Why open an API
A public API changes what your product is — from a destination to a building block. Partners integrate you into their workflows, customers automate around you, and an ecosystem grows that you didn't have to build yourself. But a public API is a product with its own standards, not just your internal endpoints exposed.
- Let partners and customers build on top of your platform
- Enable integrations that make your product stickier
- Support a developer ecosystem and marketplace over time
- Offer webhooks so partners get real-time events from you
- Create new revenue via API tiers or usage-based plans
Designing an API developers will actually use
Internal endpoints and a public API are different things. A public API needs a consistent, predictable design, stable versioning, and a real developer experience — because once outsiders depend on it, you can't casually change it. We design it as the long-term contract it is.
- Consistent, resource-oriented REST (or GraphQL) design
- A versioning strategy so you can evolve without breaking integrators
- Predictable pagination, filtering, sorting, and error formats
- Clear, actionable error responses developers can debug
- Idempotency and rate limiting to protect you and your users
- Webhooks with signature verification for outbound events
The platform around the API
Shipping the endpoints is half of it. A public API needs the surrounding machinery — authentication, keys, rate limits, docs, and a way for developers to get started without emailing you. We build that developer experience so integrations happen without hand-holding.
- API key issuance and management, or OAuth for third-party apps
- Per-key rate limiting, quotas, and usage tracking
- Scopes and permissions so keys only do what they should
- Developer documentation and a sandbox to test against
- Usage analytics so you see who's integrating and how
- A deprecation policy so changes don't blindside your partners
More on apis & integrations
Frequently asked questions
Can't we just expose our internal API?
We'd advise against it. Internal APIs change constantly and assume trusted callers; a public API is a long-term contract with outside developers and needs stable versioning, hardened auth, rate limits, and docs. We often design a dedicated public layer in front of your internal services.
How do we control who can use it and how much?
Through API keys or OAuth, scopes that limit what each key can do, and per-key rate limits and quotas. You can gate features by plan and track usage — which also sets you up to monetize the API later if you want.
Do we need documentation from day one?
Yes. A public API without docs won't get adopted, because developers won't email you to figure out your endpoints. Good docs and a sandbox are what let partners integrate on their own — it's core to the product, not an add-on.