Custom REST apis as a productized service?
I enjoy building REST apis and I feel like I’m pretty good at it. The more I do it, the more it all feels the same. This seems like an opportunity for a productized service, and I was wondering if anyone else has tried something similar.
Even if you productized software in a different way, what advice or take-aways could you share? I imagine (but haven’t validated) selling my services to design agencies that typically outsource backend work.
As a front-end developer with limited experience building out REST APIs... I would use this service. What language you normally use to build REST APIs?
I prefer python. But as I imagine it, you'd never have to worry about what language the api is built in. I'd generate all the documentation and take care of setting up hosting/scaling the app.
What kind of shop do you work in currently? Or are you freelance? My biggest issue is figuring out who my target audience for this should be.
I've been looking into the custom api development as a service space too but am finding it difficult to sell the idea. It's a highly technical field and you really have to custom build the api for each client's needs. So I'm not really sure how you could "productize" the service. Would be very interested in your insights. I work with PHP btw, but am also studying Python for data science and backend processing services.
Here are a couple of resources you might find very useful (I certainly do!)
Programmable Web
https://www.programmableweb.com
API Developer Weekly newsletter
https://us2.list-manage.com/subscribe
Who do you typically try to sell to?
As far as insights, I feel like I've done this enough times that I've begun to see patterns in the customization clients need. For instance, often there's access requirements based on business logic, or certain data needs to be manipulated before it can be of use to the API consumer. My services wouldn't be right for every job, but I'm exploring if there is a niche group of people where this idea would be right for most of their projects.
Are you targeting specific industries or companies of a certain size?