An increasing number of, growth groups are adopting an API-first method to software program growth, during which APIs are the constructing blocks of software program and every little thing else is constructed round them. That is in distinction to code-first, the place the complete software — together with the API, UI, and different elements — is deliberate out collectively on the identical time.
In keeping with Postman’s 2024 State of the API report, 74% of respondents adopted the API-first method in 2024, in comparison with 66% final yr. “APIs are now not an afterthought however the basis of growth, with between 26 and 50 APIs powering the typical software,” Postman wrote within the report.
The advantages of this technique embrace sooner API manufacturing and sooner restoration from failures. This yr, 63% of respondents had been capable of produce an API inside one week (up from 47% final yr). Moreover, organizations following this method can usually get well from API failures in below an hour.
“By prioritizing API design, governance, and safety, groups can unlock new alternatives, ship APIs sooner, and guarantee their APIs are protected and optimized for the longer term,” Postman mentioned.
Whereas there are a lot of advantages to API-first, it doesn’t solely remove the challenges API builders face, reminiscent of poor documentation and lack of correct collaboration.
Thirty-nine p.c of respondents declare inconsistent documentation is the most important roadblock to API growth. Forty-four p.c learn by supply code to know their APIs, however over half collaborate with individuals who don’t perceive the code, like product managers, high quality assurance, and designers. Forty-three p.c additionally wrestle with getting data from different builders who could also be working asynchronously in numerous time zones.
The report additionally discovered that one third of respondents are utilizing a number of gateways for his or her APIs, signaling that “the standard single-gateway mannequin is changing into out of date.”
One other constructive discovering is that 62% of respondents are producing earnings from their APIs, and 33% report that APIs make up over 50% of their complete income.
“APIs are now not simply technical enablers—they’re revenue-generating merchandise … This alerts the rise of the API-as-a-product mannequin, the place APIs are designed, developed, and marketed as strategic belongings,” the report said.
And at last AI is leading to elevated API utilization as nicely, with AI-related site visitors on Postman’s platform growing by 73% within the final yr. Firms at the moment are having to create APIs not only for people, however for interfacing with AI methods as nicely.
“The age of AI is powered by APIs. The fast adoption of chatbots like ChatGPT has confirmed that AI bots are going to advance the state of human-computer interplay. Till now, we now have primarily been designing APIs for people, however designing APIs for machines will grow to be an more and more vital space… and AI alone received’t enhance productiveness—you want high quality APIs to remain forward in trendy software program,” the report concluded.
For its survey, Postman surveyed greater than 5,600 builders and API professionals, and made observations based mostly on the exercise of the 35 million+ customers on its platform.