Application development is essential to many businesses that rely on technology to provide value. In creating programs to take on these different tasks, there are many options for developers. When building apps, the process can be long and tedious, depending on the complexity. But is there a smart way to build apps? API development is accelerating and transforming app creation.
While artificial intelligence (AI) has a chokehold on the national conversation around rapidly emerging and paradigm-shifting technologies, its power and impact is even extending into the world of API-based app development.
API architecture can help developers seamlessly access artificial intelligence models and tools and those newfound capabilities are opening the door to a greater breadth of possibilities in application development.
What Is an API-Centric Approach?
An API-centric approach refers to the building of web services using application programming interfaces (APIs) that exchange data with other applications. The functionality of such an app involves allowing for the frontend and backend to communicate.
These are the essential building blocks of most contemporary applications, allowing developers to add new functions and features with relative ease. That’s why, according to the 2024 State of API Report, 74% of respondents are now API-first instead of code-first. That’s up from 66% in the prior year.
How AI Has Transformed APIs
Much in the same way API architecture provides developers with access to existing applications and code, it can now do the same with AI, tapping into the world’s most powerful machine learning based algorithms and tools.
“It’s a game-changer," said Ariel Katz, CEO of Sisense, an AI-powered analytics company. "It's not just about automating tasks…it could lead to faster development cycles, more efficient code, and innovative new software capabilities,” he told Forbes.
Developers can now harness the transformative power of language learning models such as ChatGPT to create more dynamic, responsive and smart chat bots. These aren’t the same limited utility bots of yesteryear – it can respond to consumer’s questions, whether it’s by accessing their purchase history or tracking the company’s live inventory, it can hold conversations with clients and perhaps even foster long-term customer relationships.
Similarly, APIs can now seamlessly inject robust generative AI capabilities into existing applications, making it possible to generate novel content both for developers and for its end users. For example, an AI algorithm could design and create a website from scratch based on behavioral data from its previous visitors. In that way, generative AI can automate the entire development process from start to finish.
As APIs provide effortless access to artificial intelligence and machine learning tools, developers can easily incorporate the ability to detect fraud, recognize objects or forecast trends into their new or existing projects.
"The future of software development lies in the seamless integration of human creativity and AI capabilities," said Katz. "Developers who harness the power of AI while bringing their unique problem-solving skills to the table will lead in this new era."
According to Forbes, “in the age of AI, everything is an API.” Both AI and API technologies are advancing concurrently to unlock incredible possibilities and potential. In tandem, they provide access to groundbreaking capabilities, while driving innovation and greater efficiency.
How Are API-Driven Apps Built?
Programmers build API-centric apps by designing functions and classes that are interoperable with other elements and can also be implemented in a variety of languages.
The process includes using the backend of the app to facilitate the data exchange between components, including operating systems, databases, and other APIs. Developers save applications on a server that is configurable to many frontend interfaces, such as browsers or devices.
This capability is necessary because modern applications use multiple interfaces, and a single application is necessary to connect them all. To do this well and at scale, you’ll need the power of the cloud. By using the cloud, you can simplify application administration. However, when leveraging the cloud, you may have concerns about application security. To overcome these threats, you’ll want to take a security-first approach.
Advantages of an API-Centric Approach
APIs are the glue, connecting applications and services together. By embracing this approach to application development, your business can benefit greatly. Here’s what can be gained:
Quick and easy software development – Software development is rarely referred to as easy, but it can be easier, no matter what an application is designed to do. It streamlines the process and requires less code creation.
Improve user experience – Before the dawn of “there’s an app for that,” developers didn’t prioritize the user experience, which caused end products to suffer from low adoption. API development have allowed programmers to shift their perspective and better understand the user experience.
Consistency and continuity in code is greatly improved – When using APIs, developers have these pre-built APIs to use across their enterprise. This can provide greater consistency across apps on the same platform, leading to less code maintenance and better code continuity.
Device agnostic – With API driven architecture, teams can take input from as well as execute functions on any user device. Compatibility is no longer a roadblock.
Facilitates the adoption of multiple tech principles – By using APIs, you can really begin to leverage more modern tech principles. There’s the ability to create IoT (Internet of Things) and AI (artificial intelligence) apps and deploy them with less friction, which can create a variety of efficiencies throughout your enterprise, sometimes by even increasing automation.
Adaptability remains agile – Apps will, at some point, need an update or evolution due to internal or external factors. What’s great about an API-centric approach is that it helps separate the processes of app implementation and API development, leading to greater adaptability and optimization and making unavoidable changes less painful.
Enhanced descriptiveness – For seamless management, APIs have to be easily understood for all parties, technical or not and this includes documentation of how the API works so that it can be understood by all stakeholders. With an API-driven approach, standardization of documentation is much more straightforward.
How API-Driven Architecture Drives Digital Transformation
Digital transformation is an initiative most businesses have. However, it’s also unique to every company. Digitally transforming your business is about more than having the latest technology. The key to achieving digital transformation is to take this technology and derive true value, which often involves improving efficiencies and processes. In these instances, APIs play an integral role because they are the connectors between data, systems, and people.
Making the Shift to API-Centric
There are several tools needed to bridge the technology gap with APIs. When IT systems move to hyperconverged infrastructure, it can help API development by making it easy to scale and manage owned and rented resources.
Nutanix Cloud Platform – This platform accelerates time to value with optimal performance and availability without overcomplicating things. As noted, you’ll need a robust cloud for API app development. The Nutanix cloud delivers predictable performance, constant availability, and one-click management.
Modern data center – A hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) solution removes complexities and reduces the dependency on and cost of legacy systems. Traditional data centers struggle to keep up with the speed of modern business, but HCI can make infrastructure more agile, intelligent and lower total cost of ownership.
Hybrid cloud – Unify API work across a business with a hybrid cloud enables a single point of control for all apps and data. Multicloud application mobility allows for migration between clouds when necessary. The true win with this solution is that app management is decoupled from its underlying infrastructure, improving interoperability.
This is an updated version of the original article published July 1, 2020. Chase Guttman contributed to this update.
Michael Brenner is a keynote speaker, author and CEO of Marketing Insider Group. Michael has written hundreds of articles on sites such as Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine, and The Guardian and he speaks at dozens of leadership conferences each year covering topics such as marketing, leadership, technology and business strategy. Follow him @BrennerMichael.
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