This is a project to distill down many views of a modern lifecycle into many re-usable elements and actions organized into blueprints that provide a series of steps within a specific dimension of the API lifecycle.
Workspace: https://apis.how/
We are still working on ways to add to and evolve the content available here, add a visual layer, and play around with different ways of presenting them, helping reduce information overload and make it easier to discover and put to work across the API lifecycle.
Here are the blueprints, or API lifecycle and governance concepts that we are working on as part of this effort. Each blueprint has an View board, issue dicussion, and a source of Outline to help move forward each version of the blueprints.
These are blueprints that are specific to Postman, and how we operate different aspects of Open Tech.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What is Postman Open Technologies | View | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Open Technologies Standards Support | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
These are a handful of high-level introductory blueprints meant for the widest possible audience.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What is an API | View | View | View | none | none | View | none | none | draft |
| What is API-First | View | View | View | none | none | View | none | none | draft |
| Why do you become API-First | View | View | none | none | View | none | none | draft | |
| How do you become API-First | View | View | none | none | View | none | none | draft | |
| What is API-Early | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| What is API-Aware | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
Understanding more about how we got to this point in time, exploring the evolution of whath we now know as APIs.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| History of APIs | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | V1 | |
| History of Web APIs | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Business in the Clouds | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Our Lives Going Mobiles | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| The API Economy | View | View | View | none | none | View | none | none | draft |
| Devices in our Physical World | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Strengthening Partnerships | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Microservicess | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Applications | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Integrations | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
These are the units of value that define business today and are being defined as APIs, providing the atomic unit of the API economy.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resources | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Capabilities | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
Defining some of the common challenges faced by API producers and consumers when it comes to working with APIs, and pairing as solution.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usability | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Stability | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Trust | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Motion | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Advantage | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
Articuating what a diverse API toolbox looks like today, going well beyond just what is possible with simple web APIs.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synchronous | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Asynchronous | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Protocols | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Patterns | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
Defining all of the ways in which you can define a contract for an API, providing a machine readable definition of each API.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contracts | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| OpenAPI | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| AsyncAPI | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| JSON Schema | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Protocol Buffers | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Collections | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| GraphQL | View | View | View | none | none | View | none | none | draft |
| WSDL | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
The view of the lifecycle from the producers perspective, looking at how APIs are brought to life and evolved over time, here is a deck being developed to define this side of the API lifecycle
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Define | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Design | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Develop | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Test | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Secure | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Deploy | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Observe | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Distribute | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
Acknowledging that there are many ways in which the lifecycle can be entered, depending on the team and the type of API being delivered, here is a blog post that tells the story of this entire area of blueprints.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design First | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Code-First | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Prototype-First | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Proxy-First | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
The view of the lifecycle from consumer perspective, looking at how the APIs are being put to work in a variety of applications, here is a deck to expore this side of the API lifecycle.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discover | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Evaluate | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Develop | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Test | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Observe | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
Understanding how APis are being used to address legacy infrastructure, helping decompose and deliver as simple APIs.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legacy | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
Looking at the operational side of defining an API platform, understanding the cornerstones of API operations and the lifecycle.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organization | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Workspaces | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Source Control | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| CI/CD | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Gateways | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| APM | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Platform | View | View | View | none | none | none | View 1 2 3 | none | draft |
Mapping out the digital enterprise landscape to help "see" the digital resources and capabilities that are in use behind applicatinos and integrations.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discoverable | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Observable | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Automated | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Changing | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
Understand what defines and improves the productivity across teams when it comes to the API lifecycle.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Performance | View | View | View | View | none | none | none | View | draft |
Understanding the fundamentals of qualityi across APIs, helping define a baseline when it comes to quality across API operations.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Contract Testing | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Performance Testing | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
Being able to understand the state of the enterprise sytem, then gain the observabilitiiy and control to steer things in the right direction.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governance | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Guidelines | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Design Governance | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Design Review | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Security Review | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Platform Governance | View | View | View | View | none | View | none | View | draft |
| Standards | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Centralization | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Federation | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Rules | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Templates | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
Moving API testing, security, and governance earlier on in the API lifecycle, helping enable to do the right thing as early on as possible.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shift-Left | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
Breaking down the different layers of API-related regulation emerging around the globe, and how APIs are being used to respond to regulations.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regulations | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Privacy Regulations | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Interoperability Regulations | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Regulations Automation | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
Understanding the business of APIs, and why APIs are increasingly defined as products, and how business stakeholders are getting more involved.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| APIs as a Product | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Product Management | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Developer Experience | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | draft | |
| Visibility | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Productivity | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Low Code / No Code | View | View | View | ||||||
| Innovation | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Composable | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Collaborative | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Interoperable | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Future-Proof | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| World Building | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Category Defining | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
Looking at the knowledge that is needed to help teams be successful when it comes to producing and consuming APIs inside and outside the firewall.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
These are blueprints focused on the public facing aspects of our API operations, and what we should be considering as we evolve operations.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Profile | View | View | View | none | View | View | View | none | draft |
| Workspace Checklist | View | View | View | none | View | View | none | none | draft |
| Documentation Checklist | View | View | View | none | View | View | none | none | draft |
| Public Workspace Engagement | View | View | View | none | View | View | none | none | draft |
| Time to First Call | View | View | View | none | View | View | none | none | draft |
| Portal and Network | View | View | View | none | none | View | none | none | draft |
These are some of the common answers to enterprise organizations asking where they should start when getting more organized with their API journey.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape Mapping | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Ad Hoc Landscape | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Strategy | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Lifecycle | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Enablement | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| Forward Motion | View | View | View | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
Knowledge and guidance around the modernization of open data APIs and the establishment of standards and service driven solutions to support scientific research and machine intelligence.
| Name | Ideas | Discussions | Outline | Deck | Slide | Blog | Video | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Why data matters | View | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
| The need for digital knowledge | View | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | draft |
Blueprints are meant to provide very simple (1-2 pages) of guidance pertaining to a specific aspect of API operations, providing core concepts that can be consumed directly, or used as the core of blog posts, videos, white papers, boos, and other content. Here is a snapshot of the blueprint structure:
- Blueprints
- Areas
- Elements
- Actions
- Elements
- Areas
Blueprints are meant to focus on a a specific concept, breaking that concept down into unique areas, but then refererncing common reusable elements that possess actions a user can take as a result of what they have learned along the way. There are additional links, questions, videos, and other related resources involved, but for now this provides a quick snapshot of the structure.
The process we are using to move blueprints forward is an ever evolving one, but to help encourage participation across the team, and even from the community, here are steps we are taking to create new blueprints, and iterate upon existing ones.
- View - Use a miro board to get all the concepts on the table in a visual way.
- Issue - Use Github issue to discuss each concept as we iterate upon.
- Markdown - Use individual markdown files as the source of Outline for each version.
- Research - Conduct research, gather references to concepts we want to include.
- Team - Engage across Open Tech and other Postman teams for feedback on blueprints.
- Customers - Provide anonymized references to customer conversations across blueprints.
- Breaking Changes - Provide references to Breaking Changes Issues across blueprints.
- Analyst - Provide reference to analyst materials that support elements across blueprints.
This process will continue to evolve as we move forward with more blueprints. This set of instructions is designed to focus on fleshing out as many blueprints as possible, providing areas and elements for each, but then iterating upon actions and other links, videos, and resources with future versions--we will shift the process as we progress.