APIs are in the midst of fundamentally remaking the way software works. Not too long ago each software program stood alone running on a computer without the ability to connect to the internet. Then the web came along and we were able to deliver rich applications right in the browser. Now we’ve been seen the rise of APIs, which are letting different software programs talk to each other over the internet. APIs, in short, are getting us closer towards the read-write culture that Lawrence Lessig talks about.
I’ve been building an API at my job - something I’ve been curious about for years, but am only now doing. It’s been very satisfying to learn about RESTful application design, the in’s and out’s of HTTP, and front-end JavaScript frameworks to consume the API. I’ve even been able to incorporate some hypermedia principles into the API design.
APIs have quickly become my new obsession. Now that I can create my own APIs I’m enamored with the possibilities that have opened up for me both professionally and creatively. At work I try and take every API related stories whenever possible. During meals, I think about different websites, services, and information that could become an API. When I get home from work I’ve been building APIs of my own for a few side projects. I’ve even had multiple API related dreams.
This is the most excited I’ve been about programming for a while now. The exhilaration that I get when I can create things like APIs reminds me why I learned how to code in the first place.