You've selected a developer for your mobile app concept, but now you're told you need an API to handle storage and retrieval of data for the app. Or you've been asked to make a data set accessible to your customers or service partners, to integrate with their systems. Now what? SMBworks connects people with the data they use every day, to get things done.
As in related core services, we start with a conversation about what problem or opportunity the API is meant to address. If necessary, we'll include plans to build the database to be used by the API. We'll discuss security and scale, among access considerations. We'll document the feature and functionality requirements, from which we'll later write the directions for use.
Throughout the build process, we'll deploy updates to a testing server. For testing purposes, we may build a temporary UI to make requests of and handle responses from the API. Testing also will involve integration with other systems, as available, in preparation for launch.
Upgrade requests following deployment of the API are handled as change requests. We can establish a regular (monthly, quarterly, etc.) schedule for subsequent releases or we can address occasional ad hoc requests as they arise. We'll write up and price out these change requests, and then share the progress tracking with you, up to and including release.
If you want reporting on use of the API, let's discuss what information is most important to you and how you want it presented. We even can incorporate reporting request-response features into the API, itself.
The simple answer is, "No." Although building an API first can then abstract the database interaction for the web app, with the web app as the first "consumer" of the API, the API may be created as an extension of the app.
We can share a wiki or similar resource, either open to the public or behind username-password login, depending on your requirements for security. We'll include information about authentication (if applicable), request-response routes and parameters, and examples.