DevOps has been around since the beginning. It seems like new terms related to ops are popping up just as fast as tech trends. Take, for example:
- AIOPs: Automate and enhance various IT processes using AI.
- MLOps: Machine learning operations that enable you to develop, deploy and manage your machine learning.
- FinOps: Optimizing cloud costs and managing them.
- DevSecOps: Integrate security in the Software development lifecycle. (SDLC).
- GitOps: Use Git to manage and deploy infrastructure and apps (code and configuration).
ChatGPT-Ops ;-). will probably be the next Ops-related term. Finally, APIOps is a new term in Ops. But what does this mean? APIs aren’t new, and they come in many styles.
Also read: Top 10 Ways DevOps Uses Chatbots
What is APIOps?
APIOps is a method that uses the principles of GitOps, DevOps, and DevOps to deploy APIs. APIOps is similar to DevOps. It facilitates the automated modification and deployment of API changes into production. Automation is an important pillar of APIOps. However, APIOps requires that you think beyond your automation pipelines to make it a success. To be successful, you must adopt the principles of CALMS.
Culture
Your API should be treated as a product. This means you must move beyond the technical. An API should be more than a Jira task. It should be more than the sole responsibility of software engineers. A Product Manager should be assigned to ensure the successful adoption of your API,. A roadmap, lifecycle, and success criteria will be provided for your product.
Automation
DevOps teams use DORA metrics (DevOps Research and Assessment), to assess their performance and determine whether they are “low performers” or “elite performers. Using DORA metrics to gain insight into your CI/CD pipelines‘ delivery performance will help you get your API into production. DORA metrics:
- Deployment Frequency: The frequency at which an organization releases production.
- Lead time for changes: How long it takes to put in the effort to go into production.
- Change Failure Rate: A measure of the percentage of production failures caused by deployments.
- Time to restore service: The time taken by an organization to recover after a production failure.
For example, When you look at DORA metrics, make sure you consider items from an API-centric viewpoint. You could introduce a breaking change in your API contract to production, which should include the “Change Failure Rate” metric, especially when the change is not managed.
Lean
A lean approach is key to success. It eliminates waste and focuses on providing value to customers quickly. Does a tree fall in the forest? Do people care if an API isn’t used in production? Do not rush to implement your API service. First, ensure that you know the success criteria. You should wait for the API to be reviewed and approved by potential users before you implement it. To illustrate, consumers can provide early feedback to indicate that the API addresses their pain point/use case.
Also read: Security Operations (SecOps): What Is It? Work, Needs and Challenges
Measure
Any API program should have technical KPIs. This would include the number of transactions per second, the error rate, and the tracking of the API’s SLA. To reach the next level in measuring what is truly important, you should include business-level goals. Here are some examples of what you can track:
RoI (return on investment)KPIs: these are measures of how your API is helping to drive revenue growth or cost reductions.
Consumption KPIs: What is the monthly growth trend in API traffic? Does your API help to grow the number of partners that are onboarded to you organization’s API?
Engagement KPIs: Track your API’s NPS (Net Promoter Score). Or, since your API is your product are you tracking retention or churn as well?
Share
No matter if your API is private (consumed within your organization), public (consumed via partners of your company), or both, you will need a way to share them and get feedback from API users. You could use an internal portal for API developers or a public Marketplace to allow consumers to search and register for your APIs. Importantly, API users must be able to give feedback to the API to help it evolve in the right direction.
APIOps is a way for organizations to improve collaboration, reduce time-to-market, provide better customer experiences, and ultimately, help them achieve better business results.
