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My Learning Path Toward API

Before 2020, I dealt with API as a Consumer with intergration purposes, using only such tools as Swagger UI, Postman, and Insomnia. Since 2020, I have changed my side. And not as an API Producer but one who gives the Producers tools to build APIs. It's about the API Platform.

So, back then, I started my journey to learn more about API and Platform design. And it is far from being over. I can say that I know more than an average person with business analysis background about that topic. But I can't call myself an expert anyway.

During the recent webinars, there was a question about what I can suggest to learn about APIs. With this article, I address that question but in a different form. Instead of a reading list, I decompose the last three years of my career and describe what I did and keep doing to learn about APIs being an API Platform Product Manager.

Learning Architecture design patterns

There is a point in a Business Analyst or Product Owner career when you need to learn Software Architecture basics. I am not mentioning Product Managers as that may be less common for them depending on their industry.

Your target is not to replace Architects and do their job. The first intention is usually to start speaking their language. They might be a problematic stakeholder. Knowing their language or attempting to learn it would be an advantage.

Also, your target is not to learn every existing pattern. You can start (and finish) with microservices. That is the most popular pattern nowadays.

I recommend Sam Newman's "Building Microservices." Even though I read only the first edition (I looking forward to read the second one), it still targets a broader audience. This book is not for everyone, like "Microservices for Dummies." But if you have some technical background or a general understanding, that book will give you an additional perspective on how things work under the hood.

There may be more exciting and easy-going books about Software Architecture for business people. But I read that one, and I liked it.

Learning REST API from the documentation perspective

When onboarding a new Business Analyst or a UX Designer to my team, I first advise (strongly) to pass Tom Johnson's "Documenting APIs" course. Yes, it is for technical writers, but that makes it brilliant by looking at APIs from another, not a development-specific perspective. If you are a BA and want to learn about API, go no further.

I recommend studying Chapters 1-5. The later chapters focus on tech writing details. But I encourage you to go through it out of curiosity. That is a good investment of your time.

The course keeps growing, so sometimes I revisit old and new chapters. I read the "AI tools and API documentation" chapter this week and found it very insightful.

Please feel free to buy a coffee for the author. This is the best content on the topic on the Internet, for free.

Learning OpenAPI specification

You will touch OpenAPI in the course above, but studying OpenAPI spec on its own is also helpful. It is straightforward advice: read the source materials, not just someone's interpretation or references.

OpenAPI Map is a handy way to understand the specification structure and components. You can also open Swagger Editor and start playing around with the Pet Store schema to see how everything works.

Learning API development perspective

I found Sergey Konstantinov's "The API Book" when only a few chapters were written. So, my experience was growing alongside that book.

It gives a developer perspective on API design, so that might not be an easy reading for people without a corresponding background. Assuming you accomplished all the above resources, I recommend reading Sections I, III, IV, VI. Other sections might be too technical for non-developers.

Recently, I read the completed (so far) version of the book. My central insight is that API design is like a rabbit hole; the deeper you get, the deeper it gets.

There is a Russian version of the book. For my Russian-speaking folks, I recommend reading that version. I like the language and humor there.

You can buy a book on Amazon Kindle and Apple Books to support the author.

Learning API management perspective

"Continuous API Management" takes the topic to another level, beyond the development. It talks about running API Programs that consider managing API lifecycle, governance, maturity, and many other things I had no idea about before I read that book.

A lot is said about how to develop API, but some time ago, there was not much about how to deal with API programs and products from the manager's perspective. Nowadays, there are API Product Managers with books, podcasts, and courses. But just a few years ago, that was not the case.

I read the first edition a few years ago, and the second one is already available. This is an excellent opportunity for me to revisit the book.

Following some resources to be on the track

  • Nordic APIs blog to keep a hand on the pulse of the API industry.
  • Apiscene: a lot of excellent materials.
  • Tyk: I closely monitor what these guys do (API Gateway and Platform). They have a great blog and newsletter.
  • I keep reading Habr (RUS), as there are many great articles about APIs. I suggest reading comments as well. REST API topic causes a lot of battles. Sometimes, the comments are more insightful than the article itself.
  • Occasionally, I check what's new with AsyncAPI specification and EDA (Event-Driven Architecture).
  • Erik Wilde's YouTube channel: he is a renowned expert in the API world.
  • The API Experience Podcast: I tried several podcasts about APIs, but this one is the most addictive.
  • Also, I am following the API products I am interested in on Twitter (X, my apologies) and LinkedIn. I read their release notes and marketing materials. That list constantly changes, so it makes little sense to publish it here.

Developing API on your known

To learn something, you need to make your hands dirty. When I joined the platform, I watched how REST API endpoints are exposed in Java on YouTube. I needed that to understand how developers do that, plus make me more familiar with Java code.

My knowledge of Python allowed me to explore how APIs are done in frameworks like Django, Flask, and Bottle. Recently, I tried FastAPI to make a few mock APIs for the recent webinar.

Nowadays, it is much easier to ask ChatGPT to explain a topic and generate code examples with a resulting OpenAPI schema. I am not 100% sure the code will be operational, but it is enough for the understanding.

Before ChatGPT, I reviewed autogenerated code using open-source libraries by providing an OpenAPI schema and then studied how it is structured. You can easily do it in Swagger Editor by generating a client or server code in the most popular languages.

Also, I get familiar with API tooling, whether it is a documentation portal, a new IDL, or a new no-code tool. Considering my very limited capacity, of course.

Afterwords

That list is not a comprehensive guide for your API crash course. I forgot to mention some resources. I am sure about that.

What worked for me might not work for you. At least, it will be helpful to expand your knowledge after my webinars.

Thank you!