Awful APIs: A History Lesson in Industry Mistakes and Mishaps

What if a GET request could delete customer data? This humorous tour of API history explores the industry's biggest mishaps so you don't repeat them.

#1about 5 minutes

Understanding the original concept of an API

An API was originally just a defined interface for one local application to talk to another, illustrated with a simple PHP function.

#2about 4 minutes

Communicating between machines with remote procedure calls

As computers became networked, Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) emerged as a way to execute code on a remote server, with JSON-RPC as a key example.

#3about 3 minutes

The enterprise era of SOAP and its XML complexity

The Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) was created for enterprise needs but introduced significant complexity with its verbose XML-based format.

#4about 2 minutes

Simplifying APIs with REST and standard HTTP verbs

Representational State Transfer (REST) simplified API design by leveraging the existing HTTP protocol, using verbs like GET, POST, and DELETE to manage resources.

#5about 5 minutes

The need for standards and common pitfalls of REST

Without clear standards, REST APIs can be implemented incorrectly, leading to security vulnerabilities and unpredictable behavior as seen with HATEOAS and real-world examples.

#6about 1 minute

Formalizing REST APIs with OpenAPI and Swagger

The OpenAPI specification (formerly Swagger) provides a standardized way to define REST APIs, enabling auto-generation of documentation, client code, and tests.

#7about 2 minutes

GraphQL as an alternative to avoid multiple API requests

GraphQL was developed to solve the problem of over-fetching or under-fetching data by allowing clients to request exactly the data they need in a single call.

#8about 2 minutes

History repeating with modern frontend frameworks

Modern tools like HTMX and Laravel Livewire are returning to sending HTML over the wire, echoing older web development patterns and showing the cyclical nature of technology.

#9about 1 minute

The cyclical nature of API design and development

The history of APIs demonstrates a repeating cycle of innovation, standardization, complexity, and simplification, urging developers to learn from the past.