You may have seen the articles or blog posts claiming something outrageous like how you can connect to hundreds of other Apps and enable thousands of use cases within a few hours of development. They’re true. In this workshop, the Left Hook team will walk you through how to connect your App to hundreds of others on Zapier’s platform in a matter of minutes. There are a few big asterisks to achieve this speed: 1) Your API needs to be RESTful using either API token or OAuth2.0; 2) You’ll need to choose only a few basic use cases; 3) You need to be comfortable in a Node.js environment; 4) You need to be comfortable using a CLI tool.

2. Connect your RESTful API to hundreds of
others in minutes (Zapier and other
Integration Platforms)
Sean Matthews, Left Hook Digital

3. • Co-Founder & Managing Partner
• Entrepreneur First
• Philosophy Major **
– No formal Programming Training
• Multiple years experience on both sides
of the equation (API Consumer, API
Provider)
About Me (or “Why you should listen to
me”)

4. About Left Hook Digital (The stats!)
• 15+ Public API Connectors on 3+ Integration Platforms
over the past 2+ years
• 30+ Private API Connectors on same Platforms
• 30+ Integration Platforms tracked in our Discovery API
– lefthookdigital.com/discovery
• 100+ APIs reviewed or programmed for
• 15+ SMB clients serviced for Business Process and
Workflow Automation

5. About You (Just kidding. But who are you?)
• SMB SaaS Devs/team members
• Enterprise SaaS Devs/team members
• Enterprise IT Devs/Management
• Product Managers
• API and MicroServices Consultants
• Developers Best Friends (Dev Tools)

6. • Distribution Strategy for my API?
• So many options!
– Direct/Native (point to point)
– App Marketplace (yours, theirs)
– Integration Platforms (iPaaS or Int. Platforms… vote!)
• Use Case First thinking
• API Design concerns for future distribution
• Workshop! Demo! Prove it!
The Takeaways (or “what should should learn”)

7. • Distribution Strategy for my API?
• So many options!
– Direct/Native (point to point)
– App Marketplace (yours, theirs)
– Integration Platforms (iPaaS or Int. Platforms… vote!)
• Use Case First thinking
• API Design concerns for future distribution
• Workshop! Demo! Prove it!
The Takeaways (or “what should should learn”)

8. API Distribution Strategy
/ Integration Strategy

9. Key Questions
• Metrics for API Success
• Who are my users?
• Of those users, who do I want to empower with my API?
• What’s my value add?
• What are the rich use cases now unlocked?

10. Available Distribution Channels
• Developer Targeting
– Landing Page :-) (aka, your documentation)
– ProgrammableWeb
– Press Release
– Community Blog Posts (Postman, PW, etc.)
• Direct Integrations
– Partnerships
• App Marketplaces
– Yours
– Theirs
• Integration Platforms

11. What’s in a name? Quick Definition
Many different types of integration platforms
• 3rd Party Tool (user login, often paid)
• Allows/Empowers user with low-code/no-code
environment to manage data flow between
software systems

12. Source: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/minimalit/minimal-integration-7-pointtopoint-hub-or-bus-6527
Gimme Visuals

13. Why Integration Platforms?
• Central place to manage all integrations
• Connect once, connect to all available
• Paid support with stable architecture, no
developer reliance
• Empower non-developer

14. BIP (Before Integration Platforms)

16. AIP (After Integration Platforms)

18. Empower the non-developer
There are a lot of smart people out in the world
who would love to expand on your app/service
and leverage your API but who don’t want to
learn Nodejs, HTTP request verbs, OAuth2.0,
C#, or managing and hosting a server to do so.

19. Why not Integration Platforms?
• Customer Customer Customer
• Limited use cases
• Acute need best solved elsewhere
• Too many choices!

20. • Segment
• Sky Via
• SnapLogic
• StackStorm
• Stamplay
• Stringify
• TIBCO ActiveMatrix
• Tray.io
• UnifiedVu
• Workato
• XPlenty
• Youredi
• Zapier
• Microsoft Azure
• Microsoft Flow
• MuleSoft
• One SaaS
• Piesync
• Pipethru
• Podbox
• Proces IO
• RapidAPI
• SaaSler
• SAP HANA Cloud
Platform
• SAS Data Management
Platform
• Scribe Soft
• Denodo Platform
• DSync
• elastic.io
• Fabric8 IO
• Flex.io
• Flow Gear
• Flow XO
• i2Factory
• IBM App Connect
• IFTTT
• Informatica
• Information Builders
• Integrator.io
• Integromat
• JitterBit
• Actian
• Adaptris Interlok
• Adeptia Connect
• APIant
• Automate.io
• Azuqua
• Bedrock Data
• Built.io
• CData.com
• Cisco Integration Platform
• Cloud Elements
• Cloudpipes
• Cloudwork
• DBSync
• Decisions.com
• Dell Boomi
Who are the Platforms?

21. Good Luck!

22. Which ones let you build?
Platform Target User Base
Zapier SMBs, Non-technical
IFTTT Consumer/Prosumer, non-technical
Cloud Elements Enterprise IT, App Developers
MuleSoft Enterprise IT
Azuqua Enterprise IT
Workato SMB/SME IT, Savvy non-technical
Microsoft Flow | Power Apps | Azure Logic Apps Non-technical | SME IT | SME IT/Developer
Built.io/Flow SMBs IT/low-technical > Enterprise Technical

23. • Distribution Strategy for my API?
• So many options!
– Direct/Native (point to point)
– App Marketplace (yours, theirs)
– Integration Platforms (iPaaS or Int. Platforms… vote!)
• Use Case First thinking
• Workshop! Demo! Prove it!
• API Design concerns for future distribution
Carrying on...

24. Use Case First Thinking

25. How do the Platforms think of APIs?
• API Connectors exist on every platform by some
similar name.
• Zapier = Apps, Cloud Elements = Elements, Bedrock
Data, Workato, Azuqua = Connectors, Workato, etc.
• All Connectors are not created equal

26. Triggers, Actions, Searches or Finds
Triggers = Data Out, Events, etc
Actions = Data In, Workflow etc.
Searches/Finds = Query

27. Trigger Types
1. Polling
2. Webhook/RESThook/Callback
3. Chron/Schedule (usually system based)

28. Playbook- Step 1, Use Cases
CUSTOMER FIRST
• What data or workflows do you want to enable for your
users?
• What are they asking for?
Get statements!
“Whenever someone submits this Survey, add them to my
CRM and then send me a Slack message”

29. Step 2- Break it into composite parts
“Whenever someone submits this Survey, add them to my
CRM and then send me a Slack message”
Becomes
“New Survey Response” Trigger > “Add New Contact”
Action > “Send Slack Message” Action

30. Step 3- Evaluate API
After you’ve broken up the statements into
composite parts and determined all of your
needed TSAs…
Test the API for each!
You may need to line up more development work
:-)

31. Step 4- Double check existing Apps!
Getting your App built is important.
But make sure the target external Apps have all
of the TSAs needed to satisfy the desired flows!

32. Step 5- Build :-)

33. • Distribution Strategy for my API?
• So many options!
– Direct/Native (point to point)
– App Marketplace (yours, theirs)
– Integration Platforms (iPaaS or Int. Platforms… vote!)
• Use Case First thinking
• Workshop! Demo! Prove it!
• API Design concerns for future distribution
Carrying on...

34. DEMO

35. I manage a development and design shop, using
Teamwork as my project management tool.
I want to get a Slack notification every time someone
completes a task, and I want to be able to customize it (out
of the box integration doesn’t cut it for me)
Playbook- Step 1, Use Cases

36. Step 2- Break it into composite parts
“I want to get a Slack notification every time someone
completes a task...”
Becomes
“Task Completed” Trigger > “Send Slack Message” Action

37. • Ooo Webhooks!
• Let’s go to Postman
• Complete a Task
• Did it come in?
Step 3- Evaluate API

38. Slack- Has the messages!
Step 4- Double check existing Apps!

39. Step 5- Build :-)

40. • Distribution Strategy for my API?
• So many options!
– Direct/Native (point to point)
– App Marketplace (yours, theirs)
– Integration Platforms (iPaaS or Int. Platforms… vote!)
• Use Case First thinking
• Workshop! Demo! Prove it!
• API Design concerns for future distribution
Carrying on...

41. API Design Considerations

42. Top Concerns
1. Authentication
2. Polling Triggers vs. Webhooks
3. Sortable and filterable!
4. Return helpful/useful data
5. Please think of the childr-- err, errors!

43. The End!
Contact: sean@lefthook.co
Website: lefthookdigital.com