The performance of APIs is dependent on both the processing time from when the API receives a request and delivers a response, and the time it takes for the request and response data packets to traverse the Internet distance between the calling system and the system that hosts the API. The timings for calls to APIs are broken down into components by cURL, “a command line tool and library for transferring data with URLs.” In an earlier post, I outlined what curl timings mean. Your customers want to see a response to their action as soon as possible. In this post, I utilize the API Science API, curl, and a few simple scripts to graphically illustrate the effect of global calling location on overall API performance…
Continue readingGlobal Monitoring
How to Use Your API Science One-Month Free Trial (Part 2)
Part 1 of this series introduced the API Science platform and described the basics of how you can utilize your free one-month trial to monitor and evaluate the internal and external APIs that are critical for your platform to be fully functional. Once you have signed up and reviewed what API Science offers, the sensible […]
Continue readingHow to Use Your API Science One-Month Free Trial (Part 1)
API Science provides new users with a free one month trial. In this post I’ll outline ways you can utilize your free trial to explore the features API Science offers. APIs are an essential component of almost every modern online product. If your product is an app, then you’re providing your customers with information of […]
Continue readingThe Effect of “Internet Distance” on Perceived API Performance
Everyone knows that when we travel, the physical distance we must traverse is a determinate factor in how long it will take for us to reach our destination. We travel highways by car, or go by rail, or fly. By car, we can use maps to plot the shortest, fastest route. By rail or flying, […]
Continue readingConfiguring API Monitors for Specific Response Formats
Global variables can be utilized to store any kind of data that is needed as a reference resource within a complex API monitoring process. For example, global variables can be created by one API monitor, then that data store can be read as input data by another API monitor. In my post Introduction to API […]
Continue readingMonitoring Your API’s Performance Using the API Science API
If your product depends on your own internal API, or if your primary customers are users who use your API, then you need to know when your API’s performance is experiencing problems. In my last post I described how you can use the API Science Uptime Report to address an unexpected massive outage related to […]
Continue readingWhat to Do when a Massive Cyber Attack Brings Down APIs
In mid-May, a massive global cyber attack was executed that affected major companies in more than 150 countries. Major victims of the attack included Britain’s National Health Service, “causing widespread disruptions and interrupting medical procedures across hospitals in England and Scotland.” Other major victims included Spain’s Telefonica, Deutsche Bahn (Germany’s national railway service), French carmaker […]
Continue readingUsing the Weekly API Science Report to Improve Customer Experience
Your API Science account automatically provides you with the “Weekly API Science Report” which is delivered by email to the email address associated with your account. Here’s an sample email for an account that runs two API Science monitors: The report proceeds from a performance overview for all of your monitors down to the details […]
Continue readingTiming-Out Slow-Performing External API Requests
API performance varies depending on many variables, including the response of the Internet (for example, resolve time and transfer time) and the timing for work that occurs on the remote server (connect time and processing time). My last post illustrated that calls to the World Bank Countries API sometimes exhibit abnormally slow performance. Unpredictable, though […]
Continue readingAPI Performance as a Function of Call Location
Some weeks ago, I created API monitors that call the World Bank’s Countries API from four different locations: Ireland, Oregon (U.S. West Coast), Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. (U.S. East Coast). All four monitors request the World Bank information for Brazil. Here’s a recent view of my API Science Dashboard for these monitors: Each monitor is […]
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