Exploring API Development Approaches

In the next 3 lessons, we'll look at 3 different approaches that organisations employ when building APIs. Those approaches are:

• Code first
• Design first
• API first

First let's have a brief discussion about what these approaches are and what the fundamental differences are between them. Each approach offers unique advantages and challenges, catering to different project requirements and developer preferences.

First, we'll explore the code-first approach, where developers primarily focus on implementing the functionality of the API before considering its design or documentation.

Next, we'll delve into the design-first approach, which prioritizes meticulous planning and specification of the API's structure, endpoints, and data models before any code is written.

Finally, we'll discuss the API-first approach, which emphasizes the creation of API specifications as the foundation of the development process and places the API as the actual product rather than something which serves the product.