API Design Is Pretty Bad — Here’s How to Fix It

More than half (71%) of web traffic in 2023 came from API calls. As the foundation of digital modernization, APIs and the data they expose play a crucial role in enabling the seamless digital experiences we enjoy every day, from mobile apps to cloud services. However, the rapid proliferation of APIs has introduced significant challenges, particularly when it comes to API design and long-term management.
Essentially, APIs act as contracts between software components. They define how a client can request data, what data is available and how it is structured. Once an API is put into production and consumed, however, the ability to modify its design and specifications is significantly limited.
But wait, aren’t APIs designed to be robust and adaptable? Well, APIs can be additive — allowing for the addition of new functionality. But, changing or removing functionality can potentially cause a ripple effect of issues. Once published, APIs are not just consumed by the original development team. They’re often used by external customers, internal development teams and even other applications. This means that any changes to the API’s design or specification can have far-reaching effects, impacting not just the original application but every other application or service that relies on the API. Therein lies one of the primary challenges when working with APIs: the limited ability to change or modify an API once it’s published.
This conundrum gives birth to what could be called “the ghosts of API development past.” These are poorly made API design decisions that, once in production, can cause pain and grief for businesses, customers and development teams for years.
Here are three ways poor API design decisions can have long-lasting implications:
- Limited scalability: As businesses expand and require more resources, poorly designed APIs can hinder their ability to scale operations effectively. For example, if a developer doesn’t adequately consider the need for scalability in an API’s design, the API will struggle to handle increased loads from a growing user population. This could lead to performance bottlenecks, slower response times and downtime during peak usage periods. Moreover, it’s essential to consider backward compatibility. Say you have an API that fetches data for a client. If you’re introducing caching in a newer API version, that improves performance, but older clients may still use outdated versions, hindering your overall system performance.
- Increased costs: Poor API design decisions can also lead to increased operational costs. For example, maintaining and managing deprecated or outdated APIs can consume significant time and resources that could have been better used elsewhere. If an API is not designed to scale, it may also require substantial resources to fix in the future as the business grows, leading to additional costs. Cumulatively, these inefficiencies can negatively impact an organization’s bottom line.
- Security risks: While security is a critical aspect of API design, it’s often overlooked. Developers typically focus on making the API as useful as possible, but in doing so, they may inadvertently create vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit. For example, failing to specify the range for a string variable can leave an API vulnerable to buffer overflow attacks, where an attacker attempts to overload the system by sending more data than the API can handle. If API security vulnerabilities are exploited, it can lead to significant financial and reputational damage to the business.
The issue of poor API design is further compounded by the fact that there are no strict standards for how APIs should be designed. This leaves it up to individual developers to determine the best way to implement and develop APIs, which means that poor design decisions can easily slip through the cracks. In a recent study, it was found that the average organization has 613 API endpoints. This means that for each organization, there are potentially hundreds of APIs, each with their own set of unique design challenges and potential security risks.
Once an API is in production, it becomes a costly and time-consuming process to fix design issues. Even when developers realize their mistakes, they are often unable to fix them unless they create a new version of the API. While creating a new API version may seem like a simple solution, it’s not without its challenges. What’s more, when a new version is released, the old version doesn’t immediately disappear. In fact, deprecated APIs often come back from the dead as clients continue to use them or teams fail to fully deprecate them. This leads to ongoing management issues and can introduce potential security vulnerabilities. Furthermore, deprecated APIs that continue to be used can become a significant security risk. These APIs may not be maintained or updated with the latest security patches, making them an easy target for cybercriminals.
To successfully navigate these challenges, there are five steps developers should take:
- Prioritize API design from the start: Instead of rushing into implementation, focus on designing the API correctly. Consider scalability, security and long-term maintenance when designing an API. This includes considering the potential growth of the business, the types of data the API will handle and how the API will be used by other applications or services. A well-designed API can minimize future costs, reduce security risks and ensure that the API can help the business scale its digital operations in the future.
- Adopt API design best practices: While there may not be strict standards for API design, there are best practices that should be followed. This includes using RESTful principles for web APIs, using consistent naming conventions and using API description languages like OpenAPI or RAML. Similarly, adhering to the OpenAPI Specification can provide a framework for planning, designing, building, testing and documenting APIs. Implementing these best practices can ensure that an API is easy to use and understand, which can reduce the likelihood of design errors and improve the overall quality of the API.
- Understand and prepare for security risks: Security should never be an afterthought when it comes to API design. Ensure APIs are designed to handle a range of potential security threats, from buffer overflow attacks to SQL injection. This includes validating and sanitizing input data, implementing rate limiting to prevent denial of service attacks and using secure protocols such as HTTPS. An API security tool should also be implemented to monitor and minimize the risk of a security incident as well as protect APIs against a range of automated and zero-day attacks that even proper API design can’t account for.
- Regularly audit and update APIs: Regular reviews and updates can help identify and rectify design issues before they become major problems. This includes regularly testing the API for performance and security vulnerabilities, as well as gathering feedback from users to identify potential areas for improvement. If a design issue is identified, don’t shy away from creating a new version of the API, but be sure to following a proper API versioning strategy. While this may require additional work, it can help to ensure that the API continues to meet the needs of the business and its users.
- Plan for API evolution: APIs are not set in stone. They will need to evolve over time to align with shifting business objectives and customer needs. Therefore, plan for change from the outset. This includes designing APIs in a way that allows for the addition of new features without breaking existing functionality, and planning for the deprecation of old versions. When a new version of an API is released, ensure that this change is communicated to all users, provide clear migration paths and continue to support the old version for a reasonable period of time. It’s also important to have a clear deprecation policy in place and to communicate any API changes to users well in advance.
Managing and protecting APIs is an ongoing and constant responsibility. With new technologies, standards and best practices emerging, developers must remain vigilant. It involves taking the time to stay updated on these changes and continually refining their skills.
Addressing the ghosts of API development past requires a shift in mindset. While the rapid proliferation of APIs has brought about significant challenges, particularly when it comes to design and long-term management, these challenges can be successfully navigated with careful planning, knowledge of security risks and a forward-thinking approach to API design. By prioritizing these areas, developers can help to ensure that their APIs are scalable, secure and capable of supporting the future growth and evolution of the business.