The document discusses web APIs, including their definitions, types, and historical development from the 1970s to the present. It highlights key milestones like the advent of Unix, the creation of the World Wide Web, and the evolution towards REST and microservices. The takeaways emphasize the importance of architecture over technology in API development.

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What are Web APIs
Bruno Pedro / IronHack Barcelona / January 2018

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About me
• Since 2004 has been building hundreds of API integrations
• 2008: Co-founded tarpipe, a predecessor to IFTTT and Zapier
• 2016: Co-founded Hitch, API community & support platform
• 2017: Working on APIs & Integrations at New Relic

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Summary
• Definition of API
• Different types of APIs
• Brief history of Web APIs
• Architecting the next 10 years

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Different APIs
Operating
System
Library
Remote
Web

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History of
Web APIs
1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
AT&T Unix BSD LinuxSun

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Operating System APIs
Operating System
System
calls
IPC

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Library APIs
Operating System
POSIX GNU C
Operating System APIs

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History of
Web APIs
1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
Sun RPC
sockets
AT&T UNIX BSD LinuxSun

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Remote APIs
Operating System
RPC
OS APIs
Libraries
Operating System
RPC
OS APIs
Libraries

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History of
Web APIs
1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
Sun RPC
SOA
sockets
standardization
AT&T UNIX BSD LinuxSun

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History of
Web APIs
1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
Sun RPC
SOA
WWW
sockets
standardization
AT&T UNIX BSD LinuxSun

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Web APIs

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History of
Web APIs
1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
Sun RPC
SOA
WWW
SOAP
sockets
standardization
integration
AT&T UNIX BSD LinuxSun

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History of
Web APIs
1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
Sun RPC
SOA
WWW
SOAP
sockets
standardization
REST
integration
simplification
AT&T UNIX BSD LinuxSun

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History of
Web APIs
1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
Sun RPC
SOA
WWW
SOAP
sockets
standardization
REST
gRPC
GraphQL
integration
simplification
control
data
AT&T UNIX BSD LinuxSun

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What’s next?
Metcalfe’s Law
Utility
APIs

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Microservices

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Complexity

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Asynchronous APIs
broker

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Distributed APIs
caller
?
?
?

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What’s next?
?

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Takeaways
• Different types of APIs
• It all started with UNIX and IPC
• The creation of the WWW changed everything
• Technology doesn’t matter, architecture does

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Thank you
Q & A
Bruno Pedro / IronHack Barcelona / January 2018