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 readingPerformance
How to Create an Automated Custom Web Site that Displays API Uptime Data
Previous posts described how to use curl, cron, JSON, Python, matplotlib, and HTML to create an automatically-updated custom API performance web page. In addition to providing API performance data, the API Science API also provides uptime data for the APIs you monitor. In this post, I’ll demonstrate how to download API uptime data and create […]
Continue readingWith APIs and Software Libraries, How Much Code Is Needed to Create Something Immensely Useful? Not Much…
Your business likely requires customized views of the data that is core to the creation of your product. Decades ago, accomplishing this involved development of large data analysis software libraries that were customized to a company’s particular needs, along with user interfaces that enabled employees to view the data, so they could respond to anomalies. […]
Continue readingHow to Create an Automated Custom Web Site that Displays API Performance Data
For your company to succeed, your API-based product must provide maximal performance and uptime to your customers. In order to provide this, you need to monitor the APIs (both internal and external) that are critical for your product’s customer experience. This series of posts illustrates how you can create a custom automated web site that […]
Continue readingHow to Use MatPlotLib to Display API Performance Data
In my previous two posts, I illustrated how your team can Use cron and curl to Regularly Download API Performance Data and How to Use Python to Extract API Performance Data. In this post, I illustrate how you can use the Python MatPlotLib library to create plots of the downloaded data that will be of […]
Continue readingHow to Use Python to Extract JSON API Performance Data
In my last post, I described How to Use cron and curl to Regularly Download API Performance Data. This is the first step toward creating a view of API performance data that is customized for your company’s needs. Once you have the raw data, you can use your company’s preferred programming languages and the custom […]
Continue readingHow to Use cron and curl to Regularly Download API Performance Data
API performance is critical for modern applications. People use their phones and tablets to immediately access information that is relevant to what they’re doing or thinking about right now. If your company’s objective is to provide this information, then you need to know how your product appears to your customers. If your product relies on […]
Continue readingHow to Use Your API Science One-Month Free Trial (Part 3)
When you’ve created and configured your first API Science monitor, you’ll want to configure automated notifications to your team when something involving a critical external or internal API goes awry. You’ll also want to study the performance of your critical APIs using API Science reports. Configuring API Monitor Notifications While your customers access your product […]
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 reading7 Ways to Validate that Your APIs Are Working Correctly
Online products that provide a complex service typically rely on Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), utilizing online resources to provide basic information. The added value is in how their own software uses this information to create a new product that is of value to their users. The APIs that are utilized to create this unique product […]
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