I reach out to API providers on a regular basis, asking them if they have an OpenAPI or Postman Collection available behind the scenes. I am adding these machine-readable API definitions to my index of APIs that I monitor, while also publishing them out to my API Stack research, the API Gallery, APIs.io, work to get them published in the Postman Network, and syndicated as part of my wider work as an OpenAPI member. However, even beyond my own personal needs for API providers to have a machine-readable definition of their API and helping them get more syndication and exposure for their API, having a definition present significantly reduces friction when on-boarding with their APIs at almost every stop along a developer’s API integration journey.
One of the API providers I reached out to recently responded with this, “I spoke with one of our engineers and he asked me to refer you to https://developer.[company].com/”. Ok. First, I spend over 30 minutes there just the other day. Learning about what you do, reading through documentation, and thinking about what was possible — which I referenced in my email. At this point, I’m guessing that the engineer in question doesn’t know what an OpenAPI or Postman Collection is, and they do not understand the impact these specifications are having on the wider API ecosystem, and lastly, I’m guessing they don’t have any idea who I am (ego taking control). All of which provides me with the signals I need to make an assessment of where any API is in their overall journey. Demonstrating to me that they have a long ways to go when it comes to understanding the wider API landscape in which they are operating in, and they are too busy to really come out of their engineering box and help their API consumers truly be successful in integrating with their platform. https://goo.gl/xN38QQ
