How Technology Leaders Use API and Microservices to Drive Digital Transformation
APIs working alongside your microservices may be the golden ticket to a new era of success.
The wizard behind the curtains for every online experience is application programming interfaces (APIs). As the key to communication and data exchange between software products, APIs can help provide a more personalized user experience at every step of the user’s journey. Ben Lower, senior director of developer experience at Algolia, discusses how, with the help of microservices architecture, API-first platforms are driving the future of digital transformation in eCommerce, media and streaming, and SaaS and creating more relevant and customized search and discovery experiences.
Application programming interfaces (APIs) are the key to communication and data exchange between software products. With back-end software, APIs communicate behind the scenes to provide a more personalized user experience at every step of the customer journey, from when consumers search for new jeans to when they buy the perfect pair. With the help of microservices architecture, API-first platforms are driving the future of digital transformation in eCommerce, media and streaming, and SaaS and creating more relevant and customized search and discovery experiences.
Companies are under mounting pressure to consistently innovate and evolve upon those innovations as user expectations around speed, user experience, and relevance grow. When searching, users want brands that truly “get” them and present relevant results and recommendations at critical touchpoints.
Building this type of experience has historically been complex and tedious for developers, but integrating an API-first platform with existing microservices helps ease the burden of developers and creates a seamless and memorable user experience.
APIs are Foundational to Product Design
With disruptive technology transforming nearly every industry, the competition is fierce – so fierce that 75% of tech leaders fear that they can’t keep up with digital innovation. Plus, consumer behavior is constantly changing and forcing the hands of businesses to rapidly accommodate what they want – speed, agility and relevance. The end goal for every business is to reach and retain the customer, so designing APIs needs to be rooted in the UX for both consumers and developers.
When approaching foundational API design, developers must understand that the application operates within all business channels and can scale as more channels are added without constantly creating new solutions for every channel. This way, every customer at every touchpoint can be reached while keeping maintenance and performance tuning to a minimum for DevOps teams.
APIs Complement Microservices
Microservices and APIs are often regarded as the same thing, but they’re actually complementary components that work together. Think of microservices as individual players on a team and the API as the coach directing the team to achieve a common goal.
APIs and microservices are the backbones of today’s applications, allowing businesses to manage data flow better. Not only do APIs bridge the gap between microservices and traditional systems, but they make it easier for DevOps to build and manage microservices. And microservices can offer greater enterprise agility with efficient processes for changing or developing new applications. Combining microservice and API architectures allows companies to maximize the benefits of microservices.
Take point-of-sale systems in eCommerce, for example. When customers pay online, many independent microservices work together – a service that contacts the bank to validate the account and process the payment, another that verifies the inventory, another that starts the fulfillment process, another that sends a confirmation email, etc. Each of these is a different type of microservice, but the APIs allow them to communicate with each other. A well-designed API platform allows a seamless checkout experience for customers. Once they hit “pay,” they don’t have to worry about anything else but waiting for their order to arrive at their doorstep.
While each of these services works separately, they communicate with one another via APIs.
See More: Microservices: Your Essential Checklist for Building High-Performing IT Teams
APIs Fit into the Technology Ecosystem
The coexistence of microservices and APIs lies within a unified platform that can integrate, manage and provide visibility to existing microservices and legacy systems. According to Gartner, companies shouldn’t view APIs as just another technical tool but as the foundation of their business models and digital strategies.
Businesses are becoming increasingly global, with many layers in their digital ecosystem. But their main struggle is adapting to a fast-paced culture of digital transformation, which often leaves them with outdated and unconnected user experiences (UX). The result? To meet consumer demands, companies put pressure on their developers to constantly update and evolve their applications as the needs of the business change on a dime. With tight timelines, low bandwidth and limited budgets, APIs can be the superheroes that save the day.
While technology as a whole is created to make a specific task easier, faster and cheaper, APIs take it a step further and cut down on complexity, time, and costs. Developers cite one of the most significant benefits of APIs as the reduced time and increased efficiency it takes to bring new products to market. Plus, developers save even more time if the API platform is procured from a third party with deep expertise in the domain.
With APIs, it’s much easier to integrate software and test out new innovations with agility and flexibility. Establishing an API ecosystem allows businesses to create new experiences, pioneer innovation and streamline or eliminate tedious and time-consuming tasks that often fall to DevOps teams.
If costs, complexity, lack of development efforts and a bumpy UX are holding your business back from its full potential, APIs working alongside your microservices may be the golden ticket to a new era of success.
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