They say you can use a visual editor to develop an API, but it won’t always turn out as planned. The reason why they say this is that many if not most aspects of an API have less to do with visuals and more to do with functionality. Unlike consumer level software APIs are meant to deliver technology and resources to developers who may develop a system for the end user. So, the API does not have to look great, but it needs to perform above the mark in terms of speed, security, and overall functionality. That’s why you don’t need to know how to use a visual editor to know how to develop an API.
Your Development Language of Choice
What development language would you like to use for your API? Well, that question is actually rhetorical because the choices are few. Ideally, you’ll want to know JAVA, but if you don’t, there are only a few other choices. However, none of them measure up as good as knowing Java. That’s why it would be a good idea to learn it before moving further with learning how to develop APIs.
Work your Way through Samples and Examples
The best way to learn how to develop any API technology including REST is through examples. The more you practice with examples, the better you will become. Not to mention the fact that you’ll also stumble on to more than one way to achieve the same outcome. Any good developer knows that there is more than one way to achieve a goal that said each aspect has its own pros and cons. So it’s important that you weigh them in before deciding on a particular method.
Learn API Documentation
A big part of developing an API is documentation. Many people may learn how to develop an API by watching tutorials, but they have no idea how to document it. In practice, documentation is a big part of making it as an API developer. If you have any aspirations to publish APIs, then you should focus your attention as much as if not more on documentation.
API documentation is tedious but worth the effort considering how well it can help you fare in the long term.
Guru Tutorials Only
Would you learn how to drive a car from someone who is a newbie him or herself? Or cooking for a newbie chef? That’s right you won’t waste your time or effort. So, it is always a good idea to leverage the power of a professional tutorial. The more professional and expert a tutorial is the more you will benefit from it. Not to mention you’ll learn a lot from it too.
Understand what’s Going On
As an API developer or someone who aspires to become one, it takes time to understand what’s going on. So, keep in touch with the community via Github, and play around with examples. A few hours of practice a day can go a long way.
