Today, APIs are an important part of how organizations conduct business––from internal APIs that streamline business processes to public APIs that generate revenue for organizations. The rising value of APIs raises the question: are APIs just another technology fad, shining brightly now, but soon to fade out of the spotlight?

Technically speaking, APIs have been around probably as long as software, but I think the real question is whether web APIs – practically-RESTful ones – will be the focus of attention for longer than other bright shiny objects, such as EDI, lean manufacturing, BPR, or ERP.

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Across industries, organizations are realizing the power of reusable APIs to transform the way they do business. Health systems are redefining patient care, retailers are pioneering innovative omnichannel experiences for their customers, and banks have accelerated the speed at which they can bring innovative new products and services to market.

But what about government? How should federal agencies be thinking about leveraging reusable APIs to enable more efficient and cost-effective citizen service and mission delivery?

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Is it possible to have your cake and eat it too? In the world of API specs, we believe the answer is yes. We have been strong supporters of RAML, the RESTful API Modeling Language, since its inception, and we are if anything even more excited and committed about the value it brings to the API ecosystem.

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The battle between software giants Oracle and Google hit close to home again last week, when a Federal Court of Appeals overturned a 2-year-old ruling by a lower court and established that APIs are entitled to copyright protection. The first reaction from most people is: how strange! After all, APIs are just the specification of how a software system or service behaves – call it this way, send it this information, get back that information – so how is that possibly something copyrightable? It’s not like a book, or a painting, or even software… And the second reaction, from many in the API world, is: no!!!

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I’m excited to announce that we’ve recently made available to the RAML community a new API Designer, API Console, and API Notebook, built around a new RAML JavaScript parser released as part of the RAML workgroup. All of these are available under open-source licenses, and all may either be downloaded and used on your own site or are hosted as part of the APIhub.com service. You can find them on the projects page of RAML.org.

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I just read yet another amazing achievement in the world of 3D printing: directly printing sand-grain-sized rechargeable batteries. It’s not that manufacturing things at that scale is revolutionary any more, it’s that we can see the path to mass accessibility: anyone will soon be able to do this. Just like desktop publishing, and later the web, and later any of a slew of self-expression and DIY-distribution possibilities like Facebook and YouTube and Twitter, that accessibility and enablement will surely create Yet Another Revolution (TM). No doubt.

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There’s a saying that goes something like: to err is human, to really screw up big time takes a computer. But if you really want to have some fun, connect that computer to another computer, and you soon have a veritable nuclear chain reaction. The key to unlocking this energy? The lowly API, a programmer’s best friend, the little enabler that placed Google Maps in the center of mashup mania, drove the Ajax revolution, and is now generating over half of SalesForce.com’s revenues.

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