The presentation discusses a modern API development workflow emphasizing the importance of prototyping for effective design and validation. It highlights the benefits of early validation through use, parallel development, and the need for dynamic mocking capabilities in API design platforms. Overall, it advocates for prototyping as a means to identify design shortcomings early and improve productivity in software development.

1. WireMock API Days - Prototype-First Deck | 1
Prototype-first - a
modern API
development
workflow
1
PRESENTED BY:
Tom Akehurst
CTO and co-founder, WireMock
@TomAkehurst

3. WireMock API Days - Prototype-First Deck | 2
“An ounce of practice is worth a
ton of theory”
- Emerson…or Marx…or Schumacher…
or someone else…who knows?

4. WireMock API Days - Prototype-First Deck |
● Model of reality
● Validated via inspection
● Quick + cheap to change
Design
3
● Model of reality
● Validated via inspection
● Quick + cheap to change

5. WireMock API Days - Prototype-First Deck |
● Realised object (with
limitations)
● Validated via use
● Quicker + cheaper to
change than production
item
Prototyping
4
● Realised object (with
limitations)
● Validated via use
● Quicker + cheaper to
change than production
item

6. WireMock API Days - Prototype-First Deck |
● Generally unpopular in today’s development approaches
○ “Big up-front design” = 💩
● “The code is the design”
● Worthwhile when impact of poor design is high e.g. UX
● Generally unpopular in today’s development approaches
○ “Big up-front design” = 💩
● “The code is the design”
● Worthwhile when impact of poor design is high e.g. UX
5
Design & prototyping in software

7. WireMock API Days - Prototype-First Deck |
● Decisions have to be lived with for a long time
● Poor design limits adoption
● Poor design harms productivity
● Serial working lengthens time-to-market
6
API Design & Prototyping - Motivation
● Decisions have to be lived with for a long time
● Poor design limits adoption
● Poor design harms productivity
● Serial working lengthens time-to-market

8. WireMock API Days - Prototype-First Deck |
● Enables verification by inspection - linting, design review
● Helps produce better APIs
But…
● Often adds time and effort up front
● Doesn’t support verification through use
7
API Design
● Enables verification by inspection - linting, design review
● Helps produce better APIs
But…
● Often adds time and effort up front
● Doesn’t support verification through use

9. WireMock API Days - Prototype-First Deck |
● Enables early validation through use
● Supports parallel development
● Enables early validation through use
● Supports parallel development
8
API Prototyping

10. WireMock API Days - Prototype-First Deck |
● Write just enough code to
produce a plausible response
with stubbed/hard-coded data.
● Ship to test environment.
● Long cycle time to test design
changes.
● Simulating more than basic
behaviour involves writing
non-trivial code.
9
Code-a-bit-first API prototyping
● Write just enough code to
produce a plausible response
with stubbed/hard-coded data.
● Ship to test environment.
● Long cycle time to test design
changes.
● Simulating more than basic
behaviour involves writing
non-trivial code.

11. WireMock API Days - Prototype-First Deck |
● Lots of tools available -
OSS, SaaS
● Build prototype out of
stubbed responses
● Much shorter cycle time
than deploying code
● Design/prototyping is not
the primary use case
● Missing capabilities e.g.
spec generation
10
Mocking
● Lots of tools available -
OSS, SaaS
● Build prototype out of
stubbed responses
● Much shorter cycle time
than deploying code
● Design/prototyping is not
the primary use case
● Missing capabilities e.g.
spec generation

12. WireMock API Days - Prototype-First Deck |
● API spec/description is
primary artifact
● Mocks generated from
specs
● OpenAPI and other
description languages not
intended for mocking.
● Generated mocks tend to
be simplistic
11
API design platform with mocking
● API spec/description is
primary artifact
● Mocks generated from
specs
● OpenAPI and other
description languages not
intended for mocking.
● Generated mocks tend to
be simplistic

13. WireMock API Days - Prototype-First Deck |
● Flexible, dynamic mocking
● Bidirectional spec < - > mock generation
● Traffic validation
● Flexible, dynamic mocking
● Traffic validation
● Bidirectional spec < - > mock generation
12
API prototyping platform - WireMock Cloud

14. WireMock API Days - Prototype-First Deck |
Prototyping your APIs:
● Enables verification through use
● Shifts discovery of design shortcomings early in the timeline
● Supports parallel producer/consumer development
13
TL;DR (2)
Prototyping your APIs:
● Enables verification through use
● Shifts discovery of design shortcomings early in the timeline
● Supports parallel producer/consumer development

15. WireMock API Days - Prototype-First Deck | 14
Want to see more?
https://www.wiremock.io/demo
PRESENTED BY:
Tom Akehurst
CTO and co-founder, WireMock
@TomAkehurst