Our approaches | How to start an API-led integration project
Episode 2
Governance & Reusability
In the previous episode, we discussed how to get started with a complex integration program to leverage the power of API-connectivity. We explained how to select the first project, avoid the spaghetti-type API-architecture, identify domain leaders and other important factors to consider.
In this episode, Vikram Setia (our CCO) and Dan Shepherd (COO) will focus on the role of API governance and reusability.
Vikram Setia and Dan Shepherd discuss Governance and Reusability.
Vikram Setia and Dan Shepherd discuss Governance and Reusability.
Regardless of your project size, creating a solid foundation before diving into the technical delivery will ensure the scalability of the project and its successful delivery. Establishing the right culture within the delivery team is one of the main prerequisites. It is essential to follow the best practices when it comes to defining the design and development standards, like APIs naming convention, logging and auditing. The consistency in the API's naming and properly documenting their capabilities will help the organisation exchange and reuse the new APIs. Establishing these standards will help to start projects quicker. And finally, consider automation around the build and deployment processes. Automated deployment will not only minimise the likelihood of errors creeping in as you deploy on different environments, but also accelerate the whole process.
It is a common mistake to consider automated deployments only after a few streams of projects have been delivered. We have engaged with customers who are further down their integration journey, and we've seen the pain they face as a result of not putting those appropriate steps in place from the start. The debugging becomes very complicated and take longer to resolve; the development lacks consistency and scaling is almost impossible.
We touched on the subject of reusability during in our previous video episode. It's essential to move away from the point-to-point integrations and create a reusable application network. MuleSoft gives you the perfect platform to be able to leverage that capability, develop on top of what you already have so that organisations can get to market much faster.
Let's not forget the security, which should be closely linked to governance. Security plays a crucial role, and it is a big topic in its own right.
In the next episode, we will dive deep into the importance of security on API-led integration projects. Make sure you don't miss it!
If you have any questions regarding the issues, we covered in this video or want to discuss your challenges, talk to our integration team.
