A Beginner’s Guide to API-Led Development (With a Practical Use Case)

APIs are changing the way developers build applications and software. Traditionally, developers used to build apps with a code-first approach and then add APIs on top of it, which often leads to compatibility issues, security risks, and delays.

API-led development is a modern approach, in which applications are built on top of APIs. There are various advantages of API-Led development. As compared to the traditional approach, API-Led development significantly reduces IT workload. APIs allow businesses to:

1. Decouple internal dependencies, leading to agility and flexibility.
2. Easily expose their data and abstract all the complexity underneath.
3. Reduce work as APIs are produced only once and can be reused multiple times.
4. Ensure that the new applications are future-proof and stable.

If you are new to API-led development, this guide is there to help you get started. The guide outlines a practical example of building an API-based interface using a code-free API Management tool.