google.com on 6/24/2014), full resourceavailable at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheOrchestrateBlog/~3/TvxvFxr0BsE/New and improved Azure Status from azure.microsoft.com on 6/19/2014), full resource available athttp://azure.microsoft.com/blog/2014/06/19/new­azure­status­health­dashboard/Using Wrike's API to Calculate Project Budgets from feedproxy.google.com on 6/18/2014), fullresource available athttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/feedburner/wrike_product_blog/~3/yoxz8XpuBHw/Using­Wrike­API­Calculate­Project­BudgetsThe Value of Support in Open Source from blog.paymill.com on 6/13/2014), full resource available athttps://blog.paymill.com/value­support­open­source/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=value­support­open­sourceKlout Goes Everywhere With Browser Extensions from blog.klout.com on 6/12/2014), full resourceavailable at http://blog.klout.com/2014/06/klout­browser­extensions/New Docs! from teech.io on 6/11/2014), full resource available at http://teech.io/new­docs/Quo vadis, Facebook Graph API? API v2.0 Restrictions from www.cloveretl.com on 6/6/2014), fullresource available at http://www.cloveretl.com/blog/facebook­api­v2­0­restrictions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=facebook­api­v2­0­restrictionsDeveloping the Recurly Integrator Community from blog.recurly.com on 6/4/2014), full resourceavailable at https://blog.recurly.com/2014/06/developing­recurly­integrator­community/API Manager – Simple JAVA Client Access Example from feedproxy.google.com on 6/3/2014), fullresource available at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/muleblog/~3/7NEhRobSxJ0/Charting the API Journey: Accenture's Maturity Model from feedproxy.google.com on 6/2/2014), fullresource available athttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ApigeeBlog/~3/gETflkqdPeE/charting_the_api_journey_accentures_maturity_modelFilepicker Launches A New Status Page: Our Service Status Now Live from blog.filepicker.io on6/2/2014), full resource available at http://blog.filepicker.io/post/87607464135Streamlining The Evernote Cloud SDK for iOS from blog.evernote.com on 6/2/2014), full resourceavailable at http://blog.evernote.com/tech/2014/06/02/evernote­cloud­sdk­for­ios/The Why and How of APIs: From App to Platform from feedproxy.google.com on 5/29/2014), fullresource available athttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ApigeeBlog/~3/phNnLqx6fPw/the_why_and_how_of_apis_from_app_to_platformAPImetrics Announces New Partnership with Radius Inc from apimetrics.io on 4/10/2014), fullresource available at http://apimetrics.io/2014/04/10/1057/10 Things About API Management Your CEO Wants to Know from blog.strikeiron.com on1/27/2014), full resource available at http://blog.strikeiron.com/bid/73600/10­Things­About­API­

Management­Your­CEO­Wants­to­KnowAPI Management Year in Review and a Look Forward to 2014 from blog.strikeiron.com on12/18/2013), full resource available at http://blog.strikeiron.com/bid/70721/API­Management­Year­in­Review­and­a­Look­Forward­to­2014API Predictions 2014 from www.3scale.net on 12/16/2013), full resource available athttp://www.3scale.net/2013/12/api­predictions­2014/Lightening the Load of Monetizing Business Data via API Management from blog.strikeiron.comon 12/13/2013), full resource available at http://blog.strikeiron.com/bid/72947/Lightening­the­Load­of­Monetizing­Business­Data­via­API­ManagementFive Common Twilio StackOverflow Questions in Node.js, Ruby and PHP. from www.twilio.com on12/11/2013), full resource available at https://www.twilio.com/blog/2013/12/twilio­stackoverflow­questions.htmlHow APIs Fuel Innovation | Innovation Insights | Wired.com from www.wired.com on 12/9/2013),full resource available at http://www.wired.com/2013/12/how­apis­fuel­innovation/Api Documentation from blog.ninlabs.com on 12/7/2013), full resource available athttp://blog.ninlabs.com/2013/03/api­documentation/Seven Ways Organizations Can Securely Manage APIs from www.programmableweb.com on12/6/2013), full resource available at http://www.programmableweb.com/2013/12/03/seven­ways­organizations­can­securely­manage­apis/AlchemyAPI Releases Four New Getting Started Guides from www.alchemyapi.com on 12/4/2013),full resource available at http://www.alchemyapi.com/blog/alchemyapi­releases­four­new­getting­started­guides/Parse Developer Day Video Series: Getting (and Keeping) New Users from blog.parse.com on12/4/2013), full resource available at http://blog.parse.com/2013/12/04/parse­developer­day­video­series­getting­and­keeping­new­users/How I Lost Weight & Learned About APIs from www.layer7tech.com on 12/2/2013), full resourceavailable at http://www.layer7tech.com/blogs/index.php/how­i­lost­weight­learned­about­apis/Salesforce1 Developer Guide Now Available from developer.salesforce.com on 11/25/2013), fullresource available at https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/tech­pubs/2013/11/salesforce1­developer­guide­now­available.htmlWriting Collaborative Documentation with DokuWiki and GitHub | Tim Owens fromarchive.timmmmyboy.com on 11/22/2013), full resource available athttp://archive.timmmmyboy.com/2013/11/writing­collaborative­documentation­with­dokuwiki­and­github/Salesforce Developers Releases All New Salesforce1 Library from developer.salesforce.com on11/21/2013), full resource available at https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/developer­relations/2013/11/salesforce­developers­releases­all­new­salesforce1­library.htmlStreet Fight Daily: Intuit Launches App Store, Signpost Raises $10 M from streetfightmag.com on11/20/2013), full resource available at http://streetfightmag.com/2013/11/20/street­fight­daily­intuit­launches­app­store­signpost­raises­10­m/Out of the Box API Developer Portals with More Style from www.3scale.net on 11/14/2013), fullresource available at http://www.3scale.net/2013/11/out­of­the­box­api­developer­portals­more­style/Restlet gets funding to accelerate APISpark growth! from blog.restlet.com on 11/13/2013), fullresource available at http://blog.restlet.com/2013/11/13/restlet­gets­funding­to­accelerate­apispark­growth/Blueprint For An On­Call Scheduling System from blog.pagerduty.com on 11/11/2013), full resourceavailable at http://blog.pagerduty.com/2013/11/on­call­schedule­best­practice­3/Introduction to the Avalara AvaTax API from developer.avalara.com on 11/11/2013), full resourceavailable at http://developer.avalara.com/blog/2013/11/11/introduction­to­the­avalara­avatax­apiAnnouncing Salesforce Mobile SDK 2.1, just in time for the $1 Million Hackathon from

developer.salesforce.com on 11/7/2013), full resource available athttps://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/engineering/2013/11/announcing­salesforce­mobile­sdk­2­1­just­in­time­for­the­1­million­hackathon.htmlWSO2 opens new office in Bloomington, Indiana from wso2.com on 11/7/2013), full resourceavailable at http://wso2.com/blogs/thesource/2013/11/wso2­opens­new­office­in­bloomington­indiana/5 Horrors of API Mismanagement from www.layer7tech.com on 10/30/2013), full resource available athttp://www.layer7tech.com/blogs/index.php/5­horrors­of­api­mismanagement/SDK Testing and Debugging from developer.webtrends.com on 10/25/2013), full resource available athttps://developer.webtrends.com/community/dc/blog/2013/10/25/sdk­testing­and­debuggingHeadline Sentiment Project Using AlchemyAPI from www.alchemyapi.com on 10/24/2013), fullresource available at http://www.alchemyapi.com/blog/headline­sentiment­project­using­alchemyapi/Launching Automattic’s Certified Products Program from blog.gnip.com on 10/24/2013), fullresource available at http://blog.gnip.com/automattic­certified­products­program/API Management and Hosting, Live in San Francisco from blog.strikeiron.com on 10/23/2013), fullresource available at http://blog.strikeiron.com/bid/71787/API­Management­and­Hosting­Live­in­San­FranciscoBeneath the managed API: The importance of a Unified API Strategy from blog.soa.com on10/23/2013), full resource available at http://blog.soa.com/beneath­the­managed­api­the­importance­of­a­unified­api­strategy/Developer Certification Bliss at Dreamforce 2013 from developer.salesforce.com on 10/17/2013), fullresource available at https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/developer­relations/2013/10/developer­certification­bliss­at­dreamforce­2013.htmlThe skinny on how Xero support works from www.xero.com on 10/16/2013), full resource availableat http://www.xero.com/blog/2013/10/skinny­support/Using Postman to Get Started with the Content API and View API from developers.blog.box.com on10/14/2013), full resource available at http://developers.blog.box.com/2013/10/14/using­postman­to­get­started­with­the­content­api­and­view­api­2/Updated Status Site from blog.bitbucket.org on 10/11/2013), full resource available athttp://blog.bitbucket.org/2013/10/11/updated­status­site/SDKs or APIs: What’s the Right Choice for Your Developer Community? from www.layer7tech.comon 10/7/2013), full resource available at http://www.layer7tech.com/blogs/index.php/sdks­or­apis­whats­the­right­choice­for­your­developer­community/Disqus Certified Partners from blog.disqus.com on 10/2/2013), full resource available athttp://blog.disqus.com/post/62920179732/disqus­certified­partners5 Ways A Partner Ecosystem Builds Competitive Advantage from blog.datasift.com on 10/1/2013),full resource available at http://blog.datasift.com/2013/10/01/5­ways­a­partner­ecosystem­builds­competitive­advantage/Announcing the Evernote App Center from blog.evernote.com on 9/26/2013), full resource availableat http://blog.evernote.com/tech/2013/09/26/announcing­the­evernote­app­center/Announcing the StackMob Service Partner Program from blog.stackmob.com on 9/26/2013), fullresource available at https://blog.stackmob.com/2013/09/announcing­the­stackmob­service­partner­program/Why your API IS your Strategy from www.3scale.net on 9/16/2013), full resource available athttp://www.3scale.net/2014/02/why­your­api­is­your­strategy/How APIs Are Changing Application Development from www.3scale.net on 9/12/2013), full resourceavailable at http://www.3scale.net/2013/09/apis­changing­application­development/API updates for easier integrations from www.xero.com on 9/11/2013), full resource available athttp://www.xero.com/blog/2013/09/api­updates­for­easier­integrations/APIs Everywhere in the Cloud from www.3scale.net on 9/11/2013), full resource available at

http://www.3scale.net/2013/09/apis­everywhere­cloud/Big Data or Linked Data? from www.slashdb.com on 9/6/2013), full resource available athttp://www.slashdb.com/2013/09/06/big­data­or­linked­data/Support Portal Update from www.docusign.com on 9/6/2013), full resource available athttps://www.docusign.com/blog/support­portal­update5 Pillars of API Management from www.layer7tech.com on 9/5/2013), full resource available athttp://www.layer7tech.com/blogs/index.php/5­pillars­of­api­management/New Samples for Android Developers from blog.parse.com on 8/28/2013), full resource available athttp://blog.parse.com/2013/08/28/new­samples­for­android­developers/Layer 7 Mobile Access Gateway 2.0 from www.layer7tech.com on 8/26/2013), full resource availableat http://www.layer7tech.com/blogs/index.php/layer­7­mobile­access­gateway­2­0/8 Things You Should Know About AlchemyAPI from www.alchemyapi.com on 8/23/2013), fullresource available at http://www.alchemyapi.com/blog/9­things­you­should­know­about­alchemyapi/SlashDB Adds Support for 3Scale API Management Service from www.slashdb.com on 8/21/2013),full resource available at http://www.slashdb.com/2013/08/21/slashdb­supports­3scale/Zendesk Integration with PagerDuty from blog.pagerduty.com on 8/21/2013), full resource availableat http://blog.pagerduty.com/2013/08/zendesk­integration­pagerduty/Tune in into the AdWords API Overview from www.blogger.com on 8/20/2013), full resource availableat https://www.blogger.com/feeds/7815614485808579332/posts/default/4154898109419474478/v=2Twilio Tech Talks Video: The Art Of Documentation, Empowering Users from www.twilio.com on8/15/2013), full resource available at http://www.twilio.com/blog/2013/08/twilio­tech­talks­video­the­art­of­documentation­empowering­users.htmlWhat can you build with Topsy APIs? from about.topsy.com on 8/12/2013), full resource available athttp://about.topsy.com/2013/08/12/what­can­you­build­with­topsy­apis/Accenture Expands its Digital Capabilities in API Management Through Strategic Relationshipwith Apigee | Apigee from apigee.com on 8/8/2013), full resource available athttp://apigee.com/about/pressrelease/accenture­expands­its­digital­capabilities­api­management­through­strategic8 things you probably didn’t know about WSO2 from wso2.com on 8/6/2013), full resource availableat http://wso2.com/blogs/thesource/2013/08/8­things­you­probably­didnt­know­about­wso2/A Developer’s Smorgasbord from blogs.splunk.com on 8/6/2013), full resource available athttp://blogs.splunk.com/2013/08/06/a­developers­smorgasbord/The Importance of Impermanence in API Design from www.programmableweb.com on 8/6/2013), fullresource available at http://www.programmableweb.com/news/importance­impermanence­api­design/2013/08/06Don’t Let API Management Wag the Dog from blogs.gartner.com on 8/2/2013), full resource availableat http://blogs.gartner.com/eric­knipp/2013/08/02/dont­let­api­management­wag­the­dog/Part 3: Develop a Strategy that Prepares your APIs for Success from blog.soa.com on 8/2/2013), fullresource available at http://blog.soa.com/api­strategy/API Management Platforms Focus On Helping Business Monetize APIs fromwww.programmableweb.com on 7/29/2013), full resource available athttp://www.programmableweb.com/2013/07/29/api­management­platforms­focus­on­helping­business­monetize­apis/Mashape API Usage Alert from blog.mashape.com on 7/12/2013), full resource available athttp://blog.mashape.com/post/55281165143/mashape­api­usage­alertThe #indieweb as a minimum viable social web ecosystem from werd.io on 7/10/2013), full resourceavailable at http://werd.io/entry/51dca7e2bed7de945debf707/the­indieweb­as­a­minimum­viable­social­web­ecosystemNetAppVoice: Unlock Business Value From Your Big Data (A Call To Arms) ­ Forbes from

www.forbes.com on 7/10/2013), full resource available athttp://www.forbes.com/sites/netapp/2013/07/10/unlock­value­from­big­data/New WSO2 App Factory Allows Management of Complete Enterprise Application Lifecycle fromwww.programmableweb.com on 7/10/2013), full resource available athttp://www.programmableweb.com/2013/07/10/new­wso2­app­factory­allows­management­of­complete­enterprise­application­lifecycle/Top 6 API Success Metrics from blog.strikeiron.com on 7/10/2013), full resource available athttp://blog.strikeiron.com/bid/62451/Top­6­API­Success­MetricsAdactio: Journal—Battle for the planet of the APIs from adactio.com on 7/9/2013), full resourceavailable at http://adactio.com/journal/6291/Cluster computing: REST API : resource versus API throttling from ravinote.blogspot.com on7/9/2013), full resource available at http://ravinote.blogspot.com/2013/07/rest­api­resource­versus­api­throttling.htmlSOA Software API Management Solution Allows Enterprises to Manage Full Lifecycle ofDataPower­Based APIs from www.programmableweb.com on 7/9/2013), full resource available athttp://www.programmableweb.com/2013/07/09/soa­software­api­management­solution­allows­enterprises­to­manage­full­lifecycle­of­datapower­based­apis/Treat Your API Users as Customers from www.mashery.com on 7/9/2013), full resource available athttp://www.mashery.com/blog/treat­your­api­users­customersWhat is an API? What Makes it Open? from sendgrid.com on 7/9/2013), full resource available athttp://sendgrid.com/blog/what­puts­the­open­in­open­api/5 questions businesses need to ask before developing an API from blog.cloudwork.com on7/2/2013), full resource available at http://blog.cloudwork.com/5­questions­business­developing­api/Presenting your API as a Product – Designing your API for Data Exchanges fromwww.mashery.com on 7/1/2013), full resource available at http://www.mashery.com/blog/presenting­your­api­product­%e2%80%93­designing­your­api­data­exchangesIBM API Management V2.0 Product features ­ YouTube from www.youtube.com on 6/28/2013), fullresource available at http://www.youtube.com/playlist/list=PLFa8jnU0KqE0dEQ_ISTtX7fpHGM7dEyjFNew Layer 7 API Portal Features ­ YouTube from www.youtube.com on 6/26/2013), full resourceavailable at http://www.youtube.com/playlist/list=PLNYlZno7OeO2axNbgWWnDbTgt2efCgjKr9 reasons you don't need an API Management Platform from azure.microsoft.com on 6/26/2013), fullresource available at http://azure.microsoft.com/apimPresent your API as a Product – API Portal Presentation Best Practices from www.mashery.com on6/26/2013), full resource available at http://www.mashery.com/blog/present­your­api­product­%e2%80%93­api­portal­presentation­best­practicesSoftware is Eating the World, APIs are Eating Software from www.3scale.net on 6/25/2013), fullresource available at http://www.3scale.net/2013/06/software­is­eating­the­world­apis­are­eating­software/Are APIs the New Toll Booths for the Information Superhighway? from www.layer7tech.com on6/24/2013), full resource available at http://www.layer7tech.com/blogs/index.php/are­apis­the­new­toll­booths­for­the­information­superhighway/Get packing with Mashery's API Packager from www.mashery.com on 6/21/2013), full resourceavailable at http://www.mashery.com/blog/get­packing­masherys­api­packagerGet Drafted Into the LemonStand Pioneer League from blog.lemonstand.com on 6/20/2013), fullresource available at http://blog.lemonstand.com/pioneer­league/How to bridge technical gaps of your API from blog.elastic.io on 6/20/2013), full resource available athttp://blog.elastic.io/post/53429007458/how­to­bridge­technical­gaps­of­your­apiApiphany Releases Dream Edition of API Management Platform from azure.microsoft.com on6/10/2013), full resource available at http://azure.microsoft.com/apim

API Management – The New Black? from www.mashery.com on 6/5/2013), full resource available athttp://www.mashery.com/blog/api­management­new­blackNew WSO2 API Manager introduces 2 industry firsts from wso2.com on 6/4/2013), full resourceavailable at http://wso2.com/blogs/thesource/2013/06/new­wso2­api­manager­introduces­2­industry­firsts/