OpenAPI, artificial intelligence, API documentation - results of API Summit 2024

APIs have quickly become one of the most significant technologies that organizations can invest in. However, not all APIs (application programming interfaces) are created equal. That's why events like the Austin API Summit are so good, as they allow all of us in the industry to come together to explore new and creative ways for developers and their organizations to get the most out of their APIs," said Ash Arnwine, Director of Developer Relations at Nylas.

This year, I was fortunate enough to attend the Nordic APIs Austin API Summit, held March 11-13, and speak at Opens a new window. During my time in Austin, I met some incredible people, listened to some great sessions, and realized that while the API economy and our industry have some potentially serious challenges, they also present great opportunities. This may have been my first API Summit. But it certainly won't be my last, as I left inspired and ready to continue pushing the boundaries of API innovation and how we can build, test, and deploy better and more meaningful software. Here are a few of the most important takeaways from my time at Lone Star State.

Not surprisingly, AI is taking center stage

It's no secret that artificial intelligence (AI) is at the center of almost every tech company's attention, and API Summit was no exception. But while many spend time pondering the impact of AI on things like the future of work, the long-term regulation of AI, and whether robots will take over, at API Summit we focused on the potential day-to-day impact of AI on the developer community today.

While the long-term impact of AI is not yet fully understood, there is a lot of work being done to identify areas where AI can help developers and their teams work more efficiently and intelligently with APIs. I detailed some of these in my talk, but while many are focused on the capabilities of the coding assistant, AI can help developers in many other areas. First, AI can help you evaluate the different tools, vendors, and APIs you want to work with. You can significantly reduce the time it takes to gather all the information you need to select the best options. Along with being able to help write code, AI can also help with the testing process, which can help negate the potential need to come back repeatedly to make updates and edits, delaying the development process.

Another interesting component of AI at the conference was how developers and tech teams can use it simply to explore new use cases and potential features they can build into their applications. If you get the chatbots right and get them to adopt the image of the end user, you can open up new ways to think about, interact with, and scale your products and features.

API Documentation

As developers are faced with more projects and tighter deadlines, moving seamlessly through development cycles, tools, and applications is more important than ever. After all, the reality is that developers are being asked to build more software than ever before and often in shorter development cycles than ever before, so obsessing over tutorials, guides, or finding vital information can be overwhelming and detrimental when it comes to meeting deadlines. Because of this, user-friendly and detailed API documentation has become more important than ever.

Seamless API documentation can make or break developer productivity, and it requires a unique skill set in formulating workflows and functions, and working with the developer community to craft documentation in a way that promotes rather than hinders developer productivity.

The role of API documentation is critical and ever-changing. However, with the advent of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, developers will increasingly turn to documentation as a single source of truth where best practices, tips, feedback, and more can be found.

The importance of OpenAPI

The OpenAPI specification (OAS) is becoming increasingly important and popular, and it's easy to see why. Creating a cohesive framework around your infrastructure, code, test cases and more is vital at all stages of the API development lifecycle. It can greatly improve the developer experience through clear communication and documentation.

A recurring theme at the conference was how OpenAPI can positively impact API security. The introduction of artificial intelligence, low-level code, no code, and an increasing number of applications has greatly expanded the threat radius for every organization.

OpenAPI helps developers and organizations identify security vulnerabilities and potential risks and facilitates detailed API documentation, meaning developers and security professionals can clearly understand API capabilities, limitations, and coding practices to better assess risks and address potential threats. In addition, OAS can help teams with comprehensive testing and analysis, giving organizations a deep understanding of where potential risks may be lurking and how to mitigate them.

Overall, the Austin API Summit is something not to be missed if you work with or are passionate about APIs. APIs continue to grow in size, scope, and popularity, so if your organization isn't using APIs, it could be a potential red flag. This makes an event like this all the more important and interesting. It gives us a chance to better understand the API ecosystem, the existing and emerging technologies that are disrupting it, and the best practices and patterns that can take the API platform to the next level.