This document summarizes key trends in the open API market based on data from ProgrammableWeb.com. It finds that the growth of APIs is accelerating, with over 3,200 APIs currently listed. The most competitive categories have dozens of APIs. It also discusses the rise of simplicity in APIs, with REST and JSON becoming increasingly dominant. Finally, it explores business models for APIs, noting some companies are focusing exclusively on their API as the product rather than accompanying websites.

1. Open APIs: State of the Market
John Musser, ProgrammableWeb
@johnmusser
Glue Conference 2011

2. Introduction
ProgrammableWeb.com
• API & mashup directory
• News, community, dev tools
• 3,200 Web APIs
• 5,800 mashups

3. Growth | Simplicity | Money

4. Open APIs: Growth is accelerating
Total APIs over time

5. Open APIs: Growth is accelerating
Total APIs over time

6. Open APIs: Growth is accelerating
Total APIs over time

7. Open APIs: Growth is accelerating
Total APIs over time

8. APIs: some very competitive markets
Number of
APIs, Top 15
Categories
Based on directory of 3,200 web APIs listed at ProgrammableWeb, May 2011

9. API Billionaires Club, 2011 edition
13 billion API calls / day (May 2011)
10 billion API calls / month (January 2011)
Over 260 billion objects stored in S3 (January 2011)
1.6 billion API-delivered stories / month (October 2010)
5 billion API calls / day (April 2010)
5 billion API calls / day (October 2009)
8 billion API calls / month (Q3 2009)
3 billion API calls / month (March 2009)

10. Simplicity

11. REST vs. SOAP: Simplicity wins again
Distribution of API protocols and styles
Based on directory of 3,200 web APIs listed at ProgrammableWeb, May 2011

12. REST vs. SOAP: Simplicity wins again
Distribution of API protocols and styles
Based on directory of 3,200 web APIs listed at ProgrammableWeb, May 2011

13. JSON Rising: 55% of all new APIs support JSON
Percentage of new APIs with JSON support
Based on directory of 3,200 web APIs listed at ProgrammableWeb, May 2011

14. 20% of all new APIs support only JSON
Percentage of new APIs with only JSON support
Based on directory of 3,200 web APIs listed at ProgrammableWeb, May 2011

15. 1 in every 5 new APIs says “goodbye XML”
Percentage of APIs with XML support
Based on directory of 3,200 web APIs listed at ProgrammableWeb, May 2011

16. Money

17. API as Product
When an API is not an extension of your product, but it is your product

18. Screw the web site, let’s focus on the API
Qwerly shutters profile pages in favor
of lucrative ‘DNS for people’ API
TechCrunch, May 5, 2011

19. API business models, circa 2005

20. API business models 2011

21. Have we seen this before?
Why do we need Of course we Why do we Of course we
a Web site? have a Web site need an API? have an API
1995 2000 2005 2010

22. thank you
Questions, ideas, comments?
Email me: john@programmableweb.com
Twitter: @johnmusser