APIs are increasingly becoming digital products that deliver value to customers. APIs connect systems and services, simplifying integration and enabling innovative applications. To build successful API products, companies should understand customer needs, make APIs discoverable through portals, ensure easy usage through documentation and testing, implement security measures, and use platforms to manage the API lifecycle from development to monetization. APIs allow businesses to focus on their core competencies while facilitating connections through open interfaces.

1. APIs: The Products of the 21st Century
August 26, 2020

2. Hello!
Nuwan Dias
VP and deputy CTO for API Management and Integration - WSO2
@nuwandias

3. Anything that can be offered to a market to satisfy the desires or needs of a
customer.
What is a Product?
3

4. Delivering business value to customers
4
Consumer
Applications APIs Business Services /
System of Records

5. The Growth of the Application Market
5
2.2 Million Apps 2.8 Million Apps
● 2.7 billion smartphone users globally.
● 1.3 billion tablet users globally.
● Mobile app revenue expected to grow to $189 billion in 2020.
● Average smartphone user uses 30 apps monthly.

6. Applications give value to the Customer
6
Customer Product Value

7. Value, is what you should be selling
Customer Product Value

8. How to build your value proposition?
● Pick your customer.
● Understand their pain points.
● Understand the goals of your customer.
● Know the available assets to build upon.
8

9. APIs are the “Interface” to the value
proposition. They are building the
foundation of our digital experience.

10. APIs do two valuable things.
● APIs connect you to data and services.
● APIs simplify the connection process.
The API Wave
10
Makes it easy to securely connect your bank to
the apps you want to use

11. Growing a business is also about building
products your customers aren’t asking for,
but would love to use when built.

12. The API Product Factory
Manufacturing
● Building your API.
● Different technologies - REST, SOAP,
GraphQL, gRPC, Events, etc.
Assembly
● Integrating systems and services to build
APIs.
Packaging
● Packaging APIs to form products
● Creating documentation
● Associating business plans
● Categorization
Delivery
● API Platforms (Marketplaces)
● Catering to demand
Automation
● API Automation techniques
● CI/CD and delivery pipelines
API Product Lifecycle

13. The WSO2 Platform
ENTERPRISE INTEGRATION
Low code
Integration
Streaming
Integration
Code based
Integration
IDENTITY AND ACCESS MANAGEMENT
Identity
Federation
SSO
MFA and
Adaptive Auth

14. APIs API Products

15. Make your APIs Discoverable
15
API User Portal
Tags
Catégories
Search

16. Make your APIs Easy to Use
API User Portal
Intuitive Interfaces
Trial Run (Sandbox)
Business
Documentation
Technical
Documentation
“The Wells Fargo Gateway developer portal makes it fast and easy for
customers to integrate application programming interfaces (APIs) that access
their financial data” - BusinessWire

17. Automate your API Development Lifecycle
MANAGEMENT PLANE
API Publisher Developer
Portal
Business Value
Reporting
CONTROL PLANE
Key Manager Traffic Manager Anomaly
Detection
DATA PLANE
Edge APIs Process APIs System APIs
API Developer
Checks In
Code
Triggers
CI/CD
CI/CD
API Product
Manager
Application
Developer
Application
User

18. Make your APIs Safe to Use
API Gateway, Access Control and Federation
Standard protocols and well
known channels
User convenience
Patterns, ML and AI

19. End to End API Security
API Security is much more than Authentication and Authorization!
API
Bot Detection
Authentication
& Authorization
Rate Limiting
Payload
Scanning
Payload
Scanning
Data Redaction
Surveillance
Logs
AI / ML Analysis

20. Make your APIs Scale to Demand
API Gateways, throttling and rate limiting
CONSUMER DEMAND
SUPPLIERS DISAGGREGATE ARCHITECTURE TO MEET DEMAND
MONOLITHIC
BUSINESS APP
ENTERPRISE
APPS
DEPARTME
NTAL APPS
SAAS APPS
PUBLIC /
PRIVATE APIS
SERVERLESS &
MICROSERVICES
1970s
|
MAINFRAME
1980s
|
IT
AWAKENING
1990s
|
INTERNET
2000s
|
MOBILE
2010s
|
IoT/AI
2020+
|
DIGITAL NATIVE
1
10
102
103
105
109
Scale up fast on demand
Scale down to prevent
resource wastage
Prevent systems from
overheat

21. Build an Elastic Data Plane
MANAGEMENT PLANE
API Publisher Developer
Portal
Business Value
Reporting
CONTROL PLANE
Key Manager Traffic Manager Anomaly
Detection
API
DATA PLANE
API API API

22. Iterate and Improve your API Product
Business Value Reporting,
Operational Metrics, Developer
Metrics (NPS, community, churn)
Monitor usage and metrics
Get feedback from
developers
Innovate - New API versions,
lifecycle management and
migration of consumers
https://wso2.com/about/customers/qantas/

23. Build business models for your API Product
API Monetization and Billing
Implicit monetization
Explicit monetization
● One time pay
● Pay as you go
● Subscription based
● Revenue share
API delivery models

24. Forrester wave for API Management Solutions: Q3 2020
Download link: https://wso2.com/resources/analyst-reports/the-forrester-wave-api-management-solutions-q3-2020/

25. wso2.com
Thanks!