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How important is it for a software product to have an API?

#EvanPoll #Poll

  • Very important (53%, 140 votes)
  • Somewhat important (38%, 101 votes)
  • Somewhat unimportant (6%, 18 votes)
  • Very unimportant (0%, 1 vote)
260 voters. Poll end: 1 year ago

Evan Prodromou reshared this.

it depends. For most, very important, but for my previous project it didn't really make sense-- there wasn't really anything to make an API for. So I went with "somewhat important".
Where an API is feasible, somewhat important tending to very important
oh wow, what a twist.
as someone who still remembers "the UNIX way", I expected somewhat important and very important to be flipped.
@jonn OK, but pipes are an API. Small pieces, loosely joined requires ways to join the pieces.
well, then human-computer interfaces are also 'API's. I don't think they are though. APIs imply specificity and rigidity (doesn't contradict with parametricity). So, an API doesn't exist explicitly for programs that do just one thing.

Programs like ed / sed / find, however, create an API within UNIX runtime by making rigid decisions about how to run completely different code paths depending on the arguments supplied.
I work since 30 years in software development area and everything needs an API. Btw., we distinguish between private, protected and public API and I guess you mean the public one.

A public API is very important if you pass control over input, output or configuration to the consumers. It takes effort to maintain it (because it's a second interface beside your main frontend), but it's a worthwhile investment in customer loyalty.

So yes, very important. đź‘Ť
I have used a lot of software in my life. I estimate that I have used an API to access less than 10% of it. It was certainly important for that 10%, but to build APIs into the other 90% would be a huge misallocation of resources.

For instance I don't need an API for my calculator app. I have many other ways to programmatically skin that cat.
At least when I’m doing software evals at work it’s a hard requirement. And generally not just an api but an api that the main front-end consumes exclusively. Otherwise you end up with apis missing critical features.
This was a good poll.

I think it's very important. I don't like to use products over a certain size that aren't hackable by me or others.
if I’m trying to automate something repetitive and I have to resort to xdotool or keyboard maestro that’s a good way to get on my “looking for alternatives” list.
as long as I have to source, who cares. And if I don't, no deal.
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