Web services and APIs allow large websites like Yahoo to be built and maintained, enable internal innovation through mashups, and allow external developers to build new products and services using publicly available data and functionality. They help address issues like security, scaling, and making changes by separating concerns between interfaces and implementations. Events like d.Construct promote discussion and innovation around emerging technologies like Ajax, APIs, and mobile applications.

1. Web Services
for Fun and Profit
Paul Hammond & Simon Willison

2. Paul Simon

17. Biggest Website in the World

18. ½ billion
unique users
on yahoo branded properties

19. 200 million
active registered users

20. 3.9 billion
page views a
day

21. Building a site this big is hard work
http://flickr.com/photos/eurleif/186807021/

22. Lots of Engineers
http://flickr.com/photos/mn_francis/68739646/

23. Lots of servers
http://flickr.com/photos/indi/23580458/

24. More concerns about uptime

25. More hacking attempts

26. More concerns over privacy
http://flickr.com/photos/44538772@N00/67865829/

31. Application

32. Security Issues
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizjones/185703028/

33. Application Application

34. Scaling
http://flickr.com/photos/lizard_queen/114587853/

35. Making changes is hard
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tico24/16240395/

36. ?

37. an
A P
? I!

38. Application Application

39. Application Application
A P I !

40. Separation of concerns
http://flickr.com/photos/adactio/9514864/

41. Can easily fix security problems
http://flickr.com/photos/orinrobertjohn/47667825/

42. Can scale or increase redundancy
http://flickr.com/photos/doublebug/132789025/

43. Internal APIs make huge
sites possible

45. Internal mashup culture
http://www.flickr.com/photos/loopzilla/179599888/

47. + =

52. + +
=

56. + +
+ +…=

57. Web Services allow us to
build new products faster

60. Not our idea

62. Two Rules of Hack Day:
1. Build prototype in a day
2. Demo to your colleagues

63. Hack day makes people happy
http://flickr.com/photos/drewm/112465631/

64. Innovation through making stuff

65. Wouldn’t be possible without APIs
http://flickr.com/photos/morton/42327887/

66. Web Services help us
innovate

69. Web Audio
Image Local
Video News
Yahoo Search APIs

70. d.construct
Spelling Suggestions

71. deconstruct
Spelling Suggestions

72. d.Construct 2005 was the UK’s first grassroots
Web 2.0 conference. It was an affordable,
one-day event aimed at those building the
latest generation of web-based applications.
The event discussed how new technology is
transforming the web from a document
delivery system to an application platform.
Internationally renowned speakers covered
hot-topics such as Ajax, using the power of
API’s and the future of the mobile web.
Term Extraction

73. d.Construct 2005 was the UK’s first grassroots
Web 2.0 conference. It was an affordable,
one-day event aimed at those building the
latest generation of web-based applications.
The event discussed how new technology is
transforming the web from a document
delivery system to an application platform.
Internationally renowned speakers covered
hot-topics such as Ajax, using the power of
API’s and the future of the mobile web.
Term Extraction

74. XML
Serialized PHP
JSON
Output Formats

76. Hugh Gaitskell
Roy Jenkins
Aneurin Bevan
Clement Attlee
Winston Churchill
Neville Chamberlain
Neil Kinnock
Margaret Thatcher
Michael Foot
Ton Blair
James Callaghan
Harold Wilson
Michael Heseltine
Anthony Barber
Iain Macleod
Edward Heath
Harold Macmillan
Anthony Eden

77. http://www.hackdiary.com

78. Yahoo Local Maps APIs

79. Ajax and Flash
Yahoo Local Maps APIs

83. Flickr APIs

89. Web services aren’t just
for internal use

91. Web services and APIs:
• make huge sites possible

92. Web services and APIs:
• make huge sites possible
• allow us to build new
products faster

93. Web services and APIs:
• make huge sites possible
• allow us to build new
products faster
• help us innovate

94. Web services and APIs:
• make huge sites possible
• allow us to build new
products faster
• help us innovate
• aren’t just for internal use

95. Thankyou
http://www.paulhammond.org/2006/dconstruct
simon@simonwillison.net
paul@paulhammond.org