Manoj Agrawal interviews Gartner Analyst Mark O’Neill
Manoj Agrawal: How many magic quadrants does Gartner publish regarding APIs? Which was the last one added? Which is next in the pipeline?
Mark O’Neill: Main one is full lifecycle API management. Another one that is relevant is iPaaS. This is about using APIs for integration, particularly cloud integration. Another is Web Application & API Protection which looks at security capabilities. Initially we focused on SOA. The first on API was in 2016 on API management.
Does AI play a role in developing or enhancing APIs?
It does in a number of ways. One is security. There is a need to understand good and bad uses of APIs. Bots try to use APIs for stealing data through APIs, eg account data. Machine learning helps in understanding the normal and abnormal use of API, particularly around security.
Does API testing require different techniques?
It is different. You are thinking about response time. Web testing is simulating human experience. With API, there is more automation such as SLAs and response time. Testing can also involve usability testing from developers’ point of view. If a bank has a portfolio of APIs, they will want to standardize.
Name some of the leading API companies and what kind of revenue they are making?
Twilo & Stripe. Twilio, worth over $3 billion, competes with traditional telecom companies. Twilio revenue is $82 million in a quarter. Stripe is a private company valued at $9 billion.
Are API players adopting bitcoin and cryptocurrencies? Is there a dark web of APIs? If not, is it likely in the near future?
Even dark web companies have APIs. We have seen services like access to private data.
If one of my services is down for maintenance/upgrade, how will various APIs interacting with it respond to the originator?
The I in API is interface. So the design has to ensure that there is no single point of view.
Which countries that have most API startups?
Europe & UK.
