As I was firing back up API Evangelist after a break this summer, I took the opportunity to add in a couple of new areas to my research, that I've had sitting on the backburner, bringing the number of areas of my API lifecycle research up to 66. Each area operates as an independent Github repository, possessing the JSON, YAML, and HTML for each area of my API industry monitoring, research, and storytelling.
I approach my work this way because the individual repositories allow me to put my blinders on when it comes to each project, while also scaling my work to include as many possible areas that influence what we like to call the API economy. Not all areas are as mature as API management, which has been being defined for well over a decade, but each area plays its own significant role that in my mind makes it worthy enough to be its own separate project.
You can always access the list of API lifecycle research projects from the home page of API Evangelist, and I try to provide a sort of pagination on the home page of each project, allowing for a leisurely stroll through all 66 areas of research. Each area will at least have some news I've curated, with some of the more mature areas also having companies, tools, and blog posts that I've written over the years.
As I scroll down the list on the home page I can really see the API life cycle maturing and coming into focus. We still have decades of work ahead of us when it comes to properly designing, defining, and making our API discoverable, but I can see it all coming into focus. The problem is that I can also see the deficient areas like terms of service, privacy policies, patents, and copyright lacking in attention and discussion amidst each wave of growth.
Which is why I list the areas of concern right alongside the growing opportunities emerging across the API lifecycle.
