2025 State of APIs

James Higginbotham (@launchany) discusses the evolution of API usage across developers, modern applications and APIs. 

SHOW: 975

SHOW TRANSCRIPT: The Cloudcast #975 Transcript

SHOW VIDEO: https://youtube.com/@TheCloudcastNET 

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SHOW NOTES:

• LaunchAny website
• apicoach.io (note)
• Lessons learned after a decade of API Strategy
• Latest book: “Principles of Web API Design: Delivering Value with APIs and Microservices (Addison-Wesley under the Vaughn Vernon signature series)
• Upcoming report on AI-Assisted API Design
• James on The Cloudcast #153
• James on The Cloudcast #435

Topic 1 - Welcome back to the show James. It’s hard to believe it’s been 11 years since we last spoke on the show! Give everyone a brief introduction.

Topic 2 - To say we’ve come a long way with APIs as an industry is an understatement. But let’s set the table for everyone. In your interactions with Enterprise customers, what trends or standards are currently top of mind? 

Topic 3 - You wrote an article (link in show notes) titled Lessons after a Decade of API Strategy. What struck me from the article was the combination of technology, business, and even culture, all of which have to come together. When talking to Enterprises these days, have we moved past understanding what APIs are and straight to solving problems with APIs?

Topic 4 - What are the most common use cases you see today? API transformation? API sprawl and consolidation/documentation? Integration of SaaS/3rd party services?

Topic 5 - No conversation would be complete without a discussion about AI and AI’s impact on API’s. I view this in several different ways. AI is creating APIs, and AI is being consumed through APIs. How do you think about AI and its impact? What’s changed and what has stayed the same?

Topic 6 - Second aspect to the AI topic, where and how does security fit into this intersection of AI and APIs?

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