3rd Party APIs

Managing the Risks

Lorinda Brandon

@lindybrandon

The API (r)Evolution

This team built

web

applicatio

ns usin

g

internal APIs

in 1995

The Power of APIs

External APIs extend our virtual reach through partners

Often for free!

The Power of APIs

Public APIs turn our local development teams into global development teams

Said Another Way…

Free public APIs turn this

Into THIS!

It’s all about sharing and re-use

And now for the “safe sex” part …

FacebookConnectTwitterAPIYouTubeDocuSign

Your app… your responsibilityEven the parts you didn’t code

Code responsib

ly

Taking Precautions

Know your choicesResearch• Check reviews• Find all similar options• Verify performance

Define your thresholdsDefend• Response times• Critical functionality needs a Plan B• Code defensively

Make sure it worksTest• Include in your test plans as if it’s your own code• Add to regression tests

Find out firstMonitor• Your users are probably on Twitter too• Be first to report• Ensure performance

Thank you…And have fun!